[Ct-nfb] Noreen Grice and her love to help the blind , article in the new Britain Herald today.

[Elizabeth Rival]

Sunday, August 26, 2012 9:14 PM EDT

By ROBERT STORACE
STAFF WRITER

NEW BRITAIN - A long-time astronomy buff, city resident Noreen Grice
remembers the reaction she got from blind students who saw a planetarium
show when she worked for the Boston Museum of Science decades go - they
hated it.

"They said the show was awful," said Grice, 49. "It caught me off guard. I
didn't realize astronomy was not accessible until that group pointed it out
to me."

>From that moment in Boston, Grice has been on a mission to make astronomy
accessible to everyone including the hearing and visually impaired those
with mobile impairments and neurological disorders. She went on to write
five tactile books - all touchable - about astronomy for the visually
impaired. Her book "Touch the Universe" was the first book in Braille ever
on Amazon.com.

Last month, Grice, who was raised in Walden, Mass., published her sixth
book: "Everyone's Universe: Second Edition" as a guide for educators to
better teach those with impairments and disabilities about astronomy. The
book is $27.95 and as available at Barnes & Noble in Farmington and at
Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

 
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"My passion is making astronomy accessible to people with disabilities,"
Grice said Thursday.

The first half of her 336-page book deals with how educators can better
communicate with their students. For example, there is a section on working
with the visually impaired. Grice notes there are several things educators
can do to help that part of the population learn about the world of
astronomy, which is the study of places beyond the earth, such as stars,
planets and moons.

"I write about how to pictorially describe images available through the
telescope and ways to provide a tactile tour of the telescope," she said. "I
also explain how to enlarge images from the telescope to the monitor, which
will make it more accessible for someone with low vision."

She also worked with the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford in
offering educators ideas on how to better teach the hearing impaired about
astronomy.

The second half of the book is a guide to accessible astronomy destinations.
There are none in central Connecticut and the closest one is at the Western
Connecticut State University Observatory Planetarium in Danbury, she said.

"They have tactile images available to accompany planetarium shows," she
noted.

Grice believes more people - especially with the interest in Mars recently -
are getting involved in astronomy and all it has to offer.

"Astronomy is an adventure," she said. "When I think of the universe, it's a
really big story and we are one small chapter."

Those who know of Grice's work say she has a strong dedication to help those
with impairments to learn about astronomy.

"The work she has done is phenomenal," said Kristine Larsen, astronomy
professor at Central Connecticut State University. "I've used her work in my
teaching, everything from using materials for the blind to giving us
strategies to teach the visually and hearing impaired."

Grice's website can be accessed at youcandoastronomy.com.

Robert Storace can be reached at (860) 225-4601, ext. 223, or at
rstorace at newbritainherald.com.

                                

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