DVC Student Invents Abstract Art Tool for Visually Impaired

(Easton) - Sarah Bucklin, a senior in Design and Visual Communications, has loved the visual arts from the time she was a little girl. Combined with a compassion for the visually impaired, such as her mother’s friend who was blind from birth, she wanted to share her passion with the most inclusive audience possible. She put together an abstract drip art tool that includes a thick paint for the blind and visually impaired to be able to enjoy and examine their own works of art.

Pat Monteith, science fair mentor, former extended day instructor and successful science fair mom and coach of her International Science and Engineering Fair winning son, Barnaby Monteith is impressed with Sarah’s growth and successes. “I’ve done a fair amount of research, and see if there are similar inventions,” noted Pat, “but I haven’t been able to find anything. I’m impressed by the originality of Sarah’s thinking. She has a real empathy for people with disabilities, and the passion, drive and focus to come up with something creative.”

Sarah’s project continues to refine and improve through a series of prototype designs and tests. Through Ms Monteith’s network, Sarah was able to tour and gain practical knowledge for her invention at the Perkins School of the Blind. “I also connected Sarah with the Head of Disabilities Services at Bridgewater State University. He helped Sarah transpose the instructions into Braille, so the blind could actually use Sarah’s invention easily.”

The future continues to be bright for Sarah and those who may benefit from her invention. An organization in New York, “Art Beyond Sight” is interested in interviewing her. Sarah will present her Abstract Art Tool invention on May 5, 2015, at the “Cape Cod Mini Maker Faire,” where hobbyists, engineers, artists and students display their “inventions, creativity and resourcefulness” at Cape Cod Community College. She has been accepted at the New England Institute of Technology in Rhode Island, and will attend the New England Institute of Art in Brookline, MA, this summer.

Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High School is a public 9-12 vocational high school located in South Easton, Massachusetts, serving approximately 1,400 students from the City of Brockton and the towns of East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxborough, Mansfield, Norton, Sharon, Stoughton and West Bridgewater.