Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Dialogue in the Dark

Last week our volunteers participated in "Dialogue in the Dark," a guided tour by visually impaired staff members through a series of pitch black rooms in order to build awareness and overcome social barriers towards non-visual perception (http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com).

Alex Shonkoff, a 5-month participant in our Social Action volunteer track, had the following to say about the experience:

"Dialogue in the Dark is a Blind Museum, where you feel your way through the dark, led by a blind or visually impaired person. One of my volunteering places will be at the Blind Center, so this experience was one I was really looking forward to. It was incredible.

Our leader, Sadiot, was cheeky and mischievous, and led us through a maze in complete darkness. Every room was a different setting, and all you can do is use your other senses to get around. Following his voice into the maze, we “traveled” to different aspects of daily life, such as smelling the fruits at the shuk, walking along a city street with cars honking, sitting in a buoyed motor boat, feeling the wind on our faces and the current taking us. There was a music room, and at the end a cafĂ© with a bartender, who you could hear leave the bar to play the piano and sing (with an incredible voice). It was truly enlightening. I am really excited to work with blind people. I have never worked with anyone who’s had to strictly use other senses or abilities to get around."

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