I think the most important thing I did today was get lost. I got lost because I left the route Lauren had taught me, and I did that because I got frustrated with all the things in my way. I got a little prideful, and I thought I could do better finding the elevator. So, it was my fault I got lost. I knew I’d drifted off the line I was trying to walk when my distance awareness kicked in but I thought I’d drifted to the right, not the left. So, in my mind, I had moved behind the elevator bank from the right side of it.
I can generally make several moves and not lose my sense of direction, but since where I was ended up being nowhere near where I expected, I was completely lost. It was also really loud and chaotic in the hallway, so it was really hard to get sound cues from the environment. Finally, I heard the elevator, but it wasn’t where I thought it should be, so I resisted moving toward it, afraid that I’d mistaken the sound of another door for the elevator door. I think I was finally successful when I stopped trying to go where I thought the elevator should be and headed where the environment was telling me the elevator was. So, I moved toward that sound, and eventually, I found the elevator, even though it wasn’t where I thought it should be.
It was a really great feeling completing that bit of the route without intervention from Lauren or Mickey. I felt very competent and successful in that moment. It was a powerful feeling for me. I don’t think I can underestimate the power of teaching students to be successful and then letting them be successful when posed with a challenge. Under blindfold (and I imagine when people are for-real blind), the world is chaotic and it seems to be happening around you and not always including you. Having a repertoire of O&M skills must play a huge role in a student’s overall happiness as a result of moving thorough the world confidently.
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