With the assistance of the Northwest Chapter of Safari Club International, the Pacific Foundation for Blind Children has established a permanent, Sensory Safari exhibit at the Washington State School for the Blind.
Sensory Safari is a rewarding and moving exhibit that provides individuals with visual impairments a unique opportunity to “see” wildlife through the sense of touch.
By utilizing thousands of donated and borrowed animal mounts, skins, skulls, and horns, individuals who are blind or visually impaired have been able to gain a visual perspective of what nature’s animals are like.
Whether touching an alligator’s long snout, feeling an impala’s lyre–shaped horns, stroking the thick fur of a bear, or hearing the game calls of waterfowl and big game, Sensory Safari participants experience what many sighted people have not.
Sensory Safari was established by Safari Club International. The first Sensory Safari took place in 1991, when Robert Easterbrook, Sr. provided both children who were visually impaired and sighted children an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of wildlife through the sensation of touch. Most Sensory Safaris are temporary exhibits hosted by local chapters of Safari Club International. The exhibit at the Washington State School for the Blind is unique in the state of Washington, and is among the first permanent displays in North America.
“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.”
—Edleman
