Grice developed the idea of making astronomy books for the blind 24 years ago while working as an intern in the planetarium at the Boston Museum of Science. There she was brought face to face with the inadequacies of astronomy education when she asked a group of blind visitors how they liked the planetarium show. "There was this uncomfortable pause and they said 'It stunk,' and walked away," Grice said. "I had never really thought of astronomy as being accessible before because I had never known anyone who was blind." The key to the success of Grice's books is that she collaborates with both astronomers and blind students before publishing. That's a degree of care that hasn't always been achieved by some other publications for the blind, said Mark Riccobono, executive director of the National Federation of the Blind. Riccobono also pointed out that it would be a mistake to think the book is only for the blind. "Frankly, there are many kids who aren't blind who are not primarily visual learners," Riccobono told Discovery News. "How do we know that sighted students won't get a deeper understanding from touching the pictures?" Related Links: Larry O'Hanlon's blog: Earth Impacts The National Federation of the Blind |
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