Jointly reported by:
Heidi Tan Zhi-Qi Jr2Z(3)
Kham Jie Yu Jr1Z(3)
Every day, there are people with visual impairments who encounter obstacles that many of us rarely consider. Simple tasks such as crossing the road, reading signs, or finding their way around can become difficult and sometimes even dangerous. Despite these daily struggles, many people still fail to understand their experiences or show enough empathy towards them. Some may even take their own eyesight for granted without realizing how fortunate they are. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness and encourage society to understand the lives of the visually impaired better.
Throughout the week of the 13th to 17th of July, Kuen Cheng High School organised a series of blindness awareness activities in the auditorium. Ultimately, the main goal of organising this event is to help students experience the challenges faced by blind individuals whilst cultivating greater empathy and compassion. Before participating in this activity, students were advised to either bring their own eye mask or surgical mask beforehand.
Why you may ask? These masks were needed for one of the most unforgettable experiences—The Blindfold Walking Challenge. Students were blindfolded and guided through an obstacle course by following a partner with the help of a guide.The entire auditorium was lightless, leaving them unable to see anything. Although the course was not very long, many participants still found it difficult to walk confidently. They had to move slowly, place complete trust in their partner, and rely on their other senses to avoid obstacles like staircases, never knowing when they might lose their balance. Through this activity, students realised the courage, trust, and determination visually impaired people need in their daily lives.
Another activity was the Direction Recognition Experience. Students, still blindfolded, placed their hands on their partner’s shoulders and tried to identify different directions based purely on verbal instructions. Many found it harder than expected, for they could no longer depend on their eyesight. The experience gave students a better understanding of how visually impaired people depend on their hearing and sense of direction to safely navigate through their surroundings. It also taught students the importance of patience, concentration, and empathy for the visually impaired.
All in all there were three stations. Each one was devoted to a different aspect of everyday life. They included clothing, identifying items and food. At the first station, students were asked to put on a science lab coat. Because all the lights in the auditorium were off, it was completely dark, and they could experience being visually impaired. Without the benefit of their vision, what was once an easy, ordinary task became very difficult. Students were struggling in the darkness, trying desperately to feel for the sleeves and line up their buttons with their fingertips. The time flew by and most of the students couldn’t finish buttoning the coat before they had to go to the next station.
The second station tested the student’s sense of touch and smell as they tried to identify various objects by smell and touch only. The station had all sorts of things you might use every day, like a crisp apple, a bottle of liquid hand soap, and a crinkly pack of instant noodles. The students had to trace the shapes with their fingers and sniff the things thoroughly, rather than just recognizing them by sight immediately. Many participants struggled to guess, mistaking the soap bottle for a lotion container or taking a few long moments to realize that the bumpy plastic package was actually instant noodles. It was a massive challenge and made everyone depend completely on their other senses.
The third station proved the hardest for many. Students had to transfer “food” objects from one bowl to another using chopsticks, in total darkness. The bowls were not filled with real food, but with tricky substitutes like slippery rubber bands that felt like spaghetti, and wrinkled dates (kurma) that seemed like small meatballs. Using chopsticks was a frustrating and hilarious battle, not being able to see. The students kept dropping the rubber bands or fumbling around the bowl to get a grip on the odd shape of the dates.
To put it simply, this year’s Blindness Awareness Activity was a great success! It was a meaningful and memorable experience for all the students who took part. The variety of practical challenges left the students with a greater sense of the difficulties that visually impaired people face on a day-to-day basis, and made them aware that even the most basic tasks can be incredibly difficult without the gift of sight. Most importantly, the activity served as a reminder for everyone to appreciate their eyesight and to treat the visually impaired with more empathy, patience and respect. Hopefully, there will be more meaningful activities like this in the coming years to help build a more caring and inclusive community.
