Exhibition for the Blind

Introduction

In this project you are going to create an exhibition for a blind audience, where exhibits can be felt, listened to, smelt and tasted. You are going to work in groups of 4. Each group will choose and research its own exhibition topic. First, we are going to learn about being blind, write blind-friendly place descriptions, create “Free trails” and produce 1-3 exhibits of your own choice. In the last lesson, each project group is guided blindfolded around another groups’ exhibition, experiencing it through senses other than sight. 

Task

ROLE1 

Description: Your job is to find out what causes blindness and what it is like to be blind. 

You will use the resources below to learn about how the eye works and why some people's eyes don't work the way they should. You will also find out how blind people do everyday things, such as eating, picking out clothes to wear, using money, shopping for groceries, cooking, and playing games. (Of course you can use other websites or offline sources of information too!)

Internet links 

General introduction: https://nfb.org/nopbc-questions-kids-ask  

General introduction 2: http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/visual-impaired.html 

I was born blind: Julia's story http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/blindstory.html?WT.ac=ctg 

Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.visionaware.org/info/emotional-support/coping-with-visionloss/questions-children-ask-about-blindness-and-vision-loss/125 

How blind students read & write http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/grade-schoolers/education-grade-schoolers/how-students-who-are-blind-read-and-write/1235 

ROLE2 

Description: How do blind people travel and get information? 

You will research how blind people get around using guide dogs and canes. You will also learn about what Braille is and how it is used. Please use the resources below and share what you learn with your group! (Of course you can use other websites or offline sources of information too!)

Internet links 

General introduction: https://nfb.org/nopbc-questions-kids-ask  

A-Z Deafblindness: The English Braille Alphabet www.deafblind.com/braille.html 

Wikipedia: Braille http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braille 

American Foundation for the Blind www.afb.org/braillebug/ 

Wikipedia: Guide dogs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guide_dog  

Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.visionaware.org/info/emotional-support/coping-with-vision-loss/questions-children-ask-about-blindness-and-vision-loss/125 

How blind students read & write http://www.familyconnect.org/info/browse-by-age/grade-schoolers/education-grade-schoolers/how-students-who-are-blind-read-and-write/1235  

ROLE3 

Description: Who are some famous blind people and what are they famous for? 

Even though blind people can't see, they can still lead normal and successful lives.  Your job is to research and share with your group information about some successful blind people. 

Please use the resources below and share what you learn with your group! (Of course you can use other websites or offline sources of information too!)

Internet links 

Famous Blind People http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-blind-people/celebrity-lists  

Helen Keller www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=1 

Ray Charles www.raycharles.com 

Stevie Wonder http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Wonder 

Andrea Bocelli www.andreabocelli.com 

ROLE4 

Description: What kind of jobs can blind people do, how do they go to school, and what can they do for fun? 

Please use the resources below to find the answers to these questions and then share what you learn with your group! 

Internet links 

General introduction: https://nfb.org/nopbc-questions-kids-ask  

What kind of jobs can blind people do? https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/fr/fr7/issue3/f070307.html 

10 jobs for blind people http://www.rsbc.org.uk/blogs/10-jobs-that-blind-people-can-do/  

Process

TASK 1: Research and presentation 

Class 1: Decide as a team who will research each of the four questions listed in  

the Task section. 

Class 2-3: You will have time during class to conduct research on your topic. Work together with classmates who have the same role and share your findings in One Note.

 

Class 4: Share your research with your group! Choose the most interesting facts that you would like to use in your presentation. 

Class 5-6: Prepare a presentation with your group which summarises your findings for the other groups. Then give your presentation. Don't forget that every group member has to speak in order to successfully complete the task!

 

TASK 2: Invisible Exhibition 

1. Decide on the topic for your Invisible Exhibition. 

2. Make a description for you place and make a "Free trail".

3. Make 4 exhibits (everybody in the group will be responsible for 1 exhibit). Work together to make a creative, high-quality, enjoyable exhibition!

4. In the final lesson you will visit one other group's exhibition blindfolded. 

 

Evaluation

You will be evaluated on their group work as well as their individual work.

Individual work. You will get points for:

  • attitude
  • contribution to the group's effort
  • preparation and focus on task
  • collaboration (how you share your findings with your classmates)
  • research 

Group work. You as a group will get points for:

  • quality of the presentation
  • creativity
  • information
  • structure 
  • presentation & language
  • quality of the exhibition

You can find the EVALUATION GRID with details in the Microsoft Classroom.

Conclusion

You should be very proud of yourselves!  You learned a lot about blindness, and you also worked hard dring the lessons. In conclusion, I would like each of you to write a journal entry in your personal One Note notebook describing  what you feel you have learned from this project and what experiences you  

enjoyed.  Feel free to write about any parts of the project you didn't enjoy or that you felt were not helpful.  Was there anything I could have done better to make the project more interesting?   

 

 

Please take time to reflect on how much you learned during this project. I hope that this project has helped you to realize that blind people can lead completely normal lives with support and understanding from people just like you! 

Credits