Another idea, although less true to the traditional sundial idea would be to have solar cells or some other sun induced trigger to cause an audible reading. Every minute, every five minutes.
If one could find a substance that expands notably with heat, can be well contained, and not too hazardous, a sundial could be made to change shape with time. Instead of tiles that heat up with sunlight at a certain time, imagine tubes/ columns instead of tiles that expand in length/ height to give the reader a more kinetic connection. Unlike a braille watch, whose moving parts are carefully used by one person, a public dial would have to meet high standards of long-term moving part integrity that may not be very feasible with this idea.
Thad
42.2N 83.8W
Tom Egan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Perhaps a blend of recent postings and satellite technology.
At first blush, it seems you can go one of two ways (maybe even both!). You can make the appropriate area hotter. Or, using radiator fins, you can make the appropriate area cooler.
- Digital sundials using louvers, etc, will direct the sun's energy to selected parts of the dial.
- A black surface that is perpendicular to the sun will absorb more heat than if it is tilted away from the sun. In the limit, when the surface is parallel to the sun vector, it will be coolest. Space vehicles reject heat from internal workings by poking radiators into the blackness of space so that their flat surfaces are aligned with the sun vector.
Another concept, using a different set of sensors: use numbers on bimetallic levers. The hottest one would rise above its neighbors and the blind person could detect the altitude difference. This might work more reliably on a cold, windy day. My guess is that it would be more sensitive also.
Maybe set up a Rube Goldberg dial with a set of Braille-type pins driven by bimetall! ic levers. The pins would move up and down appropriately during the day. The Braille-trained person could read the time by touch.
Let's see ... what senses are left? Smell. Taste. Sound. I'd better quit while I'm ahead.
Good luck.
Tom
Sara Schechner wrote:
Hi there,-
My community, Newton, Massachusetts, has a number of prominent schools for the blind and a strong public commitment to inclusion of people of all needs. I have just received an interesting commission to create a sundial for the vision impaired. It is part of a new outdoor community classroom and playground designed to be accessible to kids and adults with special physical needs that will anchor an older, major athletic complex of active playing fields. I will briefly describe the playground and community classroom below (with excerpts from the projects' websites and flyers).
When the sundial was announced, I went to City Hall to make sure that it would be a properly working sundial. After all, the project is on a field that used to be the farmland that belonged to my old house! When the budget for the sundial was going t! o cut, I returned to the City commissioners and gave such an impassioned plea for the cultural and educational benefits of sundials (in the name of NASS and sundial societies everywhere) that the dial project was restored with great enthusiasm. I was selected as designer and the project evolved from a routine sundial into a sundial for the blind.
Do members of the Sundial List have any ideas on how to accomplish this goal? One idea I had is to use a glass sphere that will focus sunlight on an equatorial band with raised numerals that would get hotter than the surrounding numerals when heated by the sunlight.
Thanks for your advice and support!
Sara Schechner
Gnomon Research
West Newton, MA
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The Playground
The Albemarle Playground Project is Newton's fully accessible playground for children and their adult caregivers. The playground and tot lot are accessible by wheelchair and walke! rs. It has special playground equipment for use by kids with limited body strength and the equipment is of high contrast colors and diverse textures to aid the vision impaired. The fabulous thing about the playground is that it also appeals to kids without these needs, and permits all the children to play together. No one feels singled out or isolated.
The Outdoor Community Classroom
The Classroom, which will feature a gazebo, benches, tables, a drinking fountain and a sundial, will provide a fully accessible, multi-generational passive recreation space. It will provide a permanent yet flexible space for a variety of activities enjoyed by persons of all ages. The Community Classroom will facilitate the enjoyment of the out-of-doors, both for those for whom the outdoors location is central to their activity (or example, a bird watching group or nature photography club) as well as for those for whom the natural setting is an enhancement of their activity (for example, a senior citizens' crocheting club or a book discussion group.) Third graders might meet there as they begin their study of the tadpoles in Cheesecake Brook, while a seventh grade English class might use the space for poetry reading. Two friends might break from their early morning power walk and sit and talk for a while, or two pre-schoolers might "take the stage" and put on an impromptu performance. Benches located close to the tot lot enclosure will allow our seniors a chance to do some toddler watching, without finding themselves in the middle of the toddler action!
The Community Classroom will provide passive recreation space within what is otherwise a large recreational complex devoted to active recreation. This accessible passive area will provide a sense of balance lacking in the present complex configuration. It will also facilitate enjoyment of surrounding open space, including Cheesecake Brook, the Charles River ! and adjacent conservation land. The Community Classroom will also provide the complex with "street presence", anchoring the playground and playing fields. Carefully planned and constructed, the organizers believe that the Community Classroom will serve Newton well for generations to come. The following quote from Rachel Carson expresses the spirit behind this effort:
ìWherever you are and whatever your resources, you can still look up at the sky ñ its dawn and twilight beauties, its moving clouds, its stars by night. You can listen to the wind, whether it blows with majestic voice through a forest or sings a many-voiced chorus around the eaves of your house or the corners of your apartment building, and in the listening, you can gain magical release for your thoughts. You can still feel the rain on your face and think of its long journey, its many transmutations, from sea to air to earth. Even if you are a city dweller, you can find some place, perhaps a park or a golf c! ourse, where you can observe the mysterious migrations of the birds and the changing seasons. Ö What is the value of preserving and strengthening this sense of awe and wonder, this recognition of something beyond the boundaries of human existence? Is the exploration of the natural world just a pleasant way to pass the golden hours of childhood or is there something deeper? I am sure there is something much deeper, something lasting and significant. Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Whatever the vexations or concerns of their personal lives, their thoughts can find paths that lead to inner contentment and to renewed excitement in living. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.î - Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder
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