Related Links

Useful websites for PSYC54 students

American Foundation for the Blind (www.afb.org)
This is the publisher of Axel and Levant “Art beyond sight.” It is a major publisher on works for and about the blind. It is probably the premier English-language foundation for publications for the visually handicapped in English, with the Royal National Institute for the Blind a close second. The Canadian National Institute for the Blind works closely with the foundation.

Art Education for the Blind (www.artseducation.info)
This is the website of the group promoting college-level pictorial art for the blind. The group has been lead by Elizabeth Axel for two decades. It has produced several volumes in a 20 book series on the history of art, specifically for the blind. Their work is having a dramatic effect on museums throughout the world.

Ann Cunninghamwww.acunningham.com
Artist with work relevant to the blind “I have been carving stone since I was fifteen years old but it wasn't until 1990 that I wondered if the slate low relief sculptures I was making could be interpreted by touch as well as sight. This question led me to explore how my sense of touch might be trained through art to function on a higher level. The bas relief stories and exhibits that I have developed out of this exploration include most recently a commission for the National Federation of the Blind. It depicts Erik Weihenmayer's ascent of Mount Everest, as the first blind climber to reach the summit. Since 1998 I have been teaching art classes to develop self expression through the sense of touch at the Colorado Center for the Blind.”

National Center for Disability Services (www.ncds.org)
The centre has a program for Arts and Cultural Initiatives. It is lead by Pearl Rosen, a highly experienced museum educator. It is concerned with museum accessibility, staff training and it aims to make art available in alternative ways to the standard ones.

The Louvre (www.louvre.fr)
The Paris museum with the most extensive outreach program for the visually handicapped is likely the Louvre, with Hoelle Corvest (from Quebec) as one of its foremost leaders. It offers programs on “dessins en relief” and “communication graphique.” These are offered at introductory and more advanced levels.