Daniel Solomon: Visualizing a more inclusive, accessible future through public art

"Blindness doesn't function in a silo," said Solomon, who is project director of "The Blind Urban Subject." "It's something that affects us all, and it's never limited to one specific model or framework."

The project creators plan to produce a case study in partnership with faculty in Brown's program for urban studies to analyze the installation's impact on public perception of the blind community, and a grant from the Brown Arts Institute will help offset some of the project's costs.

"Though it's intentionally very student-driven, we're trying to work across the University to really make this an interdisciplinary project," Solomon said.

The willingness of so many students, faculty and staff to contribute to "The Blind Urban Subject" is emblematic of why Solomon chose to attend Brown: He was less interested in whether a school was configured for blind students, and more interested in its culture and driving philosophies.

"I was firm in my belief that even if Brown didn't already have the infrastructure set up to suit my specific needs, I knew that Brown is a community of people who would work to make sure that I would be able to succeed and thrive," he said. "And that has proven true, time and time again."

When he's not in the classroom or working on "The Blind Urban Subject," Solomon participates in the urban studies and political science departmental undergraduate groups and serves a peer mentor at the Curricular Resource Center, where he co-organized last year's Theories in Action symposium.

Solomon also teamed up with Kartik to co-instruct a group independent study project (GISP) with more than 30 student participants, titled "Blindness, Arts and Media," which analyzed how blind people interact with the arts.

Though he particularly enjoys weaving his advocacy and experience into the fabric of his education, especially in classes focused on social policy, Solomon said he cherishes the diversity of thought he encounters in Brown classrooms."I feel like every class I've taken, I've left with a new sense of understanding and a new perspective," he said.