Children with visual impairments finally get the chance to discover the forest
Hubert Mansion - 16 March 2024
Photo: Anne Evrard
Krystiane Hamel, one of Université dans la Nature's certified guides, has orchestrated an extraordinary experience for an exceptional audience: inviting children aged 6 to 8 years old, with visual impairments, to discover the forest not with their eyes, but with their senses and their hearts.
Accompanied by their families and a specialist, the children embarked on a tactile, olfactory and gustatory adventure in the heart of the forest. Touching the rough bark of trees, comparing their size by palpating lying trunks, and caressing the soft of moss on them preceded a tasting of wild raspberries - a first for our adventurers.
Walking on a carpet of pine needles, softer than the earth of the trail, offered a new experience below their feet.
Photos: Anne Evrard
They used the sound of the river, the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the shade as natural compasses, learning that the environment has so much to tell those who know how to listen. The history of man in nature, the importance of hearing before our urban era, and the fascinating “plant internet” have amazed and enriched their understanding of the world.
The father of one of the families, touched by the experience, promised to repeat these forest adventures, reminding everyone that nature is a place of endless discovery, accessible to all, whatever the challenges.
Photo: Anne Evrard
At Université dans la Nature, we believe that every experience in nature is a doorway to a deeper understanding of our planet and ourselves. This special day was a moving reminder that the joy of discovery transcends all obstacles.
We are grateful to these courageous children, their families and all those who shared the day with us. Together, we continue to learn, grow and reconnect with the natural world in a profoundly human way.
Hubert Mansion is the cofounder of l’Université dans la Nature.
Philosopher and writer, he is notably the author of Réconcilier, vers une identité environnementale (Nullius in Verba, 2023) and presents the series La nature et les mots (Youtube).