Connect the Dots Event Explores Access Through Touch and Texture

An APH employee leans over a table covered in papers and books as she speaks to two small girls and a woman.

July 22, 2024

On Saturday, July 13th, fifty visitors attended “Touch and Texture,” the latest in our education series, Connect the Dots, at the South-Central Regional Library. Powered by PNC Foundation, these events create opportunities for families and children to explore big concepts like access, inclusion, and innovation through play, focused on the real-life experiences of people who are blind and low vision. “APH wants everyone to understand that people who are blind or low vision can do anything other people can do with the right tools and support,” said Kathy Nichols, Senior Museum Educator for The Dot Experience.

Two young boys stand with an adult in front of a table. The boy closest to the table and the adult reach for some textured rope being handed to him by an APH employee behind the table.

July’s event contained four stations that highlighted the ways in which touch and texture can be used to access the surrounding world. One station provided information about how the sense of touch works. Four types of sensors in the skin, called mechanoreceptors, communicate messages to the brain about how something feels. To demonstrate each mechanoreceptor, APH staff created mystery touch boxes, where individuals could reach in and guess what object they are feeling. Items included coins, seashells, a vibrating toothbrush, a vibrating baby toy, feather boas, and a microfiber duster. This activity underscored how people who are blind or low vision often identify objects by feel.

Another station showcased different types of tactile graphics produced by various machines from APH, such as the Roland UV Printer, the Roland Vanguard, the Thermoform Unit machines, and the PixBlaster embosser. Participants ran their hands over thermoform inserts from textbooks; the graphics in the tactile storybook Goin’ on a Bear Hunt; tactile maps, including one of Middle-earth from The Lord of the Rings; tactile museum plaques; and a bust of Louis Braille, inventor of the braille code. Attendees then worked with tactile graphics designers from APH to make their own images using the Picture Maker Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit. Creations varied from tactile towns to the face of Mickey Mouse.

A young girl standing near a man plays with pieces of the Picture Maker Wheatley Tactile Diagramming Kit, which are resting on a table, while two APH volunteers speak to her and the man from behind the table.

Mary Rickert demonstrated to the audience how she uses her cane to feel the world beneath her feet and avoid obstacles. She maneuvered her cane up and down steps and across multiple surfaces: grass, carpet, and concrete. Attendees were then invited to feel and use canes of varying heights, crafted out of fiberglass and aluminum, and with different tips. “One mother with ten children, stayed with Mary for almost an hour as she patiently worked to give each of her children access to cane lessons,” said Kathy. Mary added, “It was such a fun event that the time flew by.”

The fourth station taught about the artist Sugandha Gupta, who uses sensory design to make artwork about experience and knowledge that engages the five senses. Inspired by Sugandha, attendees each selected materials they felt expressed or represented their identities through touch and color. They weaved them into an art piece alongside everyone at the event to showcase how every person’s identity intertwines with others. This project incorporated ribbons, rope, binder rings, and other assorted textiles weaved among one another to bring a cohesive piece to life.

“We offer unique programs and activities at a different library branch every month,” said Kathy. “We hope to welcome as many people as possible to Connect the Dots for a taste of The Dot Experience.”

Join us at our Connect the Dots events and be sure to follow The Dot Experience on Facebook and X for updates on the museum.