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‘Touching the Past through the Language of our Senses’.
The Surrey Heritage Tactile Book Project 2009.
If you are a child with a visual impairment, what is your experience of a local museum, gallery or heritage visit?
Are many stories lost behind glass walls, or left to be explained by another person? What if you could read some of our stories using your senses? These were the questions considered by several of Surrey’s heritage organisations, families and schools this summer, as participants in the Surrey Heritage Tactile Book Project 2009.
Tactile books are similar to regular print books and are read, shared and enjoyed just as much as regular books, but they are specially adapted for blind and partially sighted children with images designed to be touched or smelt rather than looked at. Books with tactile illustrations are essential for children who cannot see printed pictures, yet all over the world the story is the same: there are few if any appropriate books produced for these children.
An international competition in 2008 creating tactile books for children worldwide became the inspiration for a groundbreaking competition in Surrey. In an exciting effort to improve visitor experiences for visually impaired children, 7 heritage organisations across the county challenged their own perceptions to create stunning sensory books about an aspect of their collection, with the involvement of local schools and families. Our 7 heritage organisations were: Brooklands Museum, The Museum of Farnham, Godalming Museum, Guildford Museum, The Lightbox, Watts Gallery and Surrey Heritage.
Click here to see a pdf 
copy of the full project report.
Have a look at the books on our Flickr page. Click here to visit the site.
