The Museum at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) will open a new permanent exhibit titled “Orientation and Mobility” with a public reception on Saturday, October 16th from 3:00pm-5:00pm. The exhibit celebrates advances over the last eighty years in O&M methods, including an original harness from Morris Frank and his dog Buddy (the first American dog guide team), a wide variety of long canes, and a fascinating grouping of electronic travel aides originally assembled by the U.S. Veteran’s Administration.

Guests will also have the opportunity to take a behind-the-scenes tour of an important collection documenting the pioneers of orientation and mobility. The collection, assembled by the Orientation and Mobility Division of the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER), moved to APH in 2007 from the Maryland School for the Blind in Baltimore where it has previously been housed since 1988. As a part of the festivities, guests can hear a recording from the Archives founder, Warren Bledsoe, when he originally dedicated the collection in 1988.