Katy's Post - Through Different Eyes

 While in Europe, I kept thinking about the Diversity Workshop I did with Laura last year.  We did a workshop for first through third grade talking about visual impairment and blindness. Together with the children, we learned about braille and thought about how we might include children with visual impairments in everyday activities.  Here are some interesting pictures that I took around Europe of how museums, towns and businesses are including people with visual impairments.

In Dublin, to cross the street, you can "read" with this raised map of the street, which is on the street post. It shows you how many lanes of traffic (3 in each picture), which way the cars are coming from, and the best route for you to cross safely.

The Uffizi Museum in Florence had what was called a TOUCH TOUR.  Since people with visual impairments might have trouble seeing through their eyes, the museum provides a touch copy paintings.  It is an imprint of the picture made out of plaster so people can "see" it with their sense of touch. See the example below.

Actual picture of The Birth of Venus

Touch tour copy of The Birth of Venus

At the museum I visited in Fiesole, outside of Florence, maps were raised so people could touch and feel where the different rooms were. They were also labeled in braille and raised lettering.

The descriptions were done in braille and raised lettering.

The ruins of the amphitheater were shone on this raised map. People could touch the map and "see" where all the ruins were located. The labels were done in braille.

Actual theater ruins

It might be hard to see, but this vitamin box is labeled in braille. Can you see the dots up near the top?