Encased in glass or roped off at a distance, museum exhibits have long been kept out of reach.But for the visually impaired, "look but don’t touch" is a polite way of saying "don’t bother coming at all."

At the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows, a hands-on museum that encourages touching, curators are pioneering new methods of enabling the visually impaired to fully enjoy the museum experience.

Called the Audio Tour Access Project, the program uses a combination of sound and touch to allow visitors to make their way through the exhibits without the benefit of sight.

By using an audio device shaped like a cellular phone with Braille buttons, the visually impaired are guided through the museum’s wide array of hands-on exhibits.

Focus groups have been gathering weekly to try out the program, which was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and NEC Foundation.

In an effort to select the topics of greatest interest to the visually impaired, the Hall for Science has been asking for input, said Alan Friedman, the Hall’s director. Friedman and the museum staff were surprised to hear that the number one request was "the science of light."

"When we first thought of doing this we weren’t going to do the ‘Seeing The Light’ exhibit," said Friedman. "But when we started talking to the groups and discovered that it was light that many of them were seeking to understand, we did it at their request," added Friedman

The idea of an exhibit on light designed for the blind sounds impossible. It is appropriate that this is pioneered on the grounds of the World’s Fair, which in 1939 beckoned visitors with a sign that read, "Hear Light, See Sound."

"Most people have thought the light exhibit was wonderful," said Friedman.

A Trial Run

This week, Friedman invited a group to test the exhibit.

One man came with a close friend. Another woman brought her seeing eye dog. The rest brought only canes.

What we are trying to do here today is make our museum more accessible," Friedman said to the group, before explaining the different functions and buttons on the cellular phone-like gadget.

He then discussed the two exhibits which have audio programs. One is called "Seeing The Light" and the other "Hidden Kingdoms."

The group then broke up and began wandering through the museum. They spent much longer most visitors. At the Magic Kingdom exhibit there are enlarged models of biological organisms and other scientific equipment.

A young and simply dressed woman with her seeing eye dog felt around for the Braille numbers listed on the exhibit and then punched the number 301 into the audio device. As she listened to the description, she felt out the contours of an enlarged paramecia cell model to get an idea of its shape.

The woman said she was fascinated at having the opportunity to learn, while the audio device told her about the biological intricacies of the organism and how many times smaller a life size version of the model is in actuality.

After the audio device finished its description, she turned to politely ask the guide, who stood nearby, even more questions.

At the end of the audio tour the group was laughing and giggling.

"One of the women was completely blind and she wanted to try out the exhibit that mixes bright colors," said Friedman. "Based on what she heard on the audio tape she was able to predict the results."

To the guide’s astonishment—she was correct. Friedman pointed out that scientists often work with things that are invisible to the human senses, and many great scientists were and are in fact blind.

"There are terrific science writers, radio astronomers, there’s one guy who’s an expert on sea shells," he said.

Another person who has worked extensively on this project is Katherine Bond. According to Bond, an independent consultant who is blind, there are almost 20 million Americans with low or no vision.

"This is the very first study of this kind for the low vision people,’ she said. "Up to now there has been very little research into how disabled people enjoy their leisure experiences. This helps, because so much is not normally conveyed."

Steve Tokar, the audio consultant who wrote the recorded program, agreed. "This is the first time we’ve designed one for a hands-on museum," he said. "Usually the audio devices tell you about something that can’t be touched. We hope the audio program will give people a deeper scientific understanding of the exhibits. What we are testing is for universal access. We are trying to design something for two audiences and that’s the tricky part"

Inaccessibility

According to Lighthouse International, which operates a string of visual rehabilitation services, less than 45 percent of people who have difficulty seeing words or letters are employed, and the number drops to 30 percent for the completely blind. Their Queens office treated over a thousand people last year.

Katherine Bond expressed her frustration with the lax enforcement and apathy of some people towards the disabled, "It’s been law for nine years that places like restrooms be labeled with Braille, but a lot of places still haven’t complied. It would be nice if I knew which one was the right bathroom."

Those who tried out the Hall of Science exhibit agreed that this was a step in the right direction.