To make the beauty and grandeur of nature accessible to everyone, Bartram’s Garden teamed up with a local audio describer and visually impaired accessibility consultant to produce audio descriptions of three gardens on their grounds. Join White Canes Connect contributor Simon Bonenfant, as he speaks with audio describer Beth Feldman Brant, along with Accessibility Coach Charmaine Parrish, about everything you need to know as part of this exciting initiative!

Recorded audio descriptions include a Know Before you Go, detailing an introduction and orientation to the Welcome Center, Ann Bartram Carr Garden, the Historic Bartram House, and the Common Flower Garden. You can access the recordings here. https://www.bartramsgarden.org/audio-descriptions/

The audio descriptions will be debuted at the upcoming Bartram’s Garden Spring Fest on Saturday, April 19. The fest runs from 10:00 to 2:00 PM, with the audio description portion from 12:30 to 1:30. Here is a description of what to expect.

“As part of Bartram’s Garden’s SpringFest event, join Beth Feldman Brandt and Charmaine Parrish for a guided walking tour featuring their new audio descriptions of select areas of the Garden, including the Ann Bartram Carr Garden, the Historic Bartram House, and the Common Flower Garden. After we tour together using the recorded descriptions, you are invited to share refreshments and community, and to give feedback on the experience. Friends and family are also welcome! Note that while this tour is designed for safe navigation by people with visual impairments, exploring other areas of the Gardens is best done with a sighted companion.

Registration is encouraged but not required. Register at https://www.bartramsgarden.org/event/audio-description-tour/.

Light refreshments will be served. In the event of inclement weather, this tour will be rescheduled for Saturday, May 10 at 10 AM. These audio descriptions were provided by Beth Feldman Brandt and Charmaine Parrish as part of the Sowing Excellence Awards, a collaboration of the IDEA Center for Public Gardens and the U.S. Botanic Garden.

We are also grateful for the expertise of Sarah Pharaon as well as staff members Mandy Katz and Emily Constantino in supporting the creation of these audio descriptions.”

Those wishing to utilize the service should prepare to bring their mobile device and, if preferred, headphones for the best listening experience. After the 19th, anyone is welcome to come to the specified gardens and listen to the audio descriptions whenever the gardens are open!

You can learn more about the project by reading the following article.

https://www.bartramsgarden.org/new-tools-for-garden-visitors-with-low-vision-created-by-local-accessibility-advocate-and-philly-poet/

To contact Bartram’s Garden, give them a call at: (215) 729-5281 or send them an email at: info@bartramsgarden.org

To contact Beth, go to https://www.brandtwords.com/aboutcontact.html.

To contact Charmaine, send her an email at Hi@ABLEphilly.com.

Interested in receiving the most up-to-date information about monthly audio described offerings? Send an email to adlearningnetwork@gmail.com to be added to their monthly newsletter!

Have you attended an audio-described event before or have comments about this upcoming event? We want to hear from you! Give us a call at: 267-338-4495 or send us an email at: whitecanesconnect@gmail.com

Like what you hear from White Canes Connect? Please support the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania at https://www.nfbofpa.org/give/.