The FDR Memorial acknowledges the disability status of this president in a variety of ways, including a statue depicting him seated in a wheelchair and (in the image above) Braille inscriptions incorporated as a design motif along some of the walls or posts. Unfortunately, some of these Braille inscriptions are placed so high up that most people (sighted or non-sighted) cannot even reach them.
Ah, the irony - sighted people may find these inscriptions beautiful, but ultimately illegible; meanwhile, those who might actually understand the inscriptions cannot access them.
It sounds like even the Braille that is at a reasonable height is too large to read:
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That's an informative article. The phrase "nice idea that's gone awry" (near the end) seems to characterize things well - we start with an admirable notion of including braille inscriptions but then the artistic conception and actual execution of that plan renders the inscriptions impractical.
ReplyDeleteUsing the Braille alphabet and the markers for "capital", "number", and "period", the Braille walls are the initials and then whole words of FDR's public assistance programs. One says P.W.A., another says P.W.A.P., another says R.E.A.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that extra info, Anonymous! I was wondering what the inscriptions actually said.
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