Explore Low Vision Education with Child in A Strange Country: Helen Keller and the History of Education for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired. This exhibit, on loan from the Museum of the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky, will be on display from October 26, 2021 to January 22, 2022 at the Stauth Memorial Museum.

Bring your gently used eyeglasses to donate to Lion’s Club International when you visit the museum to see this exhibit.

In 1891, teacher Anne Sullivan described her famous student, Helen Keller: “For the first two years of her intellectual life she was like a child in a strange country,” wrote Sullivan, realizing that for Helen, no learning was possible until she could overcome the communication barrier posed by blindness and deafness.

“Child in a Strange Country” explores four primary subjects: Reading, Science, Math, and Geography. Using Helen’s educational journey as a lens, “Child in a Strange Country” uncovers the roots of modern education for children with vision loss. The exhibit is designed to be fully accessible, and each section concludes with a sit-down touch table with interactive games and activities which spur the sensory imagination.

In the Reading and Writing area, Museum guests can try writing braille by hand using a slate and stylus or use the Braillewriter. The Scientific Study panels include a tactile model of the human eye, a relief picture of the eye, and natural specimens that can be explored by touch. It also includes an APH Light Box which was invented for low vision students to help develop awareness of light, color, and visual discrimination.

In the Mathematics area, guests can use an abacus to add and subtract. With stationary pins and rubber bands, geometric shapes can be constructed. A Talking Scientific Calculator provides a prime example of how technology plays an important role in helping blind and low vision students learn mathematics today. Textured relief maps, a relief globe, a Talking Tablet, and a modern geography puzzle round out the Geography section.

For more information or schedule a tour call 620.846.2527. We anticipate many visitors for this exhibition. We kindly ask that for groups of 5 or more, please schedule a tour to ensure adequate staffing and the best possible visit to the Museum. Business hours for the Stauth Memorial Museum are: Tue – Sat 9-12, 1-4:30. Closed Sundays, Mondays & all major holidays. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated to help with the costs to host this and other amazing exhibitions.