3D printed baby scans help blind parents feel unborn child
Guide Dogs pilot uses 3D printed scans to let blind parents feel their unborn baby.
How it was covered
- Channel 5 carried 52% of the airtime.
- BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
Blind parents are being given the chance to feel their unborn baby through 3D printed models of pregnancy scans, thanks to a new pilot scheme from Guide Dogs UK. The charity has launched the initiative to help visually impaired parents and grandparents experience the 20-week scan in a tactile way.
The models are created from ultrasound scans, using AI and 3D printing technology. One couple, Reece and Sophie, who are expecting their first child, received a model of their son. Reece, who has been blind since his teenage years, said the experience was emotional. "It was just the ultimate moment of, oh, I feel included in this now and I can access something at the same time as you," he told ITV News.
The pilot scheme costs £90,000 and will provide free models to 100 blind parents and grandparents. Guide Dogs hopes the scheme will show the NHS what is possible and lead to wider adoption. Amit, a former A&E doctor who lost his sight 14 years ago, said the NHS should ask people with disabilities what they need. "It's not one size fits all," he said.
For Reece, the model has made the journey to parenthood more exciting. "I can't wait to meet my son," he said. The charity hopes to roll out the scheme to all families affected by sight loss.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| Guide Dogs charity launched a pilot scheme to provide free tactile baby scans to families affected by visual impairment. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Amit was an A&E doctor until he lost his sight 14 years ago. | Not reported by ITV | |
| Rhys and Sophie received a 3D likeness of their unborn son made from an ultrasound scan. | Not reported by ITV | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Focused on the emotional experience of blind parents, including the story of Reece and Sophie, and the broader point that the NHS should adapt to different needs. It highlighted the loneliness of not being able to see the scan and the joy of the tactile model.
- “You can really feel the facial features, like the eyes and the mouth and the nose.”
- “Kind of viscerally it hits you when you feel it. It's really, really, really beautiful.”
- “I can't wait to meet my son. It still feels weird saying it. But yeah, stuff like this just makes you, what makes you even more excited for that moment.”
Focused on the practical details of the pilot scheme, including the cost and the number of beneficiaries, and the charity's hope to roll it out. It also captured the couple's reaction and the tactile experience.
- “Oh my God! Is that the hairs?”
- “It was just the ultimate moment of, oh, I feel included in this now and I can access something at the same time as you.”
- “How can you put a value on that experience and actually inclusivity and accessibility is really core moving forward and if Guide Dogs can pave the way to break that barrier down, that is what we'd hope for any organisation looking at the future.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.