Gleamed: Adding The Sparkle To Illustration.

On December 3, 2014 By MaMoMiIn Blind Artists, Living with blindness, Stories that InspireLeave a comment

Reading about the work Kimberley does and continues to do, as a columnist, blogger, illustrator and campaigner, you would have no idea she went through a very difficult time in her early years. Kimberley was born premature in Hope Hospital, Greater Manchester and had to be kept in an incubator for some time. At the time, and surprisingly so, no tests were done to test her sight and hearing but her mum knew something was not quite right.

By the time the local hospital responded to her mum’s persistent concerns, she was already 4 years old and found to have sight and hearing loss. Eventually, she was referred to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital by a specialist, where she underwent several operations over the next few years to help resolve the congenital cataracts in both her eyes. She also had myringoplasty performed on both ears to close the perforations in her ear drums.

Now 26, Kimberley is registered blind (totally blind in one eye, is partially sighted in the other) and uses a hearing aid. She continues to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the doctors and nurses at Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, where she had spent most of her childhood and she feels she is now finally starting to live her life with her visual impairment.

Kimberley is a self-taught illustrator and has aspirations to study fine art at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford. She was recently named “Young Illustrator of the Year” for 2014 by RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), creating 6 illustrations that were published in RNIB’s Insight magazine, using themes from “Next Steps” to “Support at the time of Sight loss”. These themes were selected by Insight Magazine’s Editor and Kimberley was then able to create her illustrations around those ideas. The illustrations were created and published between December 2013 and September 2014, and you can see them listed below.

Theme: “Next Steps“

In this illustration, Kimberley shows her next steps for the future; from completing her braille course, training for a guide dog, continuing her campaign work, to mobility training with her long cane.

Theme: “Favourite Apps and Features“

Here, she depicts her iPad and her favourite apps and features, including accessibility functions like zoom, voiceover and iBooks.

MaMoMi initiative: How did you keep inspired through your early challenges with sight loss?

Kimberley Burrows: The support of my Mum and my family kept me motivated through the early challenges. I was never treated any differently from my brother or the other children in the house but i really felt i was treated with more compassion and respect because of everything i was going through. I was never pitied because of all the operations i had to go through in my childhood. I was praised for being so strong and brave but never had any special treatment so that really helped me adjust and feel like the other children.

Theme: “Preparing for Adult life“

This illustration was created using coloured pencils and a fine liner, portraying her as a teenager in her high school uniform, looking towards a future in adult life.

MI: Was there any point where you felt you will not be able to pursue any career?

KB: Towards the end of high school, i developed a severe depression and anxiety because of the realisation that i was spending so much of my time in hospital, and it felt lie i was been robbed of the enjoyment of being a child. I found it hard to be sociable because of my visual impairment, especially when my vision began to diminish even more. After l left college, i certainly felt i would not be able to pursue a career, more because of my own insecurities than my vision impairment itself. I didn’t feel comfortable about who i was and needed time to accept myself and my disability before others could do the same.

Find the ability in your disability to follow your dreams” – Kimberley Burrows

Theme: “Outdoor sports and activities“

Here, she depicts her character riding a bike surrounded by an archery board, football and net, cricket bat with ball and wicket, and a racket with a tennis ball and shuttlecock.

MI: How did you get involved in art and what would you like to share with the world that can inspire another person with a disability?

KB: I have loved art all of my life. I remember the first thing i did when entering the first year of primary school was going straight to the easel and painting a vase of flowers! That was one of my earliest memories. Since then, it has always been a creative outlet for me to draw my emotions and my experiences, and then translate that into colourful imagery. When i had my operations at Great Ormond street Children’s hospital in London, a city far away from home, the only thing that would stop me from feeling home sick was when i would draw.

I want to inspire and encourage anyone with a disability to “find the ability in your disability to follow your dreams!” Get the inspiration to keep doing what you love to do, even when you are experiencing difficulty at the time! That is how your dreams will come to reality.

Theme: “Support at the time of sight loss“

This illustration was a reference to the support she received from friends and family, her doctors and other medical officers and information she received online and via the internet. This was done using black fineliner and colouring pencils.

MI: What are your favourite pieces?

KB: My favourite paintings and illustrations are my Carousel GCSE piece, the Christmas card for Henshaws, the illustrated Guide Dog for the Get Active! supplement in conjunction with the Scouts magazine, the Paddington Bear illustration, and the John Lewis birthday composition.

Theme: “My achievements in the past year“

This includes Kimberley’s interview with Grenada Reports, her interview with Manchester Evening News, her artwork for John Lewis, and her planned visit to the European Parliament in November.

In addition to her achievements in the past year, Kimberley has recently been matched to her Guide dog, Tami, which will give her a greater sense of independence. Once her training with the Guide dog is completed, she plans to further her education and achieve more qualifications.

Get the inspiration to keep doing what you love to do.” – Kimberley Burrows

What we find really remarkable about Kimberley’s illustrations is the tenacity she has to get through the artworks; due to the strain the drawings place on her seeing eye (she is completely blind in one eye and can only focus for a few minutes at a time with the other), she can only work on the her pieces for around 20 minutes at a time. This means some of her illustrations can take up to one month to finish!

Kimberley’s dreams of turning her creative passion into a career may well be realized very soon as she has been commissioned to create a special drawing of Paddington bear for the creator, Michael Bond.

Well done Kimberley, continue to add the sparkle to illustration!

Special appreciation: We want to take this opportunity to thank Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, Hope Hospital, RNIB, Insight Magazine, and Henshaws.

Contact:

To contact Kimberley, email her at gleamed@hellokitty.com. You can also visit her blog page at Gleamed ✿ Kimberley’s Blog

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Access at the Design Museum, London.

On October 24, 2013 By MaMoMiIn Access Programme, Museums, The Touch experienceLeave a comment

The Design Museum, currently based in Shad Thames, London, recently started an Access programme with the goal of serving and opening-up its collection to visitors with disabilities. The current focus is with visually impaired and hearing impaired audience.

The Design Museum’s main focus is on exhibitions exploring mass production and new technologies, and has a unique collection that represents this ethos.

This collection helps us understand the world around us, investigating how design impacts our lives and also how the use of designed objects influences ongoing developments in design and manufacture.

As the wider landscape of ideas and debate continues to grow, it is great to see the collection at the Design Museum is now open to these discussions, while also looking at how design is relevant to people and the society.

The Touch tour of the Anglepoise lamp. Image used permission of Design Museum.

Access:

This programme offers its visitors the opportunity to look at any one (or several) of the six design stories currently displayed, holding UK’s only collection devoted exclusively to modern and contemporary design and architecture.

On Sunday the 6th of October 2013, the first Touch tour took place. At this session, led by Andrew Mashigo and supported by Aimee Taylor, Design Museum Learning Officer, participants physically explored 4 objects in the permanent collection.

Read Accessing the Design Museum blog, on Designerly learning, for the introduction to the Visitor Engagement programme at the Design Museum.

Process:

The Design Museum permanent collection is called Extraordinary Stories about Ordinary Things and it is within this collection that the Access programme will revolve around. We explored the Anglepoise lamp, British coins, Magno Radio and the Captivate light. The process of the touch tour allowed for us to view and explore the Anglepoise lamp, an iconic product first designed over 80 years ago by Automotive engineer George Carwardine.

Mr Carwardine’s speciality was in vehicle suspension systems and that research eventually led him to develop a pre-tensioned spring, allowing the lamp to be moved in any direction while crucially keeping the lamp stable. This design feature gives the Anglepoise its unique profile.

Making actual object identification, identifying the various parts of the lamp and the uniqueness of its parts (springs, stand and lamp shade), the difference in the surfaces and temperature, its weight and materials all made the tactile experience a fun one. Plus the participants were able to share their valid views on this object and the others explored, and their value to our society today. All in all, a very fun and engaging tactile experience.

Contact:

To book on these bi-monthly tours, please email Aimee via aimee@designmuseum.org

The next tour is scheduled for Sunday 1 December.

The TTP: An accessibility tool that enhances tactile tours in our Museums. 7th July 2013

On August 7, 2013August 27, 2013 By MaMoMiIn Interpretation of visual artLeave a comment

“If i have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”

– Isaac Newton

Why Technology?

Technology brings great benefits to our lives and we see this

trend increasingly prevailing in the arts and within arts institutions.

Besides reaching even more people and creating newer audiences, I am

pleased to see this trend applied in the Interpretation of visual arts to

visually impaired and blind people, with tools now more readily accessible

to enhance tours within Museums and art galleries.

Imagine you want to read a book or catalogue and you can access a pen that

only relays text information but also image or visual commentary? The

technology to do this is currently available and one of my favourite tools that

is increasingly assisting to bridge the gap between a visual image and the

audience is the TTP (tactile talking pen) by Touch Graphics Europe. This pen

pairs easy functionality, clear audio and other composite features, to aid the

Interpretation of visual content and information in an audio-tactile interactive

book to a blind person.

Bernat showing visitors to Touch Graphics stand one of their products.

At the recent Museums + Heritage show 2013 at Olympia in London, i met

with Bernat Franquesa to talk about the TTP pen. Touch Graphics Europe

provides resources for sensory impairment and accessibility to museums,

specialising in the design and the production of tactile graphics, audio tactile

graphics and tactile paving for the blind and visually impaired.

The TTP process:

TTP technology combines visual and tactile materials with a high quality

“smart pen” that gives more information in an audio format. This process

means we can explore a visual image or an audio message assigned to

different parts of an image. An image can be given several layers of

information, for example, about a particular aspect of that image, and the

viewer can then access the different layered contents by using the TTP pen.

By touching the tip of the pen on any location in the audio book, we hear

information about the area touched. When you tap on the audio book again,

you hear another layer of embedded information. You can use this pen to get

the audio commentary while you touch the surface of the book to explore the

tactile image.

The basic principle involved in the creation of this tactile tool is to provide a

platform where a simple version of the visual image can be explored. This

process allows the audio books to hold several layers of information, all

accessible by tapping on the book.

This means there is huge capacity to add many layers of specific information

to the audio book, like the title, dates, period and historical content, design,

colour, or even a song or music from that period, everything that can bring a

relevant connection to the image described. The audio commentary can be

heard through the pen’s in-built speaker, or if needed for a group session, can

be plugged into main speakers.

“In a matter of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”

– Thomas Jefferson

The Advantages:

The tactile book does not just rely on good design and visual imagery but is

also of good production quality and durability, with the capacity to hold a

huge amount of detailed information. The illustration quality is very good and

the interactive books can come as tactile cards or ring-bound books.

The design also includes sufficient spacing between symbols and raised

images with the result that readers and users are able to feel each part of a

representation clearly. Contact Bernat via details listed at the end of this

article for more information on the different formats.

Another plus for the interactive book is that the reader can choose to use it

on their own, or it can be used for group sessions and with the support of an

art educator or workshop facilitator, giving it great flexibility of use. This

means Museums that use this tool can also choose to issue them to

visually impaired or blind people on tour of the Museum, just like Audio or

Multimedia guides are currently been used.

Listen to the video below for a commentary on the use of the Tactile Talking

Pen. The audio-tactile interactive book used in this demonstration is the

Teapots audio book made for the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston,

Massachusetts, USA.

Bernat’s background with making geographical prints and the making of

tactile maps (tractography) is one he greatly enjoyed but he has found more

fulfilment in producing tactile products that enhances lives, enabling blind

people access to various things.

Poll: What artwork would you like in an audio-tactile interactive book?

The need for continued research into use of other technologies.

As with any new technology, we must be prepared to experiment, explore

and monitor how effective the various technologies and supporting tools are.

Museums and heritage homes should be prepared to invest in technology so

we can evaluate, develop and design various strategies for employing them.

In the long-term, this may help bring down the unit cost of Interpretation

tools and improve the opportunity for some of these tools to be

more regularly used in the Museums, art institutions and by the end-users

also, the visually impaired and blind people.

It is undoubted that there is great need for GPS-based devices and other

navigational aids to support blind and the partially sighted as they strive for

an independent life, and we should all be encouraged to advocate for this.

Making art more visible to the visually impaired and blind visitors to art

institutions not only creates greater access to visual art, but it also

encourages a new audience. These technologies can encourage new

platforms and new discourses for engaging with the arts, and support

improved dialogues and new conversations.

Contact Bernat Franquesa at Touch Graphics Europe

Email: bf@touchgraphicseurope.com

Website: http://www.touchgraphicseurope.com

A blind teacher’s journey and desire to Impact her world. 30th May 2013

On August 7, 2013August 27, 2013 By MaMoMiIn Living with blindness, Stories that InspireLeave a comment

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” – Jackie Robinson

I came across the story of Adrijana recently when she joined an online group for visually impaired and blind people, Eyes on Success, who had previously interviewed me a few months ago for one of their weekly, half hour shows, which focuses on a wide variety of topics of interest to people with low vision, ranging from low to high technology as well as tips for daily living. I was particularly inspired by her journey and on speaking to her, i could tell she was passionate about sharing her experience and helping other people.

Adrijana Prokopenko (A.P) is a blind teacher born and living in Skopje, Macedonia. She teaches English at both a primary and a secondary vocational school.

How did you become blind and what is your perception of light and Colour?

A.P: “I lost my sight as a baby. I was born 3 months premature in February 1979 in a state-sponsored hospital in Skopje, the capital city of the Republic of Macedonia, my home-town. Unfortunately, the hospital was not the most ideal setting for a premature baby. I lived in an incubator which was pretty old and was probably made some time after the Second World War. I was In this out-of-date incubator, with less care than was required, and exposed to high levels of oxygen. I was released from the hospital healthy, but unfortunately the Oxygen toxicity in the incubator was so high that it destroyed my sight. That medical condition is called R etinopathy of Prematurity .”

“I cannot see anything except very little light, and cannot see colours. I can make associations with smell and objects but not much else visually. It does not bother me when sighted people make reference to colour, especially in the language used. People are used to making assumed references like “do you see what i mean” but it never bothers me as i understand that people don’t mean to disrespect me (or other blind people) by making those references.”

“For example, my blind friends make “blind jokes” which i find funny. When something is not within our reach, we joke among ourselves that we are as blind as a bat! But many others may not appreciate these blind jokes. You have to remember there are many types of people around, and many kinds of blind people too. Some have not accepted their blindness, some may not accept other blind people, some may have mental issues included to their blindness, while some others are still very angry about been blind and take that frustration out on people around them. But there are many others who function as best they can, in-spite of their visual impairment.”

How are Visually Impaired and blind people referred to in your community?

A.P: “I guess stuff related to blindness is universal. Some people respect us, some treat us badly and some don’t want to get involved. In my community, people in the area are more open about issues involving blindness but in the local towns or villages, people still stereotype blind people. There is the assumption we are helpless. In the capital city, schools and associations for the blind exist, so there is recognition and some support from the local government.”

What kind of support did you get from early in your life?

A.P: ”I have always had the support of my family especially my parents, and friends. I now have a few close blind and sighted friends and am grateful for my life.”

“When I was old enough to start school, I went to the school for the blind that my parents had contacted. One of the teacher’s from the blind school had visited me at home when i was younger, to offer my parents some information and help regarding their concerns about my blindness. And when i started school, I had the same teacher who had visited me at home. It was great, because she knew me very well. I soon learned Braille and maths. I started playing the piano and participated in extracurricular activities. Unfortunately, we never had instruction in orientation and mobility or classes on daily living skills. There was no instructor qualified to teach in those areas, so we had no chance to learn the basic skills of independence. There was also not much technology available. We had no electronic equipment of any kind and I only had the Perkins Braille-writer. Even Braille’s were hard to obtain and repair.”

“When I learned about and started showing interest in a program for international students in Philadelphia, my parents were very happy for me. They wanted me to have a bright future and to achieve my goals, and they realized that in our country I could not get the training I needed. I am sure that at times they were worried for me and felt sad that they wouldn’t be able to see me for a whole year. Still, they also knew that if they kept me here, they couldn’t help me much and I wouldn’t be pleased either.”

Photograph: Adrijana teaching an English class.

Who were your mentors and what was your education like?

A.P: “My parents were very proactive with my early development and they did all they could to learn more about blindness and get some professional help, and i think it helped that i was a bright and inquisitive student. The first Professional help came in the form of Dimitar Vlahov, a School for visually impaired children, in Skopje. I remember one of the teacher’s who showed my parents how to care for, teach, and interact with me. This teacher would visit us and give my parents some tips about raising me. There was no early intervention program, so people tried to help each other in any way possible. They would share whatever knowledge they had about blindness.

“I don’t think I was even aware that I was blind when I was a small child. I was a lively, curious kid who did most of the things sighted kids would do. I loved to ride my bike outside, I liked to play in the park, to run and exercise. The state didn’t have any other programs to help parents of blind children, and I never had the chance to go to a regular kindergarten or attend any kind of preschool program. Throughout most of my elementary and secondary education, there were no materials in Braille. I had to transcribe my own textbooks into Braille with the help of my parents, and began to enjoy some personal independence.”

“I had some visually impaired mentors like my music teacher, my computer teacher in the US and a few others, but my English teachers were fully sighted and they also influenced me in a very positive way. I also studied at the Eastern Mediterranean University in North Cyprus. There wasn’t much of a real difference in the ways i was taught because the subjects i learnt were different but my music teacher would use many tactile tools to assist my learning while my English teacher found a balance in style between teaching me, as i was the only blind person in the class.”

MaMoMi: By age 15, Adrijana had fallen in love with the English language and aspired to become an English teacher. In 1998, a year after graduating from high school, Adrijana was awarded a scholarship from Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia. Adrijana attended Overbrook for nine months where she studied leadership, English, computer skills, and orientation and mobility. Adrijana was also exposed to American culture and as she says, ”There was never a dull moment in my life while at Overbrook.”

After this, in 1999, Adrijana was granted another scholarship-this time to the Eastern Mediterranean University of North Cyprus, where she studied English language with a major in teaching, and this was a new experience for the university. “I was the first blind student they had there, and although they lacked most of the resources I needed, such as materials in alternative formats, readers, and orientation and mobility professionals, they accepted me as no different from the rest of the students.”

Adrijana graduated with her degree in 2003, and found herself drawn homeward to Macedonia. “I was sure that many blind people could achieve much more, if they were given the proper training and support. I just had a strong desire to help people and make their life a bit easier.” And so Adrijana returned to where her dreams for independence began – the city of Skopje.

“You can have an impact anywhere you are.” – Tony Dungy

You teach English in school. What do you enjoy most about teaching?

A.P: “I love my job very much and love working with kids. Teachers have a main role in educating people and I find it great to help the student’s. Teachers are like parents and can make significant impact in people’s lives. I find that with English as a subject, you learn more about the world in general so been able to teach English means i can teach more about the world. I teach in the same school where i studied as a child, a school for the blind, and try to use my other senses as much as possible when dealing with students. I love what i do-teaching children who are blind and visually impaired.”

Adrijana’s pursuit to teach did not however happen overnight as it took her more than 3 years of searching and hoping. In 2006, however, Adrijana stumbled upon an ad placed in a newspaper by her old school, Dimitar Vlahov, the School for the Visually impaired. The advert described the ideal job applicant to be an English teacher skilled in Braille. The position fitted Adrijana perfectly and her dream had finally materialized. Adrijana now teaches children aged five to seventeen in 19 different grade levels. Adrijana is now realizing her dream by doing what she loves, saying ”I am glad that some of my dreams became reality. I am doing what I have always wanted.”

“Teaching blind students involves much more than teaching a particular subject. Each of my students are special in unique ways. Some want to become musicians or computer programmers. Some plan to be massage therapists or telephone operators; blind people in Macedonia have traditionally found work in these fields. I try to introduce my students to blind people who are working, and the students get very excited about these contacts. I hope that my students will have many opportunities that were not available when I was growing up. I hope they will not have to encounter the discrimination that was such an obstacle for me and for so many others.”

Video: The Dimitar Vlahov, School for visually impaired children, in Skopje, Macedonia.

Have you visited a museum or art gallery recently?

A.P: “I have not visited the museums myself but a friend told me that tours for visually impaired people were organised recently, using audio and tactile features on objects. They had Braille signs and booklets for the totally blind people, and shared historical information and other information. I am told the books and pictures used had raised images, with an audio commentary to go with the description.”

What assistive technology do you currently use?

A.P: “The only assistive technology i use is the Jaws speech program and NVDA (Non-visual Desktop Access) linked to my PC, which is my primary means of communication. My cell phone has raised buttons. I sometimes use the white cane but most people find them not very suitable. I would like to purchase the new electronic canes been currently developed but they are too expensive. It would be great if this improved technology can be made more affordable, and also if they could be easier to purchase, for example via direct debit or monthly instalment, rather than a one-time payment.”

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill

What challenges would you want to instigate and what is your biggest goal for the future?

A.P: “I may not really be any different from other blind people, with similar interests and possibly the same challenges, as other people. As i said earlier, teachers hold a main role in educating people, and i want to continue to help and support visually impaired and blind students. But we need to find ways for the schools to get and provide a lot more support, especially with the current technological advances. At my school, there are still no trained staff to teach orientation and mobility, daily living skills and similar specialized courses that most blind people in the West find easily available. Without cane travel skills, it is very hard for blind people in Macedonia to travel independently.”

“Secondly, I would like to meet my mister Right someday and get married.”

“Finally, I would also like to help make things better for blind people in general, by hopefully making a real impact in some way, to improve the lives and opportunities available to blind people. I keep pushing for opportunities to improve myself and hope my experiences can feed-forward into ideas, guidance, actions and mentoring opportunities. Hopefully i can bring positive experiences that will help prepare my students and other blind people for the challenges ahead. I know that with the right people and resources, we can motivate visually impaired and blind individuals to achieve even more for themselves and the community they represent.”

It is fair to say that when Adrijana dreams, she dreams with a depth and breadth that might intimidate others; Or inspire them. “I have faced all kinds of obstacles, challenges, and drawbacks at times,” she admits. “However, that doesn’t mean one should stop dreaming or stop aspiring to personal independence. After all, she says, “It all started with my dreams.”

I heard you set up 2 groups. What are they and what are the goals?

A.P: “I set up these 2 groups to help support like-minded people.

The first one is a blind singles group and this group is intended to help blind heterosexual singles interact and meet with other blind heterosexual singles. The subscription address for this group is blind_singles-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

“The other group is for blind educators, and it is a group for blind people working in the field of education, so they can share experiences, ideas and opinions on different subjects. If you wish to join, please send a message with the subject line subscribe to. The subscription address is

blind_educators-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Credits: Some excerpts were used from “The Starting Point: One Woman’s Journey to Independence”, 2010, and “Growing up in Macedonia“ by Adrijana Prokopenko, 2011.