MASON CITY – Blind Iowans are giving voice to the rich and varied history that’s been too long absent from Iowa’s history.
From July 2 – 27, 2012 an exhibit on the History of Blindness in Iowa will be displayed at the Mason City Public Library. Highlighting daily experiences and historical achievements through personal histories and photographs, the exhibit will provide a rarity for the general public. Listening to the provided audio, visitors will learn about a unique part of Iowa’s history from the voices of those who lived it.
Sponsored by the Iowa Department for the Blind, the exhibit will travel to public libraries across Iowa. Each library will host the exhibit for one month. The exhibit consists of display panels addressing these themes: Education, Employment, Community and Domestic Life, Advocacy, and Technology. Exhibit information will be available in Braille and audio formats. Excerpts from selected oral histories will also be available on audio players.
The project’s web site provides access to over 60 oral histories from blind Iowans, related historical documents and images, and more information about the lives of blind Iowans, and the people and events that impacted them. The web site includes a complete schedule for the traveling exhibit. Visit the web site at www.iowablindhistory.org.
The History of Blindness in Iowa project is funded in part by these organizations: Humanities Iowa and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Iowa State Historical Society’s Resource Enhancement and Protection Historical Resource Development Program (REAP/HRDP); and the Friends of the Iowa Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
For more information about the History of Blindness in Iowa exhibit or project, please contact Shan Sasser at Shan.Sasser@blind.state.ia.us or (515)281-1256; or Meredith Ferguson at Meredith.Ferguson@blind.state.ia.us or (515)281-1307.
