Below is info about a great model of how programs for the public can be
designed to include people with disabilities without attorneys and
litigation and the nastyness associated with that whole scene.  The Dakota
Science Center is using an interactive and participatory feedback process
in developing and tailoring programs that hopefully others can follow.

kelly




Grand Forks Herald
     Published: Thursday, January 13, 2000
The sounds of seeing

Science Center plays host to students from state School for the Blind
By Dorreen Yellow Bird

Herald Staff Writer

The Dakota Science Center played host to a hands-on experience Wednesday
for the North Dakota School for the Blind. It was the second time this
month that the center has provided a learning tour for an outside group in
its new facilities.

Workers are still pounding nails and finishing the walls of the old
Presbyterian Church, which will be the Dakota Science Center's new quarters
when the renovations are complete.

Five children, who must rely on one less sense, explored and experienced
the sounds of instruments. They tried tuning forks, drums made of soup
cans, and cannons whose sound made a wall of paper move.

Even though they couldn't see the drum, forks or cannon, they could
understand by feeling the movement of the sound waves of the instrument or
object. These visually impaired young people will help the center develop
its exhibits for other groups of people who don't learn in the traditional
manner.

Good vibrations

"It was great to see their faces and hear their laughter as they
experienced the different sounds," said Mary Beth Kelley-Lowe, education
specialist for the Dakota Science Center.

"The delight on their faces as they listened to a tuning fork reverberating
through plastic or glass bottles or music coming from a comb and paper was
great," she said. One student said they could feel the vibrations from the
comb for several minutes after the experiment.

Lowe said the first group to experience the exhibits at the new center was
the 1,400 people who showed up on First Night, the New Year celebration.
First Night gave the center an opportunity to experiment with sounds and
try out the new facility.

These students from the North Dakota School for the Blind are among about
250 students that the school works with throughout the state.

The students come to Grand Forks for a week for social experiences and to
participate in learning projects like the center's exhibits. Many of these
students are from small communities and have limited experiences. One
student's wish, for example, was to eat at a Burger King -- something he
had never done.

The school has changed from a residential to an independent program where
the staff members play a supportive role. They do evaluations statewide,
consult with local schools and make recommendations, said Paul Olson,
orientation and mobility specialist for the school.

Time and money

Lowe said the center is doing well. What it needs now is more time and money.

Much of the funding for the Dakota Science Center has been raised through
grants. The staff members also do workshops and consultation for the public
to raise funds. When the project is fully operational, some of the costs
will be covered by fees at the door.

Lowe said the center staff is working to open the exhibits to the public
full-time by December.


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