RSSOut of sight: Diners left in the dark
‘Dinner in the Dark’ participants wear blindfolds to simulate life without eyesightYakima Herald-Republic
E-mail
Print
Comments
More 'Local'
- Photojournal — Li'l biker
- Wapato community awards banquet, auction on tap
- Two Highland fires investigated as suspicious
- Guitars featured at YVCC jazz show Yakima
- City prosecutor to run for District Court judge
- Special series on Valley wells earns another journalism award
- Unemployment rate still high despite some job growth
YAKIMA, Wash. -- As soon as she was blindfolded, Lorie Morris felt isolated.
She couldn't see who was sitting next to her at the dinner table. She used her fingers to trace the contours of her plate. And when she brought the fork up to her mouth, sometimes she missed and bumped her nose. Sometimes her fork came up empty.
"It was an eye-opening experience, forgive the pun," the Naches resident said after the meal. "This was more powerful than I expected."
Morris was one of about 65 people who participated in the "Dinner in the Dark" event at the Arboretum on Friday. Its purpose was to educate people about the reality of living without sight. Proceeds benefited the Vision for Independence Center, a nonprofit, low-vision clinic serving Yakima and Kittitas counties.
During the meal, people relied on servers to pour their wine and pick up dropped utensils. They were bombarded with sounds of neighboring conversations and clanking dishes. Rice was scattered on the tablecloths, and diners rarely ventured out of their immediate space.
To help people successfully navigate the dinner table, Bill Smedley gave them helpful tips. Move slowly, be cautious and use your hands to find the cutlery. Smedley has been living by these rules since 1978, when he became blind, a side effect of diabetes.
"I've been eating in the dark for quite a while," he joked. "This is a fun way to raise money and show people one side of vision loss."
Despite the disability, the 60-year-old stressed he's like everyone else. He has favorite television programs, he takes public transportation and he likes new cars.
"If you see a boring blind person, don't blame his being boring on the blindness. He was probably boring to begin with," Smedley said. "We're normal, everyday people. We just do things differently."
Dr. Chris Babin, an optometrist for the Vision for Independence Center, surveyed optometrists and opthamologists from Ellensburg to Prosser about two years ago.
Seventy percent responded, revealing the doctors treated about 3,600 people for one of the 10 leading eye conditions that could cause blindness, including macular degeneration, glaucoma
and diabetic retinopathy.
The results convinced him the community needed a clinic that provides comprehensive assessments and treatments, so he helped establish the Vision for Independence Center opened about a year ago.
The clinic outfits people with adaptive devices like task lamps, magnifiers and sunshades to help them make the best use of their remaining sight. The next closest clinic providing these services is in the Tri-Cities, Babin said.
Babin was inspired to organize the Dinner in the Dark fundraiser after participating in a similar one in Wenatchee.
"I made a game out of it," he said. "I thought I did pretty well. Then I took my blindfold off, and a bunch of my rice was still sitting on my plate."
At Friday's event, Morris had trouble cutting her chicken parmesan, and often ended up with overly large pieces. Greg Nelson, a member of the center's board, said he felt a sense of solitude, and Beverly Mattoon of Yakima felt her tablemates were far away and found herself shouting to be heard. She also was unaccustomed to having people tell her what food was placed in front of her.
"It was enlightening," Mattoon said. "When blind, the simple things like eating are a real challenge."
For more information about the Vision for Independence Center, go to www.vicyakima.org or call 509-452-8301.
* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 509-577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.
Posting Guidelines - Updated Aug. 21 2009
Readers are encouraged to use these forums to discuss issues affecting the
Yakima Valley. Debate the ideas presented in stories and other comments, but
refrain from personal attacks and offensive remarks aimed at others; e.g.,
you may call an idea idiotic, but don't say the person is an idiot. The
Herald-Republic reserves the right to remove any comment for any reason.
Examples include material that is obscene, encourages illegal activity or
stereotypes based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and
other factors. Continued violation of these guidelines can lead to
suspension or revocation of your ability to post comments. If you believe a
comment is inappropriate, you can bring it to our attention by clicking the
"report violation" link by each comment. Guidelines revised Aug. 21, 2009.
Registered User?
