Touching Connect Between Friends of the Blind and Morris Museum
Recently, Friends of the Blind clients Sally and Erik worked with Morris Museum staff to explore and provide feedback on the museum’s touch tour which allows visitors to interact with the museum’s Guinness Collection of Musical Instruments and Automata.
Through hands-on exploration and live demonstrations, visitors who have a visual impairment can experience and appreciate the vast collection of pieces.
Friends of the Blind (FOB) is a program run by Cornerstone Family Programs & Morristown Neighborhood House that provides individuals with visual impairments cultural experiences, support, resources, and companionship.
Sally learned how the cylinder works on one of the cylinder music boxes in the Guinness Collection. The instrument plays popular music from the period. She handled and explored a punched metal disc which holds the musical programming for the music box from Switzerland, circa 1900.
Erik enjoyed using his feet to rapidly pump the foot pedals on a player piano from the 1930’s. A larger, more permanent instrument, the player piano allows someone to play the piano without necessarily knowing how.
FOB is funded in part by the Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired and managed by Cornerstone Family Programs & Morristown Neighborhood House, a nonprofit organization with a mission of strengthening communities by helping people build better lives. The 200-plus year organization educates children and youth, empowers teens, and provides families, the aging and their caregivers specialized support.
The FOB clients are provided education, training, resource referrals and connection with a carefully selected volunteer to provide help, companionship, and outing opportunities for recreational and cultural events.
If interested in participating as a client or volunteers in the FOB program, contact Coordinator Dina Glen @ 973-288-9237 or dglen@cfp-mnh.org.