As America turns 250, one museum makes history possible to touch

The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia offers guided tactile tours aimed at blind and low vision visitors in a gallery called Signers' Hall. Museum educator Sydney Wharton traces visitor Tim Kelly's Jr. hands over the statue of Benjamin Franklin as she leads him and his father, Tim Kelly Sr., through the gallery. Rachel Wisniewski for NPR hide caption

Press the "Listen" button below to hear the story text, read by reporter Jonaki Mehta.

PHILADELPHIA — About a dozen visitors pause at the entrance to a gallery filled with statues of 42 men who had gathered here more than two centuries ago for the signing of the U.S. Constitution. The statues appear to be in motion, in conversation or deep in thought.

Standing among and touching their life-size figures, hands and faces drops visitors into that consequential historic moment.

"They feel like real people," Grace Engle, a museum educator at the National Constitution Center (NCC), says to the tour group. "Except they might let you touch them a little more than your average individual might on a first meeting."

As America recognizes 250 years of existence , this museum in the nation's founding city has begun offering guided tactile tours aimed at blind and low vision visitors in a gallery called "Signers' Hall."

Left: Simon Bonenfant works with the organization Philly Touch Tours and helped train the museum educators leading the tours. Right: Bonefant engages with George Washington's face and head. Rachel Wisniewski for NPR hide caption

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 required most public institutions like museums to make buildings themselves accessible, but access to exhibits inside is often still limited. The NCC joins a growing number of museums nationwide that have, in recent years, incorporated accessibility options like sensory-friendly days into their programming, though "touch tours" are less common.