Temples

Blind individuals get a special tactile tour of the St. George Utah Temple

More than a dozen individuals with visual impairments, along with their friends, family and loved ones, were able to experience the temple in a unique way

By Rachel Sterzer Gibson Sept 12, 2023 5:47 p.m. EDT

Mile Waddoups, who is blind, uses his walking cane to guide him on the ground of the newly renovated St. George Utah Temple.

Temples

Blind individuals get a special tactile tour of the St. George Utah Temple

More than a dozen individuals with visual impairments, along with their friends, family and loved ones, were able to experience the temple in a unique way

By Rachel Sterzer Gibson Sept 12, 2023 5:47 p.m. EDT

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Brooke Lovell Garceau’s roots to the St. George Utah Temple run deep.

A native of southern Utah, Garceau grew up doing baptisms for the dead in the baptistry, and every Sunday she and her family would take walks around the grounds after dinner with her grandparents. The instruction rooms were where she received her endowment before her full-time mission. And she married her sweetheart, Adam Garceau, in one of its sealing rooms.

Her parents and grandparents were also married there, and her fifth-great-grandparents were among the early Latter-day Saint settlers who sacrificed to build that house of the Lord in the desert.

“This is my temple,” she told the Church News while sitting on a bench on the temple grounds.

Brielle Garceau, from right, Adam Garceau, Brooke Garceau and baby, Maeva Garceau, walk on the grounds of the St. George Utah Temple.

So when Brooke Garceau, who is legally blind, heard that the public tours, which begin on Friday, Sept. 15, prior to the temple’s scheduled rededication on Dec. 10, would be primarily silent walking tours, she was disappointed.

“I thought: ‘Oh no! That’s not going to provide any level of detail,’” either for herself or any other individuals with visual impairments, she said.

Having heard that other temple open houses had provided a special tour with accommodations for those who are blind, Garceau reached out to Dana Moody, one of the temple coordinators, to see if a similar thing could be arranged in St. George.

On Thursday, Sept. 7, Garceau and more than a dozen other blind or partially sighted individuals, along with their friends, family and loved ones, gathered at the St. George Utah Temple Visitors’ Center adjacent to the temple before being led on what was called a “tactile tour” of the pioneer-era temple.

During the tour, Russ Moody, Dana Moody’s husband and co-coordinator, shared the purpose and spiritual significance of many of the rooms and features. Katie Steed, the Church’s disability specialist manager, then described the physical attributes of each room, such as the rich colors and patterns found in the carpets and furnishings, what was depicted in the paintings and murals, and other details found in the archways, windows and ceilings.

Rick Jensen, right, describes to Tyson Lovell, who is blind, the tile colors and shapes he sees in the fountain in front of the St. George Utah Temple.

The tactile tour also allowed individuals with blindness or low vision to feel many different features: the ornate brass steps and handrails in the baptistry, the stars carved into the recommend desk and the soft embroidered flowers in many of the seats.

Holding her 3-month-old daughter, Maeva, Garceau walked through the tour holding hands with her husband or 4-year-old daughter, Brielle, while Adam Garceau also tried to describe different features: the flower arrangements, the rugs, the light fixtures.

“I loved the different textures of things and feeling the fabrics and the woodwork and the tassels on the curtains and things that would be awkward for me to feel on a normal temple trip,” Brooke Garceau observed.

Visitors on a special tactile tour for the visually impaired walk to the entrance of the St. George Utah Temple.

Because she can see some color, she especially appreciated the descriptions from Steed. “I loved the description of all of the colors. They sounded very royal,” she said. She also liked the description of the world room and paintings reminiscent of southern Utah’s red cliffs and big blue sky.

Steed escorted a man named Milo Waddoups, who is a retired professor, throughout the tour. He told Steed at one point: “Thank you for describing that. I’ve been going to the temple for over 50 years, and I had no idea.”

Steed told the Church News: “These members experience their world so much through touch. It is important that we can provide opportunities for them to experience the temple in a way that relates to them.”

Five-year-old Shah Ludwig, who is blind, gets shoes covers prior to taking a special tour of the St. George Utah Temple.

Five-year-old Shah Ludwig, who is blind, attended the tour with his parents and three other siblings. As soon as he felt the soft velvet of the upholstered chairs, the energetic little boy immediately wanted to lie on them.

Shah’s mom, Kristen Ludwig, shared that he loved the elevators and climbing the stairs and the echo of sounds in the spacious assembly room, which has wooden floors and pews and high ceilings.

“With Shah, who is blind, it sometimes requires more time and patience to move from place to place,” she explained.

Having a smaller group size on the tour and being with other people with similar disabilities helped relieve the burden of worrying that his needs would be bothersome to other visitors. “You can just enjoy it the way that you need to enjoy it without the expectations of other people,” she said.

Many wouldn’t have attended if their only option was a normal tour, Brooke Garceau said.

Said Russ Moody of providing the special tour, “All you have to do is experience it, to see the importance of it.”

Kester Tapaha, who is blind, works for the Department of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired for Southern Utah. After the tour, Tapaha, who is not a member of the Church, said the tour helped him to better understand the structure and what is sacred to Latter-day Saints.

The St. George Utah Temple when it was under construction in April 2021.

A few of his older blind clients also participated. One woman named Sharon who is a member of the Church was overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude, he said. Her birthday was Sept. 9, and she told Tapaha, “This was the best birthday present I have been given from anyone throughout my life.”

Tapaha said, “It was awesome to hear that from my 84-year-old friend. I was glad to have experienced this with her.”

Tapaha said he hopes in future tours for the blind that audio description can be added to the introductory video or that some of the signs include Braille.

Right now, these special tours are provided as requested, Steed said, but she hopes they will be considered for future temple open houses.

Visitors on a special tactile tour for the visually impaired walk to the entrance to the St. George Utah Temple.

There will be an American Sign Language tour of the St. George temple for the deaf and hard of hearing on Saturday, Sept. 30, at 4:15 p.m.

Following Thursday’s tour, Brooke Garceau shared how much the tour meant to her. “This temple is so special to me. I was so glad that I got to come through and see all of it and see some of the original pioneer work that some of my ancestors helped with,” she said.

For Brooke Garceau’s husband, the tour felt extra meaningful because he was able to share it with his whole family. “If it was a silent tour, then I couldn’t describe stuff to her like I normally do,” Adam Garceau said. “And so it’s just really cool to be able to come back to where it all started, to where our family began.”

These tours are important because Heavenly Father is “no respecter of persons,” Brooke Garceau added. “We’re all His children. People got to experience the temple today in a way that’s really meaningful to them, instead of missing out.”