Have you ever pretended you were blind? You know, closed your eyes for a few minutes and tried to walk around your house without bumping into everything?
It’s not that easy, and that’s in a place where you know where everything is and you’re comfortable. Now try doing it while walking down North Main Street. Because we did last week, and if it wasn’t for our human guide provided by the N.H. Association for the Blind, we could quite easily have been hit by a car, tripped on a curb or gotten taken out by an overzealous pooch.
We decided to shut our eyes and put our trust is someone we just met because we wanted to get a feel for what it was like to be downtown without the use of our sight – a sense we all take for granted. And let’s just say, it was a little eerie.
Want to know what it feels like? Well, here’s your chance. For more than a decade, the N.H. Association for the Blind has been holding a yearly fundraiser called Walk for Sight. And new to the event this year’s June 4 event, 20 participants can sign up to walk a portion of it blindfolded or wearing simulator glasses to give the same experience as if you are visually impaired. Don’t worry though, you’ll also get a human guide to help you get around.
The total distance of the walk is 3 kilometers, or roughly 1.86 miles. The #WalkInMyShoes course will be less than a mile – and really it can be whatever distance you’re comfortable with.
I walked almost the entire stretch of sidewalk in front of the State House with my eyes closed (at just a little faster than a snail’s pace) and then was slalomed around the area by orientation and mobility specialist David Trzaska. It was quite the experience. We suggest you try it.
Visit sightcenter.org for more info on the Walk for Sight and the #WalkInMyShoes. Space is limited to walk around downtown blindfolded, so don’t delay.
