Community Outreach

• THE EYE SITE Exhibit on Low Vision Continues to Tour the Country
  When: July 2007
  Where: Nationwide
  Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

  To help people understand low vision (vision problems that interfere with a person’s ability to perform everyday activities) and to explain what people with vision loss can do to stay independent, NEI developed THE EYE SITE: A Traveling Exhibit on Low Vision for Shopping Centers. The exhibit will visit malls and other accessible venues during 2007 in Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, and West Virginia.
  
  Two identical exhibits have been on tour since 2001. By the end of 2007, the exhibits will have traveled to 109 malls and other venues in 39 states and the District of Columbia. Since THE EYE SITE tour was launched, NEI has:

  • Given more than 41 million people the opportunity to visit the exhibit and learn about low vision.
    
    
  • Distributed more than 65,000 publications.
    
    
  • Worked with more than 90 vision-related organizations to offer more than 250 public events.

  2007 TOUR SCHEDULE
  June 23–July 12	Lancaster Mall, Salem, OR
  June 30–July 26	Meadowbrook Mall, Bridgeport, WV
  July 14–August 9	Valley River Center, Eugene, OR
  July 28–August 23	Mercer Mall, Bluefield, WV

  Next Steps
  Members of the public can visit the exhibit during regular business hours at any location on the tour. For more information, visit THE EYE SITE Web site at www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/eyesite.  

• VISION Traveling Exhibit on Display in Hagerstown, MD
  When: July 2007
  Where: Hagerstown, MD
  Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

  A vision-related traveling exhibit is giving people in the Hagerstown, Maryland, area an opportunity to learn how the eye and brain work together to create vision. Visitors to the Discovery Station at Hagerstown can also learn how researchers are developing ways to protect our sight from visual disorders and diseases. The 2,000-square-foot exhibit, called VISION, includes 10 interactive modules developed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco.
  
  Targeted at viewers from age 8 to 80, the exhibit has toured since 1993, visiting science museums in 33 cities, and has been seen by more than 6 million people. VISION was developed as part of the NEI's 25th anniversary celebration.

  Next Steps
  Members of the public can visit the exhibit from January 30, 2006, through September 30, 2007, at the Discovery Station at Hagerstown. Museum hours and directions are available on the Discovery Station at Hagerstown Web site at www.discoverystation.org/about.html.
  
  For information about prior stops on the tour, visit the NEI Web site at www.nei.nih.gov/education/visionexhibit/index.asp.  

• Summer Film Festival Highlights Science on the Silver Screen
  When: July 11, July 19, July 25, August 1, August 8, and August 15, 2007
  Where: AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, Silver Spring, MD
  Institute: Office of Science Education (OSE)

  In partnership with the American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, OSE is pleased to announce its upcoming film and discussion series, Science in the Cinema. This popular summer film festival showcases medical and science-related themes and is open to the public and intended for a broad range of individuals who enjoy the cinema and have an interest in science and medicine.
  
  This year’s free festival includes the following films and topics:

  • July 11—Half Nelson (drug addiction)
    
    
  • July 18—The Lost Weekend (alcoholism)
    
    
  • July 25—Rory O’Shea Was Here (Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy)
    
    
  • August 1—Mozart and the Whale (Asperger syndrome)
    
    
  • August 8—The Sea Inside (Mar Adentro) (right to die with dignity)
    
    
  • August 15—On the Edge (suicide)
  More

  Next Steps
  The AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is located in Silver Spring, Maryland. Tickets are free and are available on a first-come, first-served basis through the AFI Silver box office on the day of the show only. Seating is limited to the first 400 individuals. For more information about the festival and this year’s films, visit the Science in the Cinema Web site at http://science.education.nih.gov/cinema.
  
  All films will be shown in their entirety with captions beginning at 7:00 p.m. each Wednesday. Following each film, a guest speaker with expertise in the film’s subject area will comment on the science depicted in the film and take questions from the audience. American Sign Language interpreters will be available for the post-film discussions.
  
  If you require other reasonable accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact OSE at least five days prior to the event by e-mail at moorec@mail.nih.gov or by calling (301) 402-2470 or TTY: (301) 451-9706.
  
  For information about the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, visit AFI Silver’s Web site at http://afi.com/silver or call (301) 495-6720.  

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