Dig It Yourself - sensory gardens by children with visual impairment

Background

Extensive review of literature and online resources demonstrated that typically sensory gardens for visually impaired and multiply disabled visually impaired children and young people have been planned, designed and built for them. This project aimed to enable the young VI people to take control of the whole process.

The original objectives of the project were:

• to devise the optimum systems for VI youngsters to make their own sensory gardens
• to assist in the setting up of these gardens
• to disseminate the findings of the project
• to establish potential support and/or funding for future gardens
• to set up a website reporting on the project.

In October 2000 the Scottish Executive Education Department Innovations Grant scheme provided some funding to set up a small project to establish the interest in such a project and to identify participants and set up a small 6 month trial.

An open day was the first activity which was intended to draw together interested parties to explore the possibilities of the project. Unfortunately this was sabotaged by very unpleasant weather. The report of the day does point out that there was extensive interest and enthusiasm for more information on this subject; as well as enabling people from across Scotland to meet and network.

The trial gardens