Canon and RSBC create tactile photography exhibition for visually impaired students

# What happened Canon UK & Ireland partnered with the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC) to produce a tactile photography exhibition that lets visually impaired students experience images through touch and storytelling. The project started in late 2025 with a bespoke Canon Young People Programme workshop led by Canon Ambassador Elisa Iannacone for seven RSBC students in Orpington.

# How the students were involved Students created portrait images focused on activities they enjoy. Photography was used as a creative tool for expressing identity and personality. During the workshop the students made the portraits that formed the basis of the exhibition.

# How the tactile prints were made Canon transformed the portraits into tactile relief prints using elevated printing technology. The prints were produced on a Canon Arizona 2380 XT and processed with PRISMAelevate XL software. The production combined carefully developed height maps with multiple layers of UV-curable ink to build raised textures, giving the images a physical dimension that can be explored by hand.

# What the exhibition offers The exhibition invites students to engage with photographic work through touch and accompanying storytelling. It broadens how visual content can be experienced by people with visual impairments and creates a direct, hands-on connection to the students' own images.

# What happens next After the exhibition, the relief prints will remain on display at RSBC as a permanent installation. That gives students an ongoing opportunity to revisit their work and continue engaging with photography in an accessible format.

# Why it matters for inclusive creative education The initiative is part of Canon's Canon Young People Programme, which supports young people using visual storytelling to explore issues and ideas that matter to them. This project demonstrates a practical application of printing technology to improve accessibility in arts education and exhibitions, offering a model that other institutions could adapt for visually impaired learners.

# Takeaway This collaboration converted student-made portraits into tactile artworks using elevated printing, created a public exhibition experience tailored to visually impaired audiences, and left a permanent resource at RSBC for continued engagement with photography.