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Here is some nice press coverage of a visit made by our Rochester chapter
to the “Child in a Strange Country” exhibit described in this
article. Thanks to Edward Cohen for pulling some of this
information together and to Dale Heltzer for forwarding.<br><br>
<br><br>
For those who can access the Post Bulletin website for the
pictures, here’s a link:<br><br>
<a href="https://www.postbulletin.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/traveling-exhibit-offers-blind-community-a-chance-to-be-seen">
https://www.postbulletin.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/traveling-exhibit-offers-blind-community-a-chance-to-be-seen</a>
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<br><br>
Traveling exhibit offers blind community a chance to be seen<br><br>
By John Molseed of the Rochester / Post Bulletin<br><br>
April 27, 2023<br><br>
<br><br>
Visually impaired leaders explore an exhibit on display as part of
Rochester Civic Theatre's run of “The Miracle Worker.”<br><br>
Child in Strange Country <br><br>
<br><br>
Pat Harlan explores a model of an eyeball with Angela Christle, a vision
loss specialist with the Minnesota State Services for the Blind on
Wednesday, April 26, 2023. The display was part of a traveling exhibit,
“A Child in a Strange Country,” on display at the Rochester Civic
Theatre. The exhibit is on loan from the Museum of American Printing
House for the Blind in Kentucky.<br><br>
<br><br>
ROCHESTER It had been a few years since Dale Heltzer felt an animal
skull in his hand. Heltzer brushed his hands Wednesday afternoon
over the skull as well as relief shapes of leaves, a starfish, a sea
shell and polished stones.<br><br>
“Agate, I think?” he said. The pieces were part of a traveling
exhibit A Child in a Strange Country on display at the Rochester Civic
Theatre.<br><br>
<br><br>
Heltzer was among about a dozen people living in Southeast Minnesota with
visual impairments visiting the exhibit in Rochester that speaks to them
literally. Members of the Rochester low-vision support group and
the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota visited the Rochester
Civic Theatre on Wednesday afternoon to explore the traveling
exhibit.<br><br>
<br><br>
The Rochester Civic Theatre brought the exhibit to display in the lobby
as part of its run of “The Miracle Worker,” the Civic is displaying the
exhibit on loan from the Museum of American Printing House for the Blind
in Kentucky. It shows how blind students have historically learned how to
read, write, and study subjects such as geography and anatomy.<br><br>
<br><br>
Edward Cohen explores a relief globe that's part of a traveling exhibit
“A Child in a Strange Country” on display at the Rochester Civic Theatre.
Cohen and his wife, Karen Cohen, left, helped organize a visit to the
exhibit Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Each display has descriptions
and writing in braille and other tactile interactive aspects.<br><br>
<br><br>
Members of the groups visited the display in part because it was
something specifically for and about people with visual impairments. It
was also an opportunity to show people that the visually impaired and
blind are and continue to be involved in the community.<br><br>
“We’re becoming more known as a community who wants to be seen,” said
Angela Christle, a vision loss specialist with the Minnesota State
Services for the Blind. “There were a lot of people who wanted to explore
this.”<br><br>
By interacting with the exhibit, people will understand that visually
impaired people want to and are able to participate in events and
day-to-day activities in the community. Christle said the group’s
presence was itself a form of self advocacy for people with visual
impairments.<br><br>
<br><br>
Edward Cohen, who helped found the Rochester low-vision support group,
said he was glad the display was available for the group.<br><br>
The Civic’s production of “The Miracle Worker” included American Sign
Language signers on stage and captioning at select performances. Cohen
said a long-term goal of his would be to see similar accommodations at
public events for the blind. He added that he was glad the show
accommodated deaf patrons and that similar accommodations might be
possible as long as someone asks.<br><br>
“We need to be our own advocates sometimes,” he said.<br><br>
Christle said most mainstream movies have an additional audio track of
visual descriptions and people who want that can contact the screening
theater ahead of a showing.<br><br>
<br><br>
Photo caption: Jody Albert, top, touches an animal skull while Dale
Heltzer touches relief replicas of leaves that are part of a traveling
exhibit “A Child in a Strange Country” on display at the Rochester Civic
Theatre Wednesday, April 26, 2023. <br><br>
<br><br>
Rochester Civic Theatre brought the exhibit to display in the lobby as
part of its run of “The Miracle Worker.” <br><br>
<br><br>
On Wednesday, the outing was a chance to enjoy something specifically for
the visually impaired. For Heltzer, it was a chance to explore some
interesting history and the evolution of communication devices and
languages that evolved into braille and devices visually impaired people
use today. “We like our gadgets,” Cohen said.<br><br>
<br><br>
Heltzer carried a portable computer that displays writing with movable
braille. He recalled buying an Apple II decades ago with early speech
synthesizer.<br><br>
“All of it was so expensive and quickly outdated,” he said. “I would have
been better off investing that money in Apple.”<br><br>
<br><br>
If you go<br><br>
What: “A Child in a Strange Country” traveling exhibit.<br><br>
When: Tuesdays to Saturdays, through April 29 from noon to 4
p.m.<br><br>
Where: 30 Civic Center Drive SE, Rochester.<br><br>
How much: Free.<br>
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