New Museum of the Eye Exhibit Brings Images to Life for the Visually Impaired and Blind
The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye introduced a tactile exhibit to improve accessibility and inclusion for those who are blind and visually impaired.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the exhibit features four new displays that use 3D, tactile renderings of images, braille, and sound to deliver visual information. Open now and free to the public, the exhibit honors the legacy of Jay M. Galst, MD, a noted ophthalmologist, ophthalmic historian and avid collector of coins, tokens and medals related to the eye.
“Museums are places where art and objects are mainly experienced by sight. That doesn’t leave a lot of opportunity for those with low vision or blindness to enjoy museums on their own,” Jenny Benjamin, director of the Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye, said in a an AAO news release. “We were looking for ways to bring more sensory stimulation to our museum, so we parterned with Tactile Images, a company that specializes in creating accessible art and photography for the blind. This is also the first time we’ve introduced braille to our museum, something many visitors have said they would be interested in experiencing.”
In addition to using braille, the displays incorporate hand-activated sensors that play audio descriptions of the corresponding 3-D visual. Two of the tactile displays allow you to explore the anatomy of the eye and color vision in animals.
The other displays feature enlarged 3-D renderings of coins from Dr. Galst’s collection. After Dr. Galst died of the coronavirus in 2020, his family donated his historical eye-related coin collection to the museum. In 2013, Dr. Galst and Peter van Alfen, chief curator of the American Numismatic Society, wrote a book about his collection, “Ophthalmologia, Optica et Visio in Nummis,” which translates as 'Ophthalmology, Optics and Vision in Numismatics.'
The exhibit was made possible by Dr. Galst’s wife, Joann Paley Galst, PhD, and son, David Paley Galst.
The Museum of the Eye is located on the ground floor of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood. To get involved with current or future museum projects, contact the American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation.