Dialog in the Dark

Dialog in the Dark

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be visually impaired, but never knew I’d get a small taste of it. Dialog in the Dark is an exhibit located in as many as twenty- two countries throughout the world. I was able to take part in this exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia this past November. This exhibit is one that awakens your senses, challenges your prejudices, and give you a deepen self-awareness for the visually impaired community. It was designed to bring awareness to the visually impaired community. During Dialog in the Dark, visually impaired guides lead the guest through a series of darkened galleries, which were made to replicate everyday experiences which the visually impaired deal with on a regular basis. Without sight, the guests have to adjust and learn to “see” in a completely new way with their non-visual senses. The darkened galleries included a park, grocery store, ship/boat, grocery store, and bar-type area. Although all of the galleries were very challenging and amazing, my favorite one was the bar. During this gallery, guests were able to buy a coke from the bar. After that, we were moved to a table and given the opportunity to ask our guide any question we wanted. The best part about this was that he was open and shared his life and experiences from before he was visually impaired, when he found out he was visually impaired, and how he got to where he was now. It amazed me, how regardless of everything he went through, he still woke up everyday and thanked God for what he has. This experience made me think about the visually impaired community in a completely different way. It also made me question areas of my life, and realize how lucky I am to have everything I have. Dialog in the Dark was a challenging exhibit to go through. I’ve never had to rely on someone or every sense except sight to make my way through life. The park was the first gallery and was of all the hardest to make it through. I had no clue