While studying art elements, Megan Scofield's art students at Gulf Shores Middle School learned about texture while creating a project that would help others.

For two weeks, the seventh and eighth grade art students glued feathers, grass, buttons, sequins, bark, yarn, hay, sand and more onto pages of 20 children's books to illustrate stories English teacher Megan McNeil's students had written.

Why texturized illustrations? These “touch and feel books” would be used to teach pre-school and kindergarten students at the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega.

Scofield was in the Delta Gamma sorority during her time at the University of Montevallo. The organization's philanthropic focus is Service for Sight, so Scofield came to Gulf Shores Middle School with an already established passion for helping the visually impaired — a passion she hoped to share with her students.

“When we started studying texture, I thought, 'What a great idea to give these texture books to students who are visually impaired or blind,'” Scofield said. “And I wanted to tie it in with other curriculums, so I asked Megan McNeil if she would have her eighth grade students write the stories.”

At the beginning of the assignment, Scofield had her students try to draw pictures with their eyes closed to give them a small understanding of what it is like to be blind. They also had to try to explain a rainbow in a way someone who has never seen colors could understand.

Seventh grader Linley King learned more about what people with disabilities go through to learn and said she's more grateful to be able to see.

“I think we're really blessed that we're able to see and can look at good artwork and stuff,” Linley said.

Destiny Berryman, also a seventh grader, said she would never make fun of anyone with a disability after participating in the project.

“It's hard for most people, but when it comes to blind people it's really hard,” she said. “Sometimes people judge blind people, but I think people should understand you can't treat them like that.”

Charlotte Lowry, principal of the Alabama School for the Blind, said the books were a treat for the school's students.

“The stories based on real life adventures enhanced the experience, and the various textures brought the characters to life for our visually impaired students,” Lowry said. “How excellent it is to have in our classroom books that each student can enjoy regardless of their visual acuities and literacy medium. We are so thankful and appreciative to the students of GSMS for thinking of our students.”

While the students were putting the books together, Scofield said she isn't sure they understood the purpose of the activity completely, but there was no doubt the meaning sunk in when the Gulf Shores students received videos and photos of the children enjoying their books.

“If you do something for someone who is visually impaired or something like that, it makes you feel good about yourself,” Linley said. “It feels good to know that something you made made someone else happy.”