[accessibleimage] French museums, tactile map, scanned model, artist

Full Participation in Cultural and Social Life: French Museums Take Steps to Make Handicapped Visitors Welcome 
http://www.ifla.org/VII/s9/nd1/51.pdf
article


     Tactile map will honor school's anniversary
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of its founding in the basement of the Kentucky School for the Blind in 1858, American Printing House for the Blind has created a tactile map of the Frankfort Avenue corridor as a gift to the school.
This one-of-a-kind map will be presented during a special reception at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Jon E. Draud will speak to students, faculty and guests about the unique learning needs of students who are blind or visually impaired. He also will recognize school staff for their work as part of the Education Department's Employee Appreciation Week. 

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080825/NEWS0105/808250424/1008/NEWS01

article
Visually-impaired visitors can now fully appreciate the beauty of one of North Lincolnshire's major tourist attractions, thanks to modern technology.
Special Braille and tactile models have opened at Thornton Abbey, near Thornton Curtis.
They allow blind or partially sighted guests to visualise the historic abbey's architecture using only touch.
English Heritage, which manages the abbey, has worked with Goxhill-based Visually Impaired Media Access Consultants (Vimac) to create the displays, made using cutting edge technology.
Laser scanners were used to capture and record part of the facade of the abbey's 14th century gatehouse, as well as creating a replica of a medieval stone capital.
The data was then manipulated using computers before being fed into a machine to produce a tactile model made of plastic. 

This was then inset within a stylised relief of the building.
English Heritage senior curator Kevin Booth said the lasers could also help preserve the abbey for the future.
He said: "Scanning technology has the potential not just to create tactile exhibits, but is also being investigated as a way of recording our historic fabric for conservation purposes.
"We have also produced Braille guides and a large tactile plan of the monastic complex at Thornton, giving insights into the fascinating history and sheer scale of this amazing monument."
Vimac director Paul Thornton said the new displays were the first in the world of their kind.
He said: "This was an exciting new development for us as a company and I believe it is the first time worldwide that this technique has been used in accessible interpretation of heritage sites. 

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Find out more:

www.english-heritage.org.uk/ thorntonabbey
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:u1hTHo3dhUEJ:www.redorbit.com/news/business/1531226/handson_look_for_gatehouse__visuallyimpaired_visitors_can_now_fully/index.html+Special+Braille+and+tactile+models+have+opened+at+Thornton+Abbey,+near+Thornton+Curtis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1

article
Go for It - One Mans Approach to Fadding Vision
Wolf has designed a t-shirt with VISUALLY IMPAIRED RIDER emblazoned across the front and back of it so other people around him give him some extra room when he is riding.
When it comes to his artwork, Wolf uses a computer to accommodate his narrow visual field, shrinking images down so he can see them more easily. After he’s completed a project, he’ll enlarge it for printing. He recently had one large print — three feet by three feet — on display at a gallery. Some of Wolf’s creations are abstract interpretations of what he sees with his visual impairment. 
http://originalgimp.org/?p=108

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