Who is this for?
We are dedicated to creating inclusive education, design learning, and maker spaces. We noticed a gap in knowhow, a lack of teaching tools, and some missing expertise on how to best make wood shops accessible for visually impaired students. This resource is for mainstream public educators and private makers who want to make their practice more inclusive.
All of the teaching principles have been developed with blind woodworkers, sighted woodworkers, and mainstream educators. We have open comment sections and we welcome input. Knowledge is modular, let’s iterate!
Who is this not for?
This resources is not for people looking to learn specific techniques for non-visual woodworking and tool use. Why not? Because two experienced woodworkers have already written great manuals for that. One is at Visionaware and was written by Gil Johnston. The other was written by Larry Martin and is available at ww4b.org, where you will also find an active forum for blind woodworkers.
Anyone looking to learn about specific woodworking techniques, or take lessons, is advised to seek out the expertise of the members of their local visually impaired community.
Acknowledgements
The woodworkers you see in this video are instructors and students from Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired’s Enchanted Hills Woodworking Camp, on Mt. Veeder in Napa Valley, California. The staff at Lighthouse and Enchanted Hills are some of the warmest folks you will ever meet. They were welcoming, kind, and sharing. Thank you, and thank you to the students who agreed to share their experience with the world. You can visit Lighthouse here. and donate to Enchanted Hill’s fire relief efforts.