VLANJ Students Offer Accessibility Advice to Montclair Art Museum

Valerie Frink of Jersey City, a VLANJ participant, closely inspects a bright, colorful work by artist Jerry Pinkney, using the flashlight on her mobile phone.

MONTCLAIR, NJ (March 30, 2022) — As part of its effort to expand access for people with special needs, the Montclair Art Museum last week gave Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey participants a guided exhibit tour that featured detailed audio descriptions of artwork and multi-sensory objects to help visualize pieces.

“I liked being able to feel the object related to the artwork, and hear about the artist and materials used,” said VLANJ participant Debbie Tester, who has lost most of her sight to a degenerative eye disease. “It helped me get a picture in my head.”

The MAM tour was VLANJ’s second orientation and mobility community outing to learn and practice getting around in public spaces. The outings are generously funded by grants from the William G. and Helen C. Hoffman Foundation and the Lydia Collins deForest Charitable Trust. Two VLANJ orientation and mobility experts accompanied the group and provided training inside the museum and on its grounds.

VLANJ participants gave MAM’s program high marks. “Make it longer!” suggested Roman Dodia. Montclair State University Associate Professor Maria José Garcia Vizcaíno, who volunteers as a docent, narrated the exhibit, “Transformed: Objects Reimagined by American Artists.”

VLANJ participants view a black panther sculpture during a Montclair Art Museum tour on March 25. [MAM photo credit]

“This was wonderful,” said Francine Ford-Smith of Englewood, a VLANJ participant since 2008. “I was really able to appreciate the artwork,” Ford-Smith said. A sculpture of a black panther against a stark white background was a favorite, in part because of the strong contrast, she said.

MAM is committed to expanding access for people with special needs. It recently created the position of assistant director of Community and Access Programs, held by Celene Ryan. The museum offers virtual programs and runs in-person art classes that provide more support, with one-on-one or small-group instruction, Ryan said. New Jersey residents who receive Division of Developmental Disabilities funding can use the money to take MAM classes, she noted.

The VLANJ participants asked astute questions as they moved through the gallery, Ryan said. “They were really engaged.” They then provided feedback on the tour and MAM’s accessibility efforts in a focus group run by Montclair State University Associate Professor Elaine Gerber.

The nine VLANJ participants offered a range of useful suggestions, such as having the museum’s floor plan mapped on a GPS system like GoodMaps to help visually impaired people get around. They suggested information about artwork on plaques have a companion audio description, and that tape on the floor marking how close visitors can get to artwork be textured so people using canes can identify it.

VLANJ Vice President of Programs Elsa Zavoda demonstrated mobile phone apps that allow people with vision impairment to listen to written information about artwork. Because of the museum’s high ceilings, Zavoda recommended MAM tour guides use lapel amplifiers so visitors don’t miss narrations.

Museum Director Ira Wagner noted MAM tries to incorporate social elements into programming, inviting artists to speak. To thank VLANJ participants for their input on improving access, Wagner offered the group one-year memberships to MAM.

For more information about MAM, visit montclairartmusuem.org.

Visit vlanj.org to learn about VLANJ programs.

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About Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey

Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey is a 501(c)(3) that provides practical training and emotional support to help those who have experienced profound vision loss regain self-esteem and self-reliance. Since its founding in 1943, Vision Loss Alliance of New Jersey has used a holistic approach to empower those with profound vision loss to live engaged, productive and independent lives. Go to vlanj.org for more information.

About the Montclair Art Museum

The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) boasts a renowned collection of American and Native American art that uniquely highlights art-making in the United States over the last 300 years. The Vance Wall Art Education Center encompasses the Museum’s educational efforts, including award-winning Yard School of Art studio classes, lectures and talks, family events, tours, and the mobile MAM Art Truck. MAM exhibitions and programs serve a wide public of all ages and abilities, from families and seniors to artists, educators, and scholars.

Human Echolocation: How It Works

Echolocation is shared by many species, including whales and dolphins - even people can learn how to use it!

Now, new research shows that both sighted people and those who are blind can learn how to echolocate using clicking noise, either from one's own mouth, footsteps, or walking cane taps, after just 10 weeks of training.

Read more on this interesting topic as shared by journals.plos.org here: https://bit.ly/humanecholocation

The VLANJ logo and an image via Discover Magazine depicting how human echolocation works is featured, with text that reads: "Human Echolocation: How It Works. Clicking noise creates ongoing sound waves. Sound bounces off object. Returning echo activates the visual processing area (circled) in the brain of an experienced echolocator." Text below reads: "Blind Individuals Who See By Sound."

A Farewell Letter From Kris Marino

Dear Friend,

Kris Marino smiles into the camera.

March 17, 2020 marked the last day VLANJ met in person before New Jersey went into lockdown. We had no idea how long the COVID-19 crisis would last, only that we had to keep our community supported and together. I’d always wanted to offer programs online, and the pandemic became a catalyst. Within two weeks, we pivoted to virtual classes over Zoom.

Over the months, we added programs and enrollment tripled. We now have more students attending weekly than ever before. Virtual programming transcends one of the biggest obstacles people with vision loss face: a lack of transportation options. We continue to develop new programming and prepare for the time we can safely restart in-person gatherings.

As I look back on my 6 ½ years at the helm of this wonderful organization, I am proud of the strides we’ve made. I oversaw the nonprofit’s transition from NJ Foundation for the Blind to VLANJ in 2016, as we stabilized our finances and created more skills-based programming. We hosted nonprofit summits to find solutions to shared challenges. We added occupational therapy and negotiated with Medicare and private insurers to cover the services. And we launched the Technology Learning Lab, planting seeds for more employment-geared training in the future.

My decision to relocate was not an easy one. I am sad to be leaving people who are dear to me, who inspire me daily. I remember touring the nonprofit as part of Leadership Morris years ago. I was so impressed that I applied for the top job as soon as it opened.

I leave VLANJ on a high note, confident my successor will build on the foundation we created. The hardest thing is not getting to say goodbye in person. So here, I bid adieu to everyone in our VLANJ community, and wish you all good health and good fortune. Always remember, we’re the little engine that could.

Sincerely,

Kris Marino
VLANJ President and CEO