Sensing Nature, 2017

Sensing Nature was a two-year in-depth qualitative research project, based at the University of Exeter, from 2016-2018, to explore opportunities to promote more inclusive nature experiences for wellbeing amongst people with sight impairment in the UK. In the initial phase of the research the lead researcher has volunteered with a range of activity groups across England, including those involving participants with visual impairment. This opportunity was used to build an awareness of people’s diverse sensory worlds and to explore how people might like to share their experiences and stories. In the project's second phase, both narrative and go-along interviews were conducted with people of different ages and backgrounds, and with varying forms of visual impairment. These interviews offered a much deeper understanding of people’s diverse sensory experiences in nature, alongside the conditions that can both enhance and undermine these experiences.