Dear Lucia, First, touch tours are set up so that those visually impaired people who wish to attend may do so in an environment in which it will be easier for us to have more time and attention to our questions, Etc., regarding the art on display. Secondly, Sighted folks are not allowed to touch the art because they have 20/20 vision and therefore do not need to do so. We, on the otherhand, rely on the sense of touch to better understand the intricacies of what is being described , and the descriptive help of museum educators helps us to better conceptualize pictures, statues, Etc. Sincerely, Maria _____ From: infoshare-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:infoshare-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Marett, Lucia (ACS) Sent: Friday, July 06, 2012 7:47 AM To: 'Infoshare@xxxxxxxxxxxxx' Subject: [infoshare] touchtour at theReuben Museum Dear Infoshare listers, I feel very uneasy as per these touchtours. To me, this is segregation. If our hands make the exhibits "dirty" at the tours where nondisabled persons are present, why are the touchtours acceptable?At the touchtours, there are no nondisabled participants present. Please advise. Thank you and stay in otuch. I am grateful for Lynne and Maria and our Infoshare group. Best, Lucia _____ Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail communication, and any attachments, contains confidential and privileged information for the exclusive use of the recipient(s) named above. If you are not an intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible to deliver it to an intended recipient, you are hereby notified that you have received this communication in error and that any review, disclosure, dissemination, distribution or copying of it or its contents is prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please notify me immediately by replying to this message and delete this communication from your computer. Thank you.