Dialog in the Dark sheds light on the world of the visually impaired
by Travis Hudgons
hudgons@yahoo.com
Nyctophobia: Pathological fear of the dark, an abnormal and persistent dread of the dark. Sufferers experience anxiety even though they may rationally realize that the dark does not pose a threat commensurate with their fear.
I am scared of the dark. I sleep with the TV on, and I am very uneasy when left alone in a dark room. So, one could imagine that I was reluctant yet intrigued at the idea of visiting something called Dialog in the Dark.
Dialog in the Dark, an exhibition at Atlantic Station in Atlanta, takes visitors on a journey in complete darkness. Conventional thinking and biases are challenged as visitors experience seeing without sight. The exhibition encourages teamwork, trust and understanding and allows individuals to gain a greater appreciation of the power of communication and the abilities of others.
Local people who are blind or visually impaired act as guides leading visitors through various scenes from everyday life such as a park, a supermarket, a city street and more. Visitors rely on their guide, canes, group members and their other senses to navigate through the simulated environments.
As I made my way to the exhibition, my thoughts raced and nervous energy produced tiny beads of sweat on my brow. I wiped the sweat away and swallowed hard as I entered. Liz Caeser, my media contact, greeted me at the door and explained that we would be in a small group and led by a guide. As she talked, I could only think about the dark. How dark will it be? What will happen? Will I be safe?
After a few moments of nervous waiting, a host welcomed us to the exhibition. We are sized for our canes and our four-person group was led into a dimly lit room. There we were given brief instructions on how to use our canes and advised of the safety features of the exhibition.
Then, the host escorted us into an even darker room, and we were told to sit on illuminated cubes. Group members, including myself, expressed our trepidation about the impending events. I revealed my fear of the dark. Liz told me that she would have never guessed. Her confidence, in me, and reassurance of the exhibition’s safety offered little comfort. Let’s face it: I was scared. I was about to journey into the heart of darkness with strangers and a cane. Not cool. That’s when it happened. The light slowly faded away as darkness invaded the room. My remaining senses heightened, as my sight was rendered useless. I was in total darkness—and there was nothing that I could do to alter this.
Suddenly, I heard a voice. “Who is this stranger?” I asked myself. The voice was calm and soothing. He introduced himself and told us that he would be our guide. We briefly talked and went through a few exercises to assist our acclimation into a world without sight.
For the next hour we stumbled, bumped and felt our way through various scenes. Each scene was a slice taken directly from real life—with the only difference being that we were immersed in total darkness. We were quickly learning to identify things by touch, smell, feel and sound. In each scene, there was the corresponding background noise, which helped identify the environment.
A bond began to form among the members of the group. We communicated different things we discovered in each environment. A gleeful excitement could be heard as we would exclaim, “I found a tree!” or “Here’s a bench!” Our guide would tell us to use sound to lead the people to us once we found something—similar to the way he used his voice to guide us through the pitch-black, maze-like world.
It’s amazing how quickly one can adapt to a situation when forced. I was OK. Nothing jumped out and grabbed me. I was not visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past—what was I so scared of?
About halfway through this enlightening experience, I had an epiphany: I was scared of the unknown, not the dark. Simple as it might sound to some, this was a profound realization for me. Fear of the unknown can be crippling, but if one is forced, then adaptation is necessary and is the only choice for those wishing to survive.
“The exhibition has provoked a change in perspectives, challenging our skills and perceptions towards human diversity,” said Dialog in the Dark founder Andreas Heinecke. “Dialog in the Dark is not an ordinary exhibition, but rather a platform for communication and exchange between cultures.
” The exhibition has been in 23 countries, opening in more than 130 cities on four continents with five permanent exhibitions worldwide. In addition, the exhibition has hired more than 5,000 blind and visually impaired people throughout the world, of whom 40 percent have been hired in other positions after working on the exhibition.
“There’s more of an awareness to blind people and the situations around us, like overcoming obstacles,” said Stone Mountain resident Deneise Woods, who is a tour guide at the Atlanta exhibition. Woods became visually impaired three years ago as result of diabetes. “It’s a challenge for us,” she said. “[People] appreciate the fact that we manage to do things.”
Woods explained that many people have a misconception that blind people are depressed and suicidal. “We are very active. We participate in activities. We go to work every day. I do everything that I did before, I just go about it a different way,” she explained.
I then told her about my experience with the exhibition and about my fear of the dark.
Without missing a beat and in a nurturing tone, she said that I had nothing to fear. She also told me that when I go home, to close my eyes and go to the bathroom or get something to drink. And as she was telling me this, I reflected on the exhibition and our guides and wondered how I could be fearful of the dark, when so many people live through it daily.
“It’s no different than a broken arm, you still live… you overcome it,” she said.
Dialog in the Dark will be at Atlantic Station Exhibition Center, 265 18th St., Atlanta, through February 2009. The exhibition is open Monday – Sunday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Adult tickets are $24, seniors 65 and older $22, children 12 and younger $16. Tickets can be purchased at www.dialogtickets.com.
|
