FORT WORTH, Texas — To find one of the newest and most unique pieces of art in Fort Worth, you don’t need to go to a museum, you don’t need to pay and you don’t even need to see.
That’s because it’s a mural that’s accessible for the blind.
“Why create something like that,” asked Curtis Rhodes, communications and content creator for Lighthouse for the Blind. “Because people in the blind and visually impaired community are so often overlooked.”
Especially when it comes to art.
“I think there is that kind of, ‘well they can’t see it so they can’t enjoy it,’” Rhodes said.
But they absolutely can. That’s why Lighthouse for the Blind worked with local artist Kristen Soble to create the one-of-a-kind mural on the side of its building.
Soble used high contrast colors that allow the visually-impaired to see the differences in the details. There are many tactile elements that can be touched, too.
Braille railings provide inspirational quotes, while some of the paint was applied in a thick texture to allow it to be touched. At the end of the wall is a 3D image of the entire mural, allowing the visually-impaired to experience it all at once.
Along the wall are audio devices which also explain in detail what’s on the wall in front of them.
“There’s simple things that we can do to be more inclusive,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes told WFAA that blind and visually-impaired people are capable of almost anything. He believes by giving them the chance to experience art in a similar way sighted people do, it may change the trajectory of their futures.
“They’re no different in their ability to be inspired.”
The mural is located on the Adams Street side of Lighthouse for the Blind in Fort Worth.
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