Türkiye
participants
The main objective of this event was to simulate the everyday struggles that people with vision disorders suffer in order to promote deep understanding and social consciousness. In order to challenge the idea that public spaces are inclusive and to encourage concrete change in the direction of a more accessible university for everyone, the event turned our campus into an educational experience.
What if all of a sudden you were blind? Taking inspiration from José Saramago's impactful book Blindness, we created a fully awareness event at Izmir University of Economics in which participants explored the campus while wearing blindfolds, simulating how the characters in the book deal with an unexpected outbreak of blindness. Even familiar places can become confusing and dangerous without visual signals, as this experience demonstrated. Participants were asked to consider the psychological and physical effects of visual impairment, and the exercise led to important conversations regarding our university's accessibility. In addition to bringing literature into lived experience, this one event served as an inspiration for change, empathy, and inclusivity.
This activity is part of the project:
Inclusivity for All, Now!