OUR TEAM
Trish Maunder
Creative Director and Founder
Trish co-founded Philly Touch Tours in 2015. With close personal ties to the blind and low vision community it became evident that people were constrained in their enjoyment of cultural inclusion by limited access and lack of understanding and misconceptions by others.
Trish is dedicated to breaking down barriers for and with individuals with vision loss, ensuring that they have equitable access to the world of arts and culture.
Trish and the PTT team work closely with staff from museum and cultural institutions to dispel myths, offer detailed trainings in disability sensitivity and design touch tours and handling workshops for the blind and low vision community.
Katherine Allen
Program Director
Diagnosed with macular degeneration in early adulthood, Katherine joined Philly Touch Tours as its Program Director shortly after its inception.
Katherine previously worked as Creative Director with the Nielsen Company's Publication Division for several years leading teams in corporate projects and marketing. She was also a founding team leader in accessibility skills and awareness training at Apple and also served as a consultant on the Council for Accessibility at the Langone Medical Center at NYU.
Katherine and the PTT team are devoted to increasing awareness about vision loss and the creation of cultural access.
PTT Vision Council: With the philosophy, "Nothing About Us Without Us," Philly Touch Tours engages members of the Blind and Low Vision community to co-present disability sensitivity trainings, as well as advise and co design tours and workshops. Members of the Vision Council are active advocates and leaders in national and local organizations working to share information, create awareness and defend the rights of others in the Blind and Low Vision community.
Denice Brown
Denice has her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Temple University and was a practicing teacher in Philadelphia School District for over twenty years. Having lost her sight through a deteriorating eye condition she has forged ahead as a powerful and inspired leader for so many in her role as President of the Greater Philadelphia Chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. Each year in January, Denice attends Washington Seminar, an annual meeting with congress members and their aides to highlight and advocate for services and accommodations for the Blind. Her tenacity and commitment to the NFB philosophy has put Denice in front of the very top leadership of the organization. She has served nationally on the Scholarship, Membership and Ambassador’s committees and is the treasurer of the National Organization of Blind Black Leaders, a division of the NFB. As a longtime board member and chapter president, Denice’s passion extends well beyond her Pennsylvania locale. As one of the key members of Philly Touch Tours' Vision/Advisory Council Denice has shared her personal experiences and expertise in training and designing programs and tours for the museums and cultural institutions.
Simon Bonenfant
Simon is a recent graduate (Summa Cum Laude) of Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania He has been blind from birth from an eye condition called retinopathy of prematurity. As a result his retinas detached leaving him with only light perception. Even though he has been blind from birth, he has never experienced a lack of vision for his future. Simon is an accomplished piano player and singer and actor as well as being a lead interviewer for the Blind Abilities podcast. He is committed to promoting a positive philosophy about blindness to the sighted public. An active member of the National Federation of the Blind, Simon serves on the board of Philadelphia’s Keystone Chapter. He also works as a consultant for Access Now Inc. and leads a Philadelphia based committee called the Accessibilty Cohort where he brings together professionals and volunteers from the theater sector to advocate for and provide accessible theater performances for those with vision loss. Simon is a consultant and a key member of Philly Touch Tours' Vision Council and is actively engaged in custom designing accessible tours and programs for museums and cultural institutions along with his colleagues. He is an innovative and dynamic force in the world of accessibiltiy for the blind.