Sec. Kluttz and State Librarian Cal Shepard touch a rabbit
What exactly does a baby rat feel like? Cultural Resources Sec. Susan Kluttz found out late last week when she participated in an innovative program to help visually-impaired people engage with the world around them. The program was hosted by the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (LBPH) at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, and focused on tactile learning or learning through touch.
Program participants get ready to touch a few baby rats
Though she was a bit hesitant at first, by the end of the hour-long program the Secretary had touched a newly-born baby rat and a rabbit, among several other small mammals. She also heard some of the sounds a hedgehog makes when it is experiencing stress and learned about what makes mammals unique from the rest of animal kingdom.
The goal of the program was simple—to help those who are visually-impaired learn on their terms through touch and sound. Probably the best part is this program is just the first in a series of several tactile programs that the LBPH—part of Cultural Resources’ State Library of North Carolina—plans to offer. Check back here for details on future programs.
Sec. Kluttz was joined at the program by State Librarian Cal Shepard, LBPH Branch Head Carl Keehn and LBPH Assistant Regional Librarian Catherine Rubin.
Click here to learn more about the LBPH and its mission, and here to see more pictures from the program.