The Phoblographer is committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity on our website. We take pride in being the only photography publication led by a legally blind founder and editor-in-chief. This commitment extends to supporting the works of photographers with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. So, let us tell you about a new exhibit showcasing the works of blind and visually impaired photographers at The Berks History Center. Here’s a look at what it offers.
Titled Sights Unseen, the showcase offers a unique perspective on the world through their lens. The showcase features four photographers who have been making images around Reading, southern England, since the mid-1970s. Through the images, you will see the streets of the town, which have been photographed through their sense of hearing and smell. The project has been facilitated the project by Marc Bernsau, who was a part of the Vision Resource Center in Berks County. However, in 2024, the organization recreated the project with a new group of blind and visually impaired photographers.
Thus, photographers will see images from the 1970s and 2024 side by side. The pictures have been accompanied by Braille captions, allowing visitors to explore the photographs’ visual and tactile elements. Furthermore, the captions are hidden underneath a flap, encouraging visitors to engage with the photographs first, using their imagination to envision what the photographer might have heard before they look.
Here is a look at the four photographers who helped to capture Reading back then and even today:
Steve Paras
Now 54, Steve lost his sight at 37. Before he went blind, he worked at a local bakery. However, by the mid-1970s, Steve was no longer employed and was relying on a blind pension. Although he had a few hobbies, his participation in Sights Unseen allowed him to explore the world through sound and scent. “As far as taking the pictures, I felt it was something new, something that everyone would be interested in how it could be done. I have a mind’s eye of how the pictures look. I felt at ease taking the pictures; I wasn’t worked up on it. When I could see, I took pictures, but not that many. I wasn’t much of a camera bug at that time,” he said in a social media post about the exhibit.
Debbie Austin
She was born with light perception, meaning she could sense when the light was on or when it was sunny, but she couldn’t see her environment in detail. Debbie was a caseworker for the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind and was also one of the first blind people in the U.S. to complete CPR training. In the mid-1970s, at just 22, she participated in Sights Unseen, reflecting her perception of the world through her other senses. Here is her statement from her social media post: “I don’t know if somebody can really tell someone else what being blind is like. Some people who have their sight, when they go blind, remember what things around them look like, but I don’t remember what things look like because I never had my sight. I think of things as I felt them, or heard them, or smelled them. This is the way I picture my photographs. I remember where I was standing, what it was like outside, and what I was hearing and feeling while I took the picture.”
Pat White
Completely blind since birth, Pat was 20 when he captured Reading in the 1970s. A musician for the local jazz band Aurora, his images at the showcase how music, water, and nature played significant roles in shaping his sensory experience of the world around him. Here’s what he stated about the exhibit: “Ever since I was a little kid, I always wanted to take a camera and take pictures of things. Now, I finally got a chance to do that. I really dug it. I enjoyed taking the pictures; I thought it was a unique experience. I just focused on what was going on around me. If I found something that might or might not be interesting, I photographed it. I wasn’t quite sure what to take pictures of; there were so many things I considered mundane. I was hoping that I could come up with something more unusual.”
Jim Yoder
Jim was 19 when he lost his sight in an accident involving a corn stalk. Following that, he spent twelve years working at the Association for the Blind before retiring. At 58, Jim decided it was time to [participate in a project that let him understand Reading through sound, scent, and texture. “I was thrilled about bring able to take these pictures. I knew where the picture was, as I have a very good sense of direction. I would say that I felt just like anyone else taking a picture, I tried to get the best picture I could,” he revealed in a post.
Through the exhibit, visitors will be moved by the experiences shared by these talented blind and visually impaired photographers. They will also understand how each photographer overcame their challenges and showcased Reading in a whole new light. So, if you are in Reading, go have a look!
The exhibit opens to the public on January 29. For more information, visit the Berks History Center’s website.