Philly Touch Tours

22/07/2025

How cool is this- a nice guy came to the rescue for our 45 person barbecue on Saturday and the news went viral in the local community - so much so that a news article was written about it and our wonderful host, Juliette Warren ❤

A trucker. A blind marathoner. And an outpouring of community support.

20/07/2025

Philly Touch Tours' social group," Philly MeetUp for the Blind and Visually Impaired" had a wonderful summer barbecue yesterday -generously hosted by our friend and member, Juliette. Forty three people were in attendance, a great testament to the bond and camaraderie we all share. Thank goodness Juliette had the foresight to rent a tent, we thought it would be for shade but instead it kept us dry in the drizzle. Perfect temperature, prefect food and beverages and the best company! Thanks go out to Juliette and her parents for hosting and special thanks to the aptly named Mr Kitchen, a neighbor who jumped in at the last second to grill the burgers and sausages after the original grill master couldn't make it - we were so grateful. Let the good times roll! Next up in August, our regular dance session and dinner and in September, our annual beach trip to Ocean City, NJ.

20/03/2025

Yesterday we completed our contract with Washington Crossing Historic Park with a staff training. Over the past months we have been designing an accessible touch tour of a 6' x 3' version of Emmanuel Leutze's famous painting,"Washington Crossing the Delaware" in high relief bronze designed especially for the space by artist, Ellen Qiongzhao Schicktanz. Thanks to the generosity of a grant by Friends of Washington Crossing and the hospitality of the Visitor Center staff it has all gone according to plan with the hope of a launch later this spring or early summer. We could not do this work without the expertise and guidance of our Vision Council members, Simon Bonenfant and Denice Brown. We'll let you know when tours begin.

20/03/2025

We're excited to report that our work with the Museum of the American Revolution has now been posted on their website: An Audio Described Tour of the Core Galleries! Please contact us or the Museum to make a plan to visit:

Welcome to the Museum of the American Revolution's Audio Descriptive Tour designed for guests who are blind or low vision.

20/03/2025

An interesting evening at the Mütter Museum this past Wednesday. There were 20 attendees from Philly MeetUp for the Blind and Visually Impaired (PTT's social group). We split into two smaller groups and sat at long tables to handle the objects as they were passed around-- This was part of the Museum's "Postmortem Project," which asks for community feedback on the Mütter's Collections and asks pertinent questions around the complexities and ethics of medical collections. The session was led by skilled educators, Meredith and Amanda. We touched models and 3D prints of skulls, brains, a Chinese bound foot, and more, and discussed how such objects came into the Collection and what purpose they serve.” They also treated us to pizza during the final discussion, which was much appreciated!

15/09/2024

What a fantastic beach day our MeetUp group had at Ocean City, NJ yesterday!
Sun, sea, sand, ice cream, swimming, browsing, laughing and eating!!

19/04/2024

Shout out to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens for organizing a private training for a new staff member and shout out to Simon Bonenfant, a consultant with Philly Touch Tours for his engagement and commitment to providing accessible opportunities for people who are blind and low vision. It was a bit chilly but we were so busy enjoying ourselves we barely noticed! Come, take a tour and see for yourself!

Image Description: Two people explore the tiles and embedded objects in the walls along the walkways of this fascinating space. Many are found objects such as bottles, ceramic bowls, plates and dishes while others are small or medium sized sculptures collected from Mexico, Middle and South America by the artist, Isaiah Zagar.

Touch Tours for People with Vision Loss
PMG is a feast for the senses, and on this tour visitors who are blind or have low vision will get a feel for the space like never before. Explore the mosaics and other objects through guided touch and verbal description. Limited times are available due to the immersive nature of this experience. This tour was developed in conjunction with Philly Touch Tours.

To make a reservation for a Touch Tour, please call 215-733-0390 ext. 116, or email [email protected]. Recommended for ages 14 and older. Limited to 20 participants (each participant with vision loss may bring one sighted guide for no charge). Tour length is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Philly Touch Tours

18/04/2024

Thanks to the wonderful vendors at 9th Street Italian Market for hosting our tour group on Tuesday. Everyone had a good time enjoying the samples of gelato, cheese, salami, oils and vinegars. What a fun group of people it was too, looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!

07/04/2024

Hello Blind and Low Vision Community, Hope everyone is ready for the eclipse tomorrow. The LightSound Astrophysics Lab from Harvard is offering an opportunity to hear the event via sound and on Zoom. The eclipse will occur from 2:08 p.m. until 4:35 p.m., peaking at 3:23 p.m. EST. Check your own location for timing. Here is the Link: Please sign in at 2:00pm Read more about it here: https://astrolab.fas.harvard.edu/LightSound.html

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31/01/2024

Interesting and important event at Bryn Mawr College tomorrow and Friday evening. One can attend in person or on Zoom - once registered (and it is free to do so) the organizer will send out a Zoom link. Andrew Leland is a wonderful writer and clearly speaks about his experiences becoming blind. The second event on Friday is also fabulous, again available via Zoom -
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Join us for a two-night event exploring the world, culture, and lived experience of the low-vision and blind community.

21/11/2023

https://brailleworks.com/santa-reads-braille/?fbclid=IwAR1xZ9eABQxh-qjQmAmoRjkqPvCfR7DjeRPjkaRsjtWc9ZzTBXD3OOupR50

Santa Reads Braille - Parents & teachers can reach out to receive a letter from Santa in braille & large print for their child.

16/10/2023

While White Cane Safety Day is traditionally recognized with in-person events, we wanted to find ways we could all celebrate...