This program is designed for blind and low vision audiences. Anyone who benefits from the verbal description of visuals is welcome. 

Join us for a virtual tour of Cooper Hewitt’s current exhibition, Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols, co-led by curator Emily Orr and Accessibility & Inclusion Manager Kirsten Sweeney. This exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of Henry Dreyfuss’s Symbol Sourcebook: An Authoritative Guide to International Graphic Symbols (1972), a manual that compiled and categorized thousands of symbols in use internationally and helped to elevate the importance of symbols and increase their number in our world. Together, we will examine the fascinating history behind many of the symbols that instruct, protect, entertain, empower, and connect people, and discuss the ways visual and non-visual symbols show up in our daily lives. Rich verbal descriptions of all visuals will accompany the tour. 

When: Friday, August 4, 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: On Zoom
Participation Level: Medium – Participants may sit back and listen or engage in active discussion. 

Register here, or send an email with your name to CHAccess@si.edu or call Kirsten Sweeney at 212.849.8384. 

Accessibility: 

This free program will feature a discussion of the Give Me a Sign exhibition with an accompanying slideshow and verbal descriptions of all images. Details will be emailed to you upon registration. This program includes Zoom’s automated captions. For general questions or if we can provide additional accessibility services or accommodations to support your participation in this program, please email us at CHEducation@si.edu or let us know when registering. Please make your accommodation request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least one week before the program date when possible. 

Give Me a Sign: The Language of Symbols is made possible with generous support from the Marks Family Foundation Endowment Fund.