How Museums Can Support Young Learners with Visual Impairment ~ 1316

Michael Barla

We wanna remove social barriers. We want to remove environmental barriers that keep young children, whatever attributes they bring to us from experiencing something that is rightfully theirs to experience.

Jen Taylor

What’s a child with a visual impairment? What are their sensory needs? How would they be able to explore a museum like a child with a vision could? And that’s where this all came from. Miko is young and I wanted him to experience something that maybe somebody with his visual impairment hadn’t even experienced before, but he gets to experience it as a child.

Taylor Kingsbery

Miko’s experience in the world is so different than ours. It has to like, without that one sense, his other senses have to like, it has to encompass the entire thing he wants to explore. Feeling with his feet is so important. Getting to walk around the perimeter, to have sensory, you have to be able to explore it in so many different ways.

Michael Barla

So I’m Michael Barla, and I now work here at the Anchor Center for Blind Children in Denver, Colorado. I had a pretty long public school career then I taught in higher ed before landing here at the anchor Center. And my role for this project, I was awarded for the, for three weeks in the summer of 2024. So last summer, Institute, residential fellowship with the Clyfford Still Museum here in Denver, and the Clyfford Still Museum is a single artist museum dedicated to the work of Clyfford Still that is housed here. His widow chose Denver, and so the works that the museum holds, which is 93% of all works that Clyfford still ever made now belong to the city and county of Denver, and the will specified that those works would go to an American city who would house a space, build and house a space for his work. So that is how the city of Denver ended up with the Clyfford Still Museum here. So I am the person who had the fellowship, and I will turn it over to Jen, who was my thought partner in that fellowship process.

Jen Taylor

Yeah, so my name’s Jen Taylor. I am a teacher for students with visual impairments. I first started out teaching in East Texas for a couple years, and then I came to the anchor center about five years ago. And then as currently, I still partner with the Anchor Center, but I work for Cherry Creek as of now. And I was the, somebody had sent me an email, I think it was our head office person and our director, and they wanted me to collaborate with Michael on an art project for a student with a visual impairment. And that’s how we got connected.

Tim Villegas

Amazing. Thank you.

Taylor Kingsbery

And I am Taylor Kingsbury. I am the mother of Miko Kingsbury, who was the child that got to participate in the experience that was offered by Michael, Dr. Barla. And we were referred by Jen. Miko has been at the Anchor center as a student since he was six months old.

Tim Villegas

Ah, so Michael, you had a fellowship. When you say anchor center, anchor center is different from still, is that right?

Michael Barla

That’s correct. And Anchor Center is a center for children with visual impairments and blindness that was founded by the Delta Gamma fraternity. And it is, they have a beautiful facility here in Denver. So the process was me applying for the fellowship, being awarded the fellowship, but in the process of applying, thinking about the project that I wanted to complete during that fellowship, I was then connected to Jen, who at that time was a teacher for students with visual impairments here at the anchor center. So it gets a little convoluted because since that time, Jen has moved on to the Cherry Creek School District. And I left the university where I was and came here to work at the Anchor Center full time as the office manager. So a year ago things looked different than they look right now for Jen and myself. The consistency here is Taylor and Miko and Taylor’s dad, Keith, who are still amazing family, so they’re the consistent piece. Jen and I have made a little shift in what it is we’re doing.

Tim Villegas

Okay. And so Miko went to the anchor center and you, so walk us through this for Michael. Walk us through the process of, I guess what, so was this just for miko or like you, you were modifying or adapting this exhibit. Am I saying that right? Yeah. I may not be using the right language. It’s okay.

Michael Barla

I’ll just give a brief overview.

Tim Villegas

Yeah.

Michael Barla

Okay. The process or the steps that I was thinking about and going through to take you back to around the beginning of COVID actually. So 2020, I was approached by the Clyfford Still Museum to be a consultant on an exhibit where they wanted children six months of age to six years of age to curate an exhibition of Clyfford Still’s work, and so I was brought in as a consultant to help the museum think about how we can take a very traditionally designed and set up adult driven space and really think about how we can bring children into that space. And my background has been mostly working with children who have a wide variety of attributes that they bring to their lived experience. And so that exhibition was called Art and the Young Mind, and it ran from March to August of 2022. And so I was helping them try and think, for lack of a better way of saying it, outside the box about how children could be engaged in a museum, especially one that is very adult driven and design. So I had that experience and then I kept thinking about that experience. And so when I saw the application come out to be a residential fellow, I then started to think, well, what if I honed in on one specific attribute? And that attribute would be young children with visual impairments or blindness, and what can I, or what can we think about when we think about, and I use the word translating. So when we think about translating a piece of Clyfford Still’s work for a young child who is visually impaired or blind, what might that look like? So I applied, I was accepted, and then I was connected with Jen at the Anchor Center as a thought partner in my process of thinking about how I might translate a piece of Clyfford Still’s work. Jen is the one who thought of Miko and bringing him to the museum, and we can talk about that later, to experience the translation that I built of a piece of Clyfford Still’s work. So I honed in on one painting that while I was in residence, there had never been exhibited by the Clyfford Still Museum, so that it was called pH 9 1 4. Clyfford still had his pieces numbered and not named or given a title because he didn’t want the person experiencing the artwork to have a preconceived idea or notion of what he thought about that piece of artwork. So they’re all numbered, and the one that I chose was pH 9 1 4. And so I then spent a couple of weeks of that fellowship really digging into the archives that they hold at the museum, trying to get an idea of Clyfford Still’s thinking at the time, which was in the seventies in which he made pH 9 1 4. Then just started to think about how I might translate that one specific painting into a sensory experience for a child with a visual impairment or blindness. And that’s where Jen comes into the picture to help me. She really helped me think about the wide variety of ways that I might translate or try and represent. I didn’t wanna replicate the piece. If I was replicating his work, I would try and paint the painting and that’s not my goal in the whole experience. So in that translation, Jen really helped me. We met a couple of times in thinking about different ways that children with visual impairments and blindness access their environment. Okay, so then, yes.

Tim Villegas

Oh, go ahead. Go ahead. I’m sorry.

Michael Barla

Yeah, sorry. So then Jen, in thinking about this project, thought about Miko and his family, and then they were invited to the museum toward the end of my project for Miko and his parents to experience the piece that I had built.

Tim Villegas

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. That, that it brings it much more clear. Okay. So Jen, I have a question for you. So what was your approach working with Michael on how to begin this translation?

Jen Taylor

Well, I mean, we first started just meeting face-to-face and he told me what painting he wanted to use. And I wanted to think in terms of a child without vision, so Miko does not have any vision. My, I myself, I’m visually impaired, so I have low vision. But I wanted to think of a child because any child with any type of vision would be able to experience this painting, but I wanted it for a child that couldn’t see. And so what are the ways that we could do that? And we talked about sound, and we talked about texture, and we talked about even like some bright enough light that maybe he could see it and bringing it alive without the sense of sight. And we just sat down and we brainstorm. And originally we didn’t know what student we were gonna pick either. So at the time it was just like, what’s a child with a visual impairment? What are their sensory needs? How would they be able to explore a museum like a child with a vision could? And that’s where this all came from. And it’s just a lot of brainstorming and just making lists and seeing what works, narrowing down your ideas ’cause there’s a plethora of different ideas. I mean, we even thought about bringing water into it ’cause kids with visual impairments have such sensory with water. But we couldn’t do that. But we were like, what are other things we can do? So we brought in sound and the texture and the lights and just, and then it came down to like, okay, are we gonna use miko? And then talking to his parents. Miko is young and I wanted him to experience something that maybe somebody with his visual impairment hadn’t even experienced before, but he gets to experience it as a child.

Tim Villegas

Right. Firsthand. Right. So one more question for Jen. ’cause I want to talk about like what, what it ended up being, right? How the translation kind of what the final iteration of the translation, and then I Taylor about Mika’s experience. What did it end up being? And how did you end up figuring out what you wanted it to be? I guess? What’s the question?

Jen Taylor

Well, I guess for me, once he showed me which one we were doing, I was like, okay, well what would that look like in terms of, if I didn’t have vision, how would I feel these things? Because for instance, like there’s this blue stripe that’s going down and it has these rocks on it and it’s a little velvety. And then like the orange, I think we paired with the bells, right? In fact, because this is like a long time ago. So I’m trying to recall everything that we did. And so we, I tried to look at the image as a whole and say, okay, I visually see this, but how would this work? And he’s also, at the time he was barely a toddler. So this is a young child experiencing this. So it was like, what are simple things? Things that he already likes? ’cause I think at that time we did figure out, like I said, I wanted to do it with a student that had no vision. So a lot of that’s gotta be sound. And again, like I say, I go back to the texture thing. And really that’s how it all came about. Just narrowing down those things that would, based on looking at these colors and these patterns. Again, it’s a lot of brainstorming, a lot of talking it through, and not every idea made it to the end.

Michael Barla

I’m wondering, Tim, if I could just also add a little bit to Jen’s great description, what, from my point of view, and I got to spend a lot of time sitting in the gallery where that piece was exhibited and just sitting and watching patrons and visitors to the museum come and watch their interactions with that piece. This may sound, I don’t know how it sounds, but I let the piece guide me in that process of how it was, I thought I might translate that, so I’m not sure if you’re aware, but there is at least one company in the United States that will 3D print a piece of artwork. And I, for me, that wasn’t what I wanted because the 3D ness of it is wonderful in one capacity, but it doesn’t really delineate if you have a change in color or if you have a change in texture on the painting. Or, for example, this painting that I used, Clyfford still used a pallet knife to paint it. He rarely used a brush, mostly used a pallet knife, and so when he would load that pallet knife and then get to the end of a stroke, there are some wispy pieces of paint that are on the canvas at the end. And so for me, I thought, how can I reproduce that? And that’s where the ostrich feathers came in that I cut and put for those wispy pieces at the end. And so it was just me thinking about the different aspects of that piece and how I might represent them so that someone understands or begins to understand that there is a difference in the pieces and the colors and thes and perhaps what the artist was trying to convey in that piece, if that makes sense.

Tim Villegas

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Taylor, tell me, tell me the story of, of Jen coming to you and being like, Hey, I’ve got this idea.

Taylor Kingsbery

Yeah, so I remember it very well. We were in the Lightroom, Jen was the teacher in there, and the Lightroom is a room that’s very dark, but all of the toys and interactive areas have really bright lights. And so Nico was in there playing, I’m sure it’s a very loud toy. And Jen, we generally do get to just chit chat a little bit when Mika would be in school. And so Jen and I were just talking and she just said, Hey. I don’t know if you’re interested, but I’ve got this friend who’s doing this art residency and he’s actually building out this piece that would be for children who are blind or visually impaired and we really want a child to try it out. Do you think Mika would be interested? And I tend to be pretty game for stuff like that. I was like, yeah, absolutely. Like please. And thinking about it now, I know one. A piece of it. I was so excited. I was a little nervous because Mika’s a pretty tough crowd. Like he’s very particular, like he, if he doesn’t like something, he will definitely let you know. And I, and so I was excited, but I was like, oh no. Like is, I’m worried for Dr. Barlow that he’s gonna think his pieces are great if Miko goes in there and he’s like, no, thank you. But nevertheless, I’m always open for miko having those kind of experiences. And so I was really excited to get to participate.

Tim Villegas

And so when did Miko go to it? I’m assuming Miko went to the museum, right? And so was it multiple sessions or was it one big day or how did that happen?

Michael Barla

Sure. So the fellowship was three weeks in length. And so Miko came to the museum toward the end of that fellowship because I had to have time to build the piece. Right? Yeah. And so he came, I invited Miko and his parents, and Jen was there as well to the museum on a Monday when the museum was closed to the public because I wanted to as much as possible lessen maybe other sensory stimuli or distractions for that time. So he came once, I think they were there for maybe an, it was between an hour and 90 minutes probably. They came in order for Miko to have an experience of interacting with the piece that I built. And I’m not sure, Tim, if you want me to go into what that looked like and then. I dunno. Yeah. So, and then maybe bounce back to Taylor for her impressions of that experience. But so I had some other fellows who were there, there were five of us, I believe. A couple of them wanted to observe this interaction and process. So there were a couple of other adults sitting in the gallery as well. So we chose to present the piece to Miko first as a horizontal piece almost laying on the floor. It was on some foam bricks, so there was a little bit of space between the piece, the frame of the piece, and the floor. So it was laying basically on the floor, and that was the way that we presented it to him first. And there were a couple things that happened during that time were very impactful for me and they came from Taylor. A couple of questions that Taylor had posed. The first one was, would she be able to remove KO’s shoes and socks? And I said, of course. And when she did, his feet instantly went up on the piece that I had fabricated and he was exploring all over with his feet and I not being a person who is trained to work with individuals with visual impairments or blindness, did not know that many young children begin to explore with their feet before they begin to explore with their hands. And I found that just really, really fascinating. The other thing that Taylor asked was, would it be okay if Miko explored under the piece, so the underside or what we would call the back of the frame that I built, and of course, yes, I’m, please let him do that. And he was quite enamored with the underside of the piece. And some people might think, oh, that’s the opposite of what you want him to be. No, I want him to do what he wants to do and to have the experience that he wants to have with that piece. So it was quite fascinating for me to be able to sit back and watch him navigate around the piece as he explored the underside as well as the top of the piece. When we felt like maybe attention is waning a little bit, and consider, I believe Taylor, he was two at this time, I asked Taylor and Keith if it would be okay if I put the piece up vertically. And so we moved the piece. We stood it up next to a half glass wall and it was a whole different experience for him because he was now at the actual level of those half marbles that I had put on the piece, and the lights and the feathers and just all the textures that were there. And it was a different experience from my perspective in the way that he navigated that piece when he was up on his two feet and able to have that piece right in front of him. So I’ll let Taylor speak to her experience as well.

Taylor Kingsbery

Yeah. So we arrived at the Clyfford Still Museum and got taken up to the gallery where Dr. Barla and Jen were waiting with the piece. And Miko sometimes can be hesitant about new environments, but I mean, we sat him down and he immediately started walking around, like feeling people that were there. And then we led him over to the piece. And like Dr. Barla said, he immediately took to it. He sat down in my lap and just started touching and feeling, and then put his whole face on it. And I’m sure Dr. Barlow’s gonna talk about the heart attack that Miko gave him, but Miko, there were little bells on it and miko immediately like put his face down and like bit off one of those bells and had it in his mouth. And I was like, it’s fine. He spit it out like it’s okay. And Dr. Barla is just starting to sweat a little bit. But Miko’s experience in the world is so different than ours. It has to like, without that one sense, his other senses have to like, it has to encompass the entire thing he wants to explore. Right? So the underside was so important. All of the different textures were important. Feeling with his feet is so important. Getting to walk around the perimeter, he even like walked over to the bench and then would walk back to the piece. And so we call it mapping. He’s a pro at it, but he builds up this in his mind, what this looks like or what this is by getting as many sensory inputs as possible with this piece. And he loved it. It was so great. And then, like Dr. Parla said, as soon as they set it up, he was back to exploring it. It ends up being a whole new thing for him. He wanted to fill the back again. He wanted to see where the perimeter was. He wanted to feel everything that he couldn’t really get to unless he physically set on the piece because he was too. So I think that that’s a really important lesson or a really important point when it comes to how great this piece was, is that to have sensory, you have to be able to explore it in so many different ways. And so on the bottom, sitting up with feet, with hands, with face, unfortunately. Yeah, it was incredible. Miko, he loved it. He didn’t really have any issues with feeling it or getting excited about it.

Tim Villegas

Did, how much did you explain Tonik? Like miko what the purpose of being at the museum? Like, did he know, like, Hey, I’m gonna go experience art, or like, what was that like?

Taylor Kingsbery

Yeah, for us. So when you have a child with a visual impairment or with extreme blindness, not blindness like miko, you do this thing that everyone talks about, which is like sports broadcasting. So you have to basically talk and explain just like you do, like on the radio. And so yeah, we talk them through the whole ride over, like, oh, we’re going to the museum doc. Miss Jen’s gonna be there. We’re gonna look at, we’re gonna feel some art. I’m sure I said look at some art, but yeah, we talk, even if he doesn’t understand, it’s really important that we talk through these points with him and that he knows. And so we get to the museum and we drop him on the ground and we’re like, okay, the pieces over here. And then talk him through, oh, this color’s orange, like, and it has the bells. And then, oh, do you feel those little wispy pieces? It’s actually black and it’s moving on the canvas. And so yeah, you tend to want to explain, or at least give a piece of verbal confirmation to everything that’s happening. And that just adds to his experience.

Tim Villegas

Got it, got it. Okay. Yeah. But thank you for explaining that. I think that’s important for anyone who’s listening to understand. So had this even been a consideration, like museums are very, that’s a very typical thing to have right in a community is a museum. Had you ever thought that a museum might want to translate an experience or exhibit for a child like Miko?

Taylor Kingsbery

No. Well, we are very avid supporters of children’s museums and so we go to quite a few children’s museums, but those do tend to be more like interactive based. As far as like fine art goes, no, absolutely not. And art is very important to me as a person. I’m a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, so I grew up on my reservation in Oklahoma. And my grandmother was a seamstress. My mother was a seamstress. My father was a, he worked with silver and leather, and I always drew and also sewed. And so I was always very driven by art and driven by the ability to like, make things and dream up ideas. And so when we found out Mika was blind, it was this whole piece that I hadn’t really reconciled that I was like, oh, my child’s gonna get to like draw me things and stuff. But until he was blind and I started thinking about those experiences that I love so much in my life, like going to museum and experiencing art, that I was like, oh my gosh, that’s not attainable for him. Like that’s just something that he’s never gonna be able to experience in this way. And so when we were approached about this, there was a piece of me that I was just so thankful for because it was just something that I just didn’t think Mika would ever get to experience in a way that would help him. I don’t know, like just open up the world to of fine art in museums, because you’re right, they are very much for sighted people, very much for adults also generally. And if Miko cannot go into his space and use the tools that he has, like his hands, like his feet, or even like audio descriptions, which will some, well, some museums don’t even have that. He will never be able to experience that. And so no, I did not expect that. And so that’s one reason when Jen offered it to us, I was like, yes, like, count us in. We wanna do this because it is so important to me. And I knew that Mika would love the experience.

Tim Villegas

Yeah. And one more question for you, Taylor. Because for our audience is mostly educators who are interested in inclusion, a lot of special education teachers, principals, district administrators. So I do wanna make a tie in to developing environments, develop of learning, right, that are universally designed. So I guess what would you hope people that are listening would take away from this experience that miko and your family took part in.

Taylor Kingsbery

So I would say that, I would hope they would take away from this, that you have to start including inclusion into the mission of your work. You have to start seeing people who have disabilities, who have, are different abled, as an an equal participant in this world. And that could be through looking at your hiring processes, looking at your program designs your evaluation. Is your evaluation only for able bodied sided fully hearing kiddos? Or do you offer evaluation for kids that might not meet that criteria? I would also encourage everyone to, if you in your in community, if you have an organization or if you wanna do research into an organization, and you wanna know how to start doing this, like community is vital in these spaces like. Jen can’t do it alone. Dr. Barla can’t do it alone. I cannot do it alone. Like we have to all get in this together. And it isn’t something that you design for these children, like you just co. You have to co-create with your community these spaces, because I could tell you what Miko loves to do. We could go to the anchor center and he could be the only blind child that loves to do that. Like every, all the other kids could be like, absolutely not. So it has to be in co-creation with the whole community. And there are so many people that are doing this great work that are so available and so willing to offer up expertise and to offer up their children like me to experiment on or to give advice about or to offer up their own resources. So train your staff, empower them with disability awareness and have the confidence that you might not do it right, but your steps to get there and respecting these children and being enthusiastic about including them, is gonna make all the difference, not only in your attitude towards these kiddos in this community, but also your, like, the kids are gonna mimic that attitude. Other adults are gonna mimic that attitude, and it just starts to create a really positive, inclusive environment.

Tim Villegas

Awesome. Thank you for that. This next question is for Jen. The experience that you had working with Michael on translating this piece. If another museum wanted to consult with you and be like, Hey, we heard about what you did at the still, what advice would you give to those institutions who want to create more like inclusive experiences for children with visual impairments?

Jen Taylor

I think reaching out to a lot of our public school districts, I mean, there is a shortage, but there are teachers for students with visual impairments. The anchor center, they have a website and they have a phone. They can direct you to the right people. But if you can find somebody that specializes and it’s hard to, but if you can find somebody that knows how to work with a child with a visual impairment and blindness and you can bring them in, they won’t. I don’t know anybody that would say no to this. I mean, art is very important to everybody and art can be created in multiple ways. It doesn’t have to be like what we consider traditional art. So it’s one of the most, I think, easiest things to accommodate for anybody. So if you just bring along somebody that has a little bit more expertise in the realm of working with kids and families with visual impairments, if you can find that person, I think that will help a lot because you can, they, ’cause we’re trained to know specifically what kids need. And we’re also trained for public outreach and community, and a lot of us are always willing to help. If you reach out and ask.

Tim Villegas

Great, great advice. Michael, what are your thoughts on, well, I guess first of all, I just wanna say, I just wanna say that this is such a unique idea. Like it shouldn’t be a unique idea, right? This experience and this opportunity that you had was unique, but it really should be something that everyone, no matter what space you’re in, should be considering is, we have people in our community that are visually impaired or hearing impaired or have other various disabilities. How can we co-create to what you were saying, Taylor, I think that, as I, I love that phrase is co-create this environment so that everyone can experience and feel like a sense of belonging. Right. So, Michael, what are your thoughts about how we can ensure that this isn’t just a one time thing that, but that we can sustain and build on this experience for everyone in our community.

Michael Barla

Yeah. Thank you for that question. That’s a tough one, but als maybe in one regard and in another, it’s not so hard to answer, but I wanna bring up another experience that happened while I was in residence There. I happened to be walking upstairs to the galleries and see a group of adults who maybe from outward appearances look like they had some attributes that some might call developmental delay. Come into the museum and one man, I don’t know how old he was, I won’t even guess, was using a white cane to navigate the museum, and I thought, what a perfect time for me to go sit up in the gallery and to see how this person experienced the museum. And so I sat myself in the corner of the gallery where the piece that I chose was on exhibition. And I watched this person navigate the museum without interacting with one person, nor being able to interact with any of the pieces that were on display in the various galleries. Oftentimes, Tim, I think that the first step in this process for me is to decenter my own privilege. To really start thinking, I can never be in Jen’s shoes as A-T-S-V-I, nor a person who has an attribute of a vision impairment or low vision, I can never be in Taylor’s shoes. I’m not a parent. And I’m certainly not a parent of a child who has a visual impairment or blindness, but I’m thinking it is so important for us to, yes, inclusion is important, but I feel like we need to now move beyond just inclusion and just thinking, well, Miko has a right to walk in the doors of the museum. Clearly he does, but he also has a right to be there, to be present, and to belong in that space. Now, there are many adult driven spaces where this is maybe not the space for any children at all. And I get that, I guess, I’m just somebody who’s gonna always push the boundary, who’s always gonna say, I wonder what if. And I think that’s what drove me when I came off of being a consultant on the first project with the Clyffords Steel Museum. And then that really got me thinking, well, what if I wonder how a child with a visual impairment or blindness might experience this museum and understand that’s just one attribute. And within that, in my conversations with Jen, I could never replicate the piece that I chose that would hit every avenue of what a child with a visual impairment or blindness is experienced. Impossible to do that. But we have to start somewhere. And I think that the rightful presence, if you really dig into what that means, we want to remove economic barriers. We wanna remove social barriers. We want to remove environmental barriers that keep young children, whatever attributes they bring to us from experiencing something that is rightfully theirs to experience. I’m not sure if that answers your question, but I am pretty passionate about asking why or why not, or having wonderings about how we might make something a space that is where children can be rightfully present.

Tim Villegas

Anyone else wanna take that question?

Taylor Kingsbery

I just wanna say one thing. And I so appreciate Dr. Barla saying that because he’s so right. It isn’t just about being like, oh, Miko, you’re also like, allowed to be in here. Like, you, we built this stuff ’cause you’re allowed to be here. It is, it really is about making people feel as like equal parts of the community and that this stuff is accessible to them and not as not as like a, an afterthought, but as an active member in society. This gives kids, I, my whole career has been around increasing representation. And I work mostly with indigenous people. But in that, you see that all of these

Jen Taylor

We first started meeting face‑to‑face. Michael told me what painting he wanted to use, and I wanted to think in terms of a child without vision. Miko does not have any vision. I myself am visually impaired, so I have low vision, but I wanted to think of a child who couldn’t see at all. Any child with any type of vision would be able to experience this painting, but I wanted it for a child who couldn’t see. So what are the ways we could do that?

We talked about sound, texture, even bright enough light that maybe he could see it, and bringing it alive without the sense of sight. We brainstormed. Originally, we didn’t know what student we were going to pick either. At the time, it was: What’s a child with a visual impairment? What are their sensory needs? How would they be able to explore a museum like a child with vision could? That’s where this came from. A lot of brainstorming, making lists, narrowing down ideas. There were so many options. We even thought about bringing water into it because kids with visual impairments often have strong sensory responses to water, but we couldn’t do that. So we brought in sound, texture, lights. Then it came down to: Are we going to use Miko? And then talking to his parents. Miko is young, and I wanted him to experience something maybe someone with his visual impairment hadn’t experienced before, but he gets to experience it as a child.

Tim Villegas

One more question for Jen, because I want to talk about what it ended up being—how the translation turned out, and then I want to talk to Taylor about Miko’s experience. What did it end up being, and how did you figure out what you wanted it to be?

Jen Taylor

Once he showed me which painting we were doing, I thought: What would that look like in terms of, if I didn’t have vision, how would I feel these things? For instance, there’s this blue stripe going down the painting. He made it where it has these rocks on it and it’s a little velvety. Then the orange, I think we paired with the bells. I’m trying to recall everything we did. I looked at the image as a whole and asked: I visually see this, but how would this work? And he was barely a toddler at the time—this is a young child experiencing this. So what are simple things? Things he already likes. I wanted to do it with a student who had no vision, so a lot of that has to be sound and texture. That’s how it came about—narrowing down things based on the colors and patterns. Again, lots of brainstorming and not every idea made it to the end.

Michael Barla

From my point of view, I got to spend a lot of time sitting in the gallery where the piece was exhibited and watching patrons interact with it. I kind of let the piece guide me. There’s at least one company in the U.S. that will 3D print a piece of artwork. For me, that wasn’t what I wanted. The 3D nature is wonderful in one way, but it doesn’t delineate changes in color or texture. This painting, Clyfford Still used a palette knife, rarely a brush. When he would load the palette knife and get to the end of a stroke, there are wispy pieces of paint. I thought: How can I reproduce that? That’s where the ostrich feathers came in, cut and placed for those wispy pieces.

I thought about different aspects of the piece and how I might represent them so someone begins to understand differences in the piece and colors and perhaps what the artist was trying to convey.

Tim Villegas

Taylor, tell me the story of Jen coming to you and saying, “Hey, I’ve got this idea.”

Taylor Kingsbery

I remember it well. We were in the Lightroom. Jen was the teacher in there. The Lightroom is very dark, but all the toys and interactive areas have bright lights. Miko was playing with a loud toy. Jen and I usually get to chat a little while Miko is in school. She said, “Hey, I don’t know if you’re interested, but I’ve got this friend doing an art residency, and he’s building this piece for children who are blind or visually impaired, and we want a child to try it out. Do you think Miko would be interested?”

I tend to be pretty game for stuff like that. I said yes immediately. I was excited but nervous because Miko is a tough crowd. He’s particular; if he doesn’t like something, he will let you know. I was worried for Dr. Barla—what if Miko didn’t like it? But I’m always open to Miko having these experiences, so I was excited to participate.

Tim Villegas

When did Miko go to it? Was it multiple sessions or one big day?

Michael Barla

The fellowship was three weeks. Miko came near the end because I needed time to build the piece. I invited Miko and his parents, and Jen was there too, on a Monday when the museum was closed to the public. I wanted to lessen other sensory stimuli. They were there maybe an hour to ninety minutes, so Miko could experience the piece I built.

We presented the piece horizontally at first, laying on foam bricks so there was space under it. A couple of impactful things happened—both came from Taylor. First, she asked if she could remove Miko’s shoes and socks. Of course. As soon as she did, his feet went right onto the piece and he explored all over with his feet. I didn’t know many young children begin to explore with their feet before their hands.

Second, Taylor asked if he could explore under the piece. Of course. He was enamored with the underside. Some might think that’s the opposite of what you’d want—no. I want him to do what he wants to do and have the experience he wants with the piece.

When his attention waned, I asked if I could put the piece vertically. We stood it up next to a half‑glass wall. It was a whole different experience. He was now at the level of the half marbles, lights, feathers, textures. He navigated it differently standing upright.

Taylor Kingsbery

We arrived at the museum and were taken to the gallery. Miko can be hesitant in new environments, but he immediately started walking around, feeling people who were there. Then we led him to the piece. He immediately took to it. He sat in my lap, touching and feeling, then put his whole face on it. He bit off one of the bells and had it in his mouth. I said it was fine; he spit it out. Dr. Barla was sweating a little.

Miko’s experience in the world is different. Without vision, his other senses have to encompass everything he wants to explore. The underside was important. The textures were important. Feeling with his feet was important. Walking the perimeter. Mapping. He builds in his mind what something looks like by getting as many sensory inputs as possible.

He loved it. When they set it up vertically, he went back to exploring. It became a whole new thing. He wanted to feel the back again, find the perimeter, feel everything he couldn’t reach unless he sat on the piece. To have sensory access, you have to be able to explore in many ways—bottom, sitting up, feet, hands, face. It was incredible.

Tim Villegas

Did you explain to Miko the purpose of being at the museum? Did he know he was going to experience art? What was that like?

Taylor Kingsbery

When you have a child with a visual impairment or with extreme blindness like Miko, you do what everyone talks about—sports broadcasting. You talk and explain everything, like on the radio. We talked through the whole ride: “We’re going to the museum. Miss Jen will be there. We’re going to feel some art.” I probably said “look at some art,” but still. Even if he doesn’t understand, it’s important that we talk him through these points so he knows.

At the museum, we put him on the ground: “Okay, the piece is over here.” We talked him through, “This color is orange, and it has the bells,” and, “Do you feel those little wispy pieces? It’s black, and it’s moving on the canvas.” You tend to explain and give verbal confirmation to everything happening. It adds to his experience.

Tim Villegas

Had you ever considered that a museum might want to translate an exhibit for a child like Miko?

Taylor Kingsbery

No. We’re avid supporters of children’s museums—they’re interactive. But fine art? Absolutely not. Art is very important to me. I’m a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. I grew up on my reservation. My grandmother was a seamstress, my mother was a seamstress, my father worked with silver and leather. I always drew and sewed. I was driven by art and by making things.

When we found out Miko was blind, art was something I hadn’t reconciled. I had imagined my child drawing me things. Going to museums. Experiencing art. Suddenly I thought, “That’s not attainable for him.” So when we were approached about this, I was so thankful. It’s something I didn’t think Miko would get to experience—fine art in a way that opens up the world for him.

Museums are built for sighted people. If Miko can’t use his tools—his hands, his feet, audio descriptions—he’ll never experience that world. So when Jen offered it, I said yes immediately.

Tim Villegas

For our audience—mostly educators interested in inclusion—what would you hope they take away from this experience?

Taylor Kingsbery

I hope they take away that inclusion has to be part of the mission of your work. You have to start seeing people with disabilities as equal participants in the world.

That means looking at hiring processes, program design, evaluation. Is your evaluation only for able‑bodied, fully hearing, fully sighted kids? Do you offer evaluation for kids who don’t meet that criteria?

If you want to start doing this work, community is vital. Jen can’t do it alone. Dr. Barla can’t do it alone. I can’t do it alone. You have to co‑create with your community. I can tell you what Miko loves, but the other kids at the Anchor Center might not love the same things. Co‑creation with the whole community is necessary.

There are so many people doing great work who are willing to help. Train your staff. Empower them with disability awareness. Have confidence that you might not do it perfectly, but taking steps toward inclusion—and showing enthusiasm and respect—makes a difference. Kids mimic that attitude. Adults mimic that attitude. It becomes a positive, inclusive environment.

Tim Villegas

Great advice. Jen, what advice would you give institutions wanting to create more inclusive experiences for children with visual impairments?

Jen Taylor

Reach out to public school districts—there are teachers for students with visual impairments. The Anchor Center has a website and a phone number; they can direct you. If you can find someone who knows how to work with a child with visual impairment or blindness, bring them in.

Art can be created in multiple ways. It’s one of the easiest things to accommodate. If you bring in someone with expertise, it helps a lot. We’re trained to know what kids need. We’re trained for public outreach and community work. Many of us are willing to help if you ask.

Tim Villegas

Michael, what are your thoughts on ensuring this isn’t just a one‑time thing, but something sustainable?

Michael Barla

I want to share another experience from my residency. I saw a group of adults enter the museum, and one man with a white cane navigating the museum alone. He didn’t interact with anyone or with the pieces. I sat in the gallery watching him navigate a space that wasn’t designed for him.

The first step is to decenter my own privilege. I can never be in Jen’s shoes as a TSVI, nor in Taylor’s shoes as a parent of a child with blindness. But it’s important to move beyond inclusion. Miko doesn’t just have a right to walk through the doors; he has a right to be present and to belong.

There are adult‑driven spaces where children might not fit. But I’m going to push boundaries and ask “What if?” That’s what drove me when I consulted on the 2022 exhibit and again when I applied for this fellowship.

We have to start somewhere. It’s impossible to create one piece that hits every need for every child with a visual impairment. But we can start by removing economic, social, and environmental barriers that keep young children from experiencing what is rightfully theirs.

Tim Villegas

Anyone else want to add to that?

Taylor Kingsbery

I appreciate Dr. Barla’s words. He’s right—it’s not about saying, “You’re allowed to be here.” It’s about making people feel like equal parts of the community, not an afterthought.

The ripple effect is huge. Miko experiencing this might lead to him creating his own art. Maybe he becomes an artist. Maybe he builds things for other kids. Representation opens doors—to hobbies, careers, opportunities. These experiences show children what they’re capable of.

Jen Taylor

We always talk with our young adults and parents: we’re living in a sighted world. It’s not built for our children. It’s not even built for me. But we figure out what works. If we include accessibility from the beginning, we build community awareness and acceptance.

If we put accessibility first—not later—we create environments that work for everyone. Work with TSVIs, with parents, with other providers. Parents have insight we don’t. We aren’t with these kids 24/7. Bring everyone together. There’s a method to the madness.

Tim Villegas

I can appreciate that for sure. What is the status of the exhibit now, Michael? Is it still there for other people to experience? Are there plans to expand or do other pieces?

Michael Barla

No, the piece was never on display at the museum, and that wasn’t my choice. It is here at the Anchor Center. They have dedicated a space for it to be on permanent display. It’s important to me not just to hang the piece on the wall, so I’ve also included a photograph of the original piece and an explanation of what this is on the wall and the process of how it came to be. That’s important.

People sometimes think of art as arts and crafts. Someone might look at the piece I built and say, “That’s cute, artsy and craftsy, you used a hot glue gun, you sewed stuff on, you added jingle bells.” You could approach it that way, but that’s not my preference. That perspective delegitimizes the work we do in early learning and care. From my perspective, art is a process. There’s much to learn from how the piece came to be and how Miko interacted with it.

So now what? We had one experience with this one translated piece. Where do we go from here? That’s important for me. Legitimizing the work we do in early learning is something I’m passionate about. It’s not just taking care of children—we provide early learning and prerequisite experiences for them to keep growing and learning.

Tim Villegas

If someone listening wants to reach out—maybe a museum administrator or a school administrator—what’s the best way to contact you?

Michael Barla

My personal email: mbar963@gmail.com.

When the poster was presented at the conference in May—I wasn’t able to attend—it was hung up for people to see. A director of education for a museum in Tucson reached out to me. Their museum is dedicated to miniature exhibits, all under glass or behind glass. I’ll be going there at the end of August to talk about how young children might have rightful presence in a museum where you want to touch things but can’t. We don’t have to touch everything, but we can think about how to present something like a miniature exhibit in a way young children can engage with.

Tim Villegas

Amazing. Best of luck with that. Taylor, Jen, thank you. I appreciate your time and you sharing your experiences. I like to end every interview with a mystery question. It’s a fun way to wrap up. I have a small stack of cards I’ve pre‑screened. I’ll pick one and we all answer it.

Our mystery question is: Name something on your to‑do list that never gets done.

I’m a very inconsistent maker of lists. I love lists, but I don’t always make them. Interesting question. Anyone have an answer? Michael?

Michael Barla

As a child, I always wanted a banjo and never got one. Recently I bought a banjo and started teaching myself with online lessons, but I’ve stopped. So it’s been on my to‑do list for decades. I need to make that happen. Maybe this question will drive me back to it.

Tim Villegas

I hope so. I need to hear some banjo music from Michael.

Who’s next?

Jen Taylor

Being a teacher, you never really have free time. In my free time that I never have, I try to crochet. Don’t ask me how it’s going.

Tim Villegas

That’s fantastic.

Jen Taylor

I’ve got the yarn. It’s waiting to do something.

Tim Villegas

Maybe this is the conversation you needed to get back into crocheting.

Taylor?

Taylor Kingsbery

Yes. I do not do a good job of moving into spaces. We’ve lived in our house three years. I hung up two pictures because they’re in the background of every meeting I have. But in my room right now, I can see four framed pieces of art I haven’t hung up. Every day I think, “I should hang those up,” but instead I dust them on the floor. Every weekend I say, “I need to hang these,” but I don’t. I go in my room and think, “Nope, something else instead.”

Tim Villegas

Absolutely. You’re making me feel better about my life. My to‑do list item is my bathroom. My wife and I have separate sinks and light switches. My light switch has had a short in it for months. Every time I flip on the light, it flickers like a ghost. I have to flip it up and down to get it just right. Every time I do it, I think, “I just need to fix this.” Turn off electricity, reattach wires, get a new switch. Still haven’t done it.

Taylor Kingsbery

Oh! I just thought of something. I do have a framed picture downstairs that is hung up. It’s a picture of Miko at the museum. The museum photographer took it. He’s exploring the bench in the middle. The original piece Michael translated is in the background. Miko’s face is down on the bench, and you can see his little toes feeling the metal underside. I hung that up immediately. That’s the flow I need—once it’s home, hang it right away.

Michael Barla

He loved that bench. It was fascinating to watch. His shoes and socks were off, and the bench sits on curved metal pieces. He stepped on it—I think it was cold. Same reason he had the bells on his cheek and then bit one off. From that traumatic experience for me (not for Taylor), I adjusted the bells. I had sewn them on top of the fabric. I encased them in felt so they still made noise but couldn’t be bitten off. A well‑learned lesson with a lot of anxiety.

Tim Villegas

Thank you for sharing that. I hope all of us take this as motivation to get something off our to‑do list.

Michael Barla, Jen Taylor, Taylor Kingsbury—thank you so much for being on the Think Inclusive Podcast. We appreciate your time.

Michael Barla

Thank you, Tim. It’s been a pleasure.

Taylor Kingsbery

Yes. Thank you so much.