BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:Opening Reception: Sept. 23 from 2 to 4 p.m.\nThe Philip and Muriel Berman Museum of Art joins museums throughout the United States that serve visitors with special needs with ACCESS-ABILITY: DECONSTRUCT ING AND RECONSTRUCTING ART FOR ACCESS\, in the Upper Gallery Sept. 17 th rough Dec. 3. The exhibition launches a series of initiatives to make t he Museum&rsquo\;s collections more fully accessible to a wide range of differently-abled constituents.\nThis exhibition will present pieces f rom the Museum&rsquo\;s permanent collection in the context of best pra ctices\, including verbal description and multi-sensory tours\, 3D tact ile diagrams of 2D works of art and specialized guided tours for visito rs living with dementia. The exhibition is co-curated by Emelie McFarla nd 2013\, Angier Cooper 2015 and Susan Shifrin\, Associate Director for Education at the Berman Museum. \;\nThe Berman has joined the muse um network of the organization ARTZ: Artists for Alzheimer&rsquo\;s\, t he first museum in Pennsylvania to do so. This affiliation will make av ailable an in-house arts-based support program designed specifically fo r visitors with dementia.\n&ldquo\;The goal of the Museum is not only to augment and professionalize our internal operations from this perspect ive\, but to sponsor opportunities for idea-sharing and collaboration w ith other museums and caregiving organizations in the greater Delaware Valley\, so as to make as lasting an impact as possible on our region&r squo\;s capabilities\,&rdquo\;according to Dr. Shifrin. The Berman will model innovative programs and strategies for creating as many accessib le exhibitions as possible according to the standards established in th e fields of arts access and arts-based support for those living with de mentia.\nThe accessibility initiatives were inaugurated last spring thro ugh special training workshops with the directors of Art Beyond Sight an d ARTZ: Artists for Alzheimer&rsquo\;s. The fall initiatives will invol ve a regional Advisory Board\, partnerships with Philadelphia arts and educational institutions\, an initiative with residents of Parkhouse\, Montgomery County&rsquo\;s facility for the aging\, and coordination wi th the Ursinus Psychology Department and Common Intellectual Experience first-year course.\nA related event\, co-sponsored by the Greater Phila delphia Consortium of Women&rsquo\;s Studies and The Berman Museum\, wi ll take place on the Ursinus campus Nov. 14. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson\ , a renowned scholar of women&rsquo\;s and disabilities studies\, and t he author of Staring: How We Look\, will speak at 7 p.m. in Pfahler audi torium. The event is free and open to the public.\nThe Berman Museum of Art\, known for its diverse collection and its innovative educational p rogramming\, is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.\, Tuesday through Friday\; and n oon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Museum is closed Mondays and college holidays. The Museum is accessible to the physically disabled and admission is free. The museum is accredited by the American Associa tion of Museums. Exhibitions and programs are funded in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. For more information\, ple ase contact the Museum at 610-409-3500. URL:http://lansdale.patch.com/events/access-ability-at-ursinus-colleges-b erman-museum-serves-those-with-special-needs-c895a2e6 SUMMARY:"\;Access-Ability"\; at Ursinus College's Berman Museum S erves Those With Special Needs LOCATION:601 E Main St\, Collegeville\, PA 19426: 601 E Main St\, College ville\, PA END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR