[CapChapOhio] An article about the eclipse and accessibility

[Richard Payne]

Dear Annette and all,

 

This was very good, and you represented us great as you always do I look
forward to hearing the many stories after the event.

 

I put the information in the body of the message to assist those who have
problems opening attachments.

 

 

An inclusive eclipse: How people with disabilities can experience the
celestial moment.

 

 

Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY. The eclipse might seem to be a visual
experience, but there's a lot more to feel, hear and sense. 'Nature is a
shared human experience.'. Chris Danielson remembered how lab periods
inevitably went for him in school. 

 

"If we did an experiment, I was always the note-taker," he said. "I was
never allowed to touch anything, to use the knife in dissections or touch
anything in chemistry. 

 

Today, the 52-year-old is the spokesperson for the National Foundation for
the Blind. He recalled how "growing up, we were told STEM was not really for
us. 

 

That idea is changing. The biggest astronomical event of the year an April 8
total solar eclipse that will arc across a swath of the United States from
Texas to Maine will be a more inclusive spectacle because of a combination
of technology and awareness. 

 

"Nature is a shared human experience," disability advocate Nash Dunn says. 

 

Eclipse totality means inclusivity in Indiana Dunn, president of Knox County
Association for Remarkable Citizens (KCARC), said the southwest Indiana
nonprofit, which offers services to children and adults with disabilities,
has been preparing for the eclipse along with the rest of the community. The
area is within the eclipse's path of totality. 

 

Like a lot of other eclipse events taking place across the country,
Community in Totality will include a DJ, food vendors, games and arts and
crafts activities. But the afternoon-long event centers around helping
people with physical, developmental and cognitive disabilities such as
cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and autism view and participate in the
eclipse. 

 

LightSound boxes , which sync musical tones and other sounds with the
changing shadows and light of the eclipse, can help people with visual
impairment or blindness track the movements of the sun and moon, something
Dunn described as akin to the sounds depicted in the 1968 film "2001: A
Space Odyssey. 

 

"We're playing around with different materials, too," Dunn said. "A lot of
folks we serve have sensory issues or they just can't wear glasses," a
potentially huge problem that could prevent people from safely viewing the
eclipse. Organizers are working on accommodations, brainstorming ideas like
a canopy that would protect their eyesight while still providing a vantage
point to view the eclipse. 

 

Dunn said KCARC has also ramped up eclipse-related education "so everyone
understands what it is and what it means, so they can understand what the
event is and why its important, and how they can be part of it."Â  

 

The community has always been very supportive of KCARC's work, Dunn said,
ever since the organization was founded in 1969 by parents who didn't want
their disabled children to be institutionalized but also needed services to
keep them engaged and included. KCARC offers an array of services and
employment opportunities. 

 

"A vibrant, healthy community is created by every person in it," he said.
"Everyone in this community is working to make sure the eclipse is
positively impactful for all of us. 

 

Citizen scientists across the country The folks at ARISA Lab are busy, said
co-founder and chief scientist Henry "Trae" Winter III. 

 

"We're three weeks out from a deadline we cannot change," he said, and
working to make sure as many people as possible can take part in the Eclipse
Soundscapes Project , a joint effort with NASA, the National Foundation for
the Blind and scientists, educators and a small army of volunteers across
the country. 

 

The goal: To see how a total solar eclipse affects wildlife, collecting
multisensory recordings of how birds, animals and insects react to the
moments of light, dark and every shade in between. 

 

Winter said he grew up poor, thinking there was no place for him in
disciplines such as astronomy and astrophysics that required years of
education. That helped inform his desire, along with ARISA co-founder
MaryKay Severino, to make science more open and accessible to all. ARISA
stands for Advanced Research in Inclusion & STEAM Accessibility. 

 

Realizing he could make his way in science, the astrophysicist said, "was
very powerful. 

 

"Science should be for everyone," he said. "We want people to be able to do
the science, working with scientists and with each other. 

 

ARISA has put accessibility first, he said: "It's not that hard and it
doesn't have to be expensive. ... We don't make things for people who are
low-vision and blind; we make them with people who are low-vision and blind.


 

There are a host of resources on the Eclipse Soundscapes Project website,
including educational materials "Made by teachers," Winter said, "not
scientists like me, because we know scientists can't make good lesson
plans"; links to participating organizations; maps; and even DIY kits for
people to join the effort. 

 

'Sight is only one of our senses' Annette Lutz, who is president of the
Capital Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, said she's
excited about the project and experiencing her first total eclipse. She'll
be outside on her deck in Columbus with her daughter and her rescue dog,
Teddy. She wants to listen for the sounds of birds, insects and other living
creatures. She wants to feel the changes in temperature, the shifts in the
wind, the way "day will become night, even if it's just for a couple of
minutes. 

 

"I am space-nerdy person," she said. "So I'm fascinated by this. A lot of
blind people are discouraged from science, and we really try to tell folks,
you do not have to see to be involved in science. There are plenty of blind
scientists: chemists, physicists, astrophysicists. They do it because this
is their passion. Blindness shouldn't be a barrier to that. 

 

She's self-employed and grateful for the flexibility that affords, and she
wants people to understand that the eclipse will be a multi-sensory
phenomenon. 

 

"Sight is only one of our senses," she said. "We can fully enjoy this. 

 

Contact Phaedra Trethan by email at ptrethan at usatoday.com
<mailto:ptrethan at usatoday.com> , on X (formerly Twitter) @wordsbyphaedra, or
on Threads @by_phaedra . 

 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: An inclusive eclipse: How
people with disabilities can experience the celestial moment 

 

 

Email me this Article

 

 

 

 

Richard Payne,  President

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio

937/829/3368

 <mailto:Rchpay7 at gmail.com> Rchpay7 at gmail.com

The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want;
blindness is not what holds you back.

 

From: CapChapOhio <capchapohio-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of President
Capital chapter via CapChapOhio
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2024 6:28 AM
To: NFB List <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>; Capital List <capchapohio at nfbnet.org>
Cc: President Capital chapter <president.capital.nfboh at gmail.com>
Subject: [CapChapOhio] An article about the eclipse and accessibility

 

Good morning,

 

Here is an article that was in USA today yesterday. It is a shameless plug
because I was interviewed for it. Pretty good article except for they got
our name wrong when they talk to Chris Danielsen.

 

Everyone have a great Easter!

 

Annette.

 

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