It is really crucial that many of you join us because we are going to explore an

issue that will become increasingly important over the next few years. During the ACB convention just completed the Braille Revival League sponsored a session that allowed those who were there to at least get to touch a new device that is being developed by the American Printing House for the Blind and Humanware. The device is called the Monarch and is the latest in a series of devices that will eventually make the inclusion of tactile graphics in education a commonplace. Starting this Fall devices will be made available to teachers who agree to train in their use. At our presentation and in other places, APH has said they would like to see these devices in the hands of all blind students in the United States. The devices will allow braille reading and, eventually, audio reading. They will allow tactile graphics to be created. APH already has a library of such graphics but it appears that there will need to be the production of lots more "pictures" that are not too intricate for people who are blind to understand the representation the Monarch can bring. Clearly a decision has been made that children who are blind, if properly introduced to the subject, can comprehend and benefit from tactile graphics. Is this true? Can people born without vision understand pictures? The issue is broader than just these machines! Museums, art galleries and art classes are trying to create tactile representations of great art. There are audio descriptions of great art that attempt to explain why a painting or a sculpture has appeal. How effective have these efforts been? Audio description, the electronic depiction of pictures in the class room and perhaps even a discussion of whether the absence of vision makes understanding the visual arts impossible are all parts of the question of people who are blind "seeing" pictures. Where do you stand? Do people with partial vision have the ability to bridge the gap? Can totally blind people who lose their sight later help us understand the many questions that surround making the visual comprehensible? We need your opinions and, after the program is over, we need your continued involvement in coming to terms with one of the newest and most innovative options to emerge for people who are blind.

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