Not seeing is believing

Entering the world of the blind with a field trip to Dialogue in the Dark. By Eleanor Yap (Author). You and I see. We see the vivid greens on the trees and the colours and shapes of flowers. We see the faces of strangers who pass by and we enjoy watching their interactions as we sip our coffee. We see an empty seat on the bus and we smile with glee at having a seat to enjoy for half an hour. What if … we couldn’t see and we lived in a world of darkness. Dialogue in the Dark is a social enterprise located on the Ngee Ann Polytechnic campus. Visitors enter a completely dark environment that simulates the everyday world. Deprived of sight, their other senses take over as they are led through the experience by a blind guide. It’s an experience that breaks through the stereotypes, fears, avoidance and prejudices between abled and disabled people. After a short orientation session, a bunch of my NVPC colleagues and I entered an area (I can’t even tell you how large or small it was) that was pitch black. It was a new sensation to be sightless, and I was to say the least, terrified. I wanted to lessen my fear as much as possible. My first reaction was to sandwich myself between two colleagues. I needed a safety net, but somehow I ended up in front. If you ask me to take the lead on a writing project, no problem. To be the first to lead our group into the unknown, I felt scared… but not scared enough to back out. We were each given a long cane. We were told to keep it close to the ground and swing it from side to side to feel our way forward. That was all we had, and yes, our non-visual senses for one hour! My heart beat faster as I led the way, tapping with my cane, feeling the wall with my left hand and taking very small steps. We were told there were no stairs and it was safe. No one had fallen … not yet, that is. I was already thinking to myself – I would make history! It would be me! Each step forward was a huge challenge, further into the unknown. I was scared of falling, not knowing what to expect. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my eyes. We had one guide to the nine of us. Kelvin had been visually-handicapped since birth. We were all entering his world, his territory and he knew it well. He was responsible and he did not leave anyone lost or lingering behind. My other senses took control – the touch and the smell. It was a whole different world. I could hear the birds. Lots of them. Sparrows, said Kelvin. I can’t vouch for that; I thought they were finches. We got on a boat and took a ride down the Singapore River. We could feel the sprinkle of water and the cold wind against our faces. Our guide told us we passed the Merlion, and I can’t vouch for that either, but I could hear the distinct difference that we were not on the river any more and now closer to the shore. In one area, we touched huge letters on a sign to decipher it. I whisked by leaves and had no clue if they were from a tree or a plant. I touched a small waterfall and wondered – where the heck were we? I missed the statue of Sir Raffles Stamford that everyone else was chattering about, but I was never good in the dark! As we followed the trail, we touched all kinds of things like life jackets, a car and a bicycle. I appreciated the familiarity but wished the lights were on and I could admire them. We even got to press a traffic light and feel what it is like for a blind person to cross the road. And then we came to the coffee-shop, and each of us bought a snack and a drink. It was a challenge to use money without being able to count it. My sense of taste came alive with the home-baked crispy chocolate chip cookie and several fond memories of cookies came to mind. As we sat, we asked questions of our guide and there was no holds barred. Should we say ‘blind’ or ‘visually impaired’? Why do some blind people wear sunglasses? Why don’t you get a guide dog? What do you do for fun? How do you feel when you walk into a new place? We wanted to understand his world. We were thrilled to discover that Kelvin was a celebrity – his blindness had not stopped him from competing in Singapore Idol. Kelvin said he was luckier than those who had lost their sight after being able to see. He felt that with nothing to go by, he could be more creative in his mind about what things in the world looked like. The hour flew by and we finally emerged, dazzled by the light outside. Our bus was waiting but we all lingered on. We had all learned something new, become more empathetic and knew we would be more understanding the next time we saw a blind person. The experience for me was huge and one I will not forget any time soon. I wish more marginalized groups like the disabled or even the elderly could be the focus for similar Dialogues so we can develop empathy for them too. We may have been robbed of our sight for that one hour, but really, it was the darkness that got us talking and seeing things a whole lot clearer. ABOUT DIALOGUE IN THE DARK: Dialogue in the Dark, which was founded by social entrepreneur Dr Andreas Heinecke, is essentially a walking tour of various simulated environments in complete darkness, led by visually-impaired guides. It offers an unusual but effective platform to raise awareness and allow inclusion of everyone regardless of race, class, religion and disabilities as these are no longer visible in the dark. The concept is simple, yet powerful and the experience profound. The Singapore experience officially launched in April of this year and is supported by the Ministry of Community, Development, Youth and Sports, Manpower Staff Services (Singapore), National Heritage Board, Ngee Ann Kongsi, Lee Foundation, Pure Eddiction and YEO’S. Dialogue in the Dark Singapore is the first in the world to be set up in an educational institution, and it provides a hands-on experience in social enterprise for the student volunteers who mange it. It employs 14 guides from the age of 21 to 56 who are visually-impaired. For more information, go to www.dialogueinthedark.com.sg. ABOUT DINING IN THE DARK: Want to dine in the dark and at the same time, learn about the challenges faced by visually-impaired people? Organised by the Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), Dining in the Dark gives a sighted person a chance to experience what it is like to be blind, without the use of blindfolds. Only available for lunch on weekdays and weekends, patrons get a choice of three set meals from fish and chips to chicken nuggets. The idea, which originated from Blindekuh (Blind Cow) restaurant in Switzerland, has blind and visually-impaired people as serving staff. At Dining in the Dark, specially-trained SAVH clients are waiters and kitchen helpers. Reservations are preferred if you are interested in eating at the restaurant. For more information, go to: www.savh.org.sg/ql_ditd.php. This story was first published in SALT (www.salt.org.sg), an e-magazine by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. Additional info provided by cataloguer: The article is accompanied by two photographs showing visitors being briefed before they enter the Dialogue in the Dark exhibition and a blinded fold visitor touching something inside a container.