Today, we headed back to the nursing building and Billy got his second shot at working in his building. This time around, I was thrown off by the construction downstairs. I imagine that would be really distracting (not to mention potentially dangerous) for a blind person. The continually shifting environment would only add anxiety to an already confusing space.
I noticed that Billy was having trouble in the first floor lobby, so I was trying to think differently about the space. Perhaps the things that make rooms visually appealing (curved walls, open spaces) might make them a lot harder to navigate with a cane. I also think those chairs in the entryway are really distracting. I remember coming across chairs while blindfolded in the office suite in Stone, and each time I hit a chair, I has something new to square off against that threw me off. I think Billy might be in the same boat. When you come across a chair with a cane, you can’t tell which side you’re hitting, so you can’t really tell if you’ve found the front or side, since your cane only hits the base. But, when you see one side of a chair, you can figure out how it stands in relation to the wall automatically. I wonder how you figure that out without touching more of the chair and looking like a for real blind person.
I’m pretty excited to go back to my building. I’m curious to see what I remember, and I’d love to expand my understanding of the building. Working under blindfold is such a unique and enlightening experience. I wish we could do it more often!
No comments:
Post a Comment