Dialogue in the Dark

Today my mom and I went back to the Children's Museum, which has an exhibit DIALOG IN THE DARK, not meant for little children, despite its location at the Children's Museum. It is not an ordinary exhibit. First thing, when we got there, we were handed walking sticks and a guide led us through a series of pitch black rooms (places). The first place was a forest: we had to detect where we were using our other 4 senses. How? Well, you could smell the nature, feel the cool and humid temperature; hear sounds of frog, crickets, etc., and feel trees, dirt and grass. Next the guide guided us to a boat and sailed us around. Then he brought us to a cafe where we ordered something in the dark. We then sat down to ask the guide some questions (that's why the exhibit is called Dialogue in the Dark). Meanwhile, a loud New Yorker wa blabbing away. When we were led to the light again, my eyes took a while to adjust. I then saw the guide who is blind, and I was shocked! From being with him for an hour, I thought his voice was youthful, upbeat, and confident. For those reasons, I pictured him to be a handsome 23 year old who could see. It turns out he was a 40 year old, average looking, and totally blind from birth! He really suprised me! He lives alone, rides the bus an hour to work, and seemed very nice, happy and confident.

The experience is not meant for you to feel like you're blind. It's supposed to challenge your other senses, help you think about your previous ideas you had about blind people being helpless or depressed or something else. It helped me and my mom think about our own senses and we learned to “see” our guide with a deep respect and appreciation.