Advertisement
Published: December 20th 2013
Edit Blog Post
On the top floor of the KLCC Suria mall, next to the Petrosains Discovery Center, was an intriguing sign “Dialogue in the Dark.” It didn't give a lot of details, but what the heck – I figured I’d pay my money and take my chances.
To start out, I was asked to take off my glasses and my hat, and to put them, along with my bag, in a locker. I was also asked to bring along five to seven ringgit – about US$ 1.50 – so that I could make a purchase inside. I was given a white cane and told my guide would be Yousef. I was then led into a pitch black room.
A lot of places that are touted as being pitch black really are not. You can usually make out a lighter spot, or see where light is leaking around a door. Not here, no way. This experience is geared to taking sighted people out of their comfort zone, and experience, for a short while, life as a blind person. In an interesting bit of role reversal, your guide is blind. You may be out of your element, but he is very much in his.
First I had to find Yousef. He told me to come to the sound of his voice. I wasn't afraid of hurting myself, but I was afraid of poking him with my cane. I eventually bumped into him, and he led me on a series of experiences.
First we went to a simulation of a park. I noticed how the ground changed under foot from wooden floor to springy grass to sand. I could feel a breeze and hear birds. Yousef asked me what kind of birds they were, but not being up on Asian bird calls I was stymied.
We next went to a recreation of a grocery store. I fared better here, no surprise. Between my sense of smell and of touch I could identify vegetables and fruits and spices. The two items that stumped me were tamarind, a spice that is not common in the US, and, surprisingly, a bag of rice. I thought it was salt because of its weight. I guess it was a good thing I wasn't responsible for making a meal from what I identified.
Our next stop was the night market with clothes and toys to touch. And then we were on a model of a typical street. Since much of Kuala Lumpur is under construction, one of the first things to identify was construction barriers. Since I’ve seen them everywhere, that was easy to guess. Next came a motorcycle and a car. In a bit of blind person humor, Yousef asked me what color the car was. I said it was blue, and since he couldn’t prove me wrong we decided that was the correct color.
The last piece of the adventure was a café. I stood at a counter where the waiter told me what was on offer. I could have either coffee or tea; both choices came with two packets of cookies. I asked for black coffee, which was five ringgit. Now Malaysian currency has the feature of being different sizes based on denomination, so I was able to pay the proper amount for my coffee.
I then had to carry my hot coffee (luckily, it had a lid) over to a table. Well, first I had to find the table. We had a seat, and Yousef told me he was 42 years old, and his blindness was caused by retinitis pigmentosa, an hereditary degenerative eye disease. He had not been blind from birth, so he understood colors. He took the train to work by himself every day and considered himself pretty self sufficient.
Dialogue in the Dark began in Germany in 1988. Its founder, Andreas Heinecke, wanted to change people’s thoughts about disability and “otherness.” Additionally, these exhibits provide jobs and social interaction for its blind guides. There are Dialogue in the Dark exhibits in over 20 venues worldwide. If you get a chance, GO! It was a life changing experience.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.341s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 35; qc: 126; dbt: 0.2132s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb
RENanDREW
Ren & Andrew
Interesting experience!
I would love to do this Karen, I'm off to google it right now...