Dialogue in the Dark - Our Thoughts - BZSE Entreprise Creation 08

Saturday, November 7, 2009 . Sheena's DiD Reflections (Let them shine, not only in the dark.)
10:13 AM

Before heading for the DiD tour, I did not have any major expectations of the tour in terms of what awaits me. On one hand, I felt very excited as it was the first ever of such experience. On the other hand, I felt very uncertain on what to expect.

Heading into the exhibition with a temporary loss of sight and only a cane, the first few minutes were indeed moments of discomfort. However, our visually impaired guide, Wesley, was very assuring. He ensured that we were all close together as we moved from exhibitions to exhibitions.

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It wasn't simple moving around in the dark nor was it a task that you could 'get used' to as each and every exhibition is different. Just like how there are different scenarios and places that the visually impaired move around in their daily lives, it is not an easy feat. To add on, I was very amazed on how Wesley was so optimistic about life still. One would expect him to wallow in self-pity, but no. He is still standing strong with much positivity within him. This really calls for much respect and admiration.

Also, Wesley made a shout-out for those who attended the DiD tour to help any visually-impaired individuals with directions when we meet them on the streets. However, Wesley added that we should never ever give them hand-outs. After listening to the shout-out, I realised that the visually-impaired can be independent too. And that Wesley's job in DiD is so much more than being a guide in the dark. It is for sure that Wesley is in DiD for a higher purpose, to bridge the gap between the less advantaged and others.

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The business model with a social aspect of DiD is something that BZSE and PCS students can really use as reference in their projects or even when they step out into society in the future so as to create better social enterprises/organisations that would be able to benefit a larger group of people.

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I believe that as much as we have been impacted by the DiD tour, we should share this experience with others. Whether through words of mouth or marketing means, it can help heighten not only the awareness of DiD but also the needs and position of the visually impaired. To allow the visually impaired to shine, not only in the dark.

Sheena Lim
BZSE Student

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Welcome to the blog of BZSE 2008 about our takeaways after visiting the one-and-only Dialogue-in-the-Dark (DiD) exhibition in Singapore, at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
BZSE 2008 represents the pioneer cohort of students from the Diploma in Business & Social Enterprise (BZSE), the one-and-only such diploma programme in Singapore.

BZSE is housed in the School of Humanities in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. It's the coolest diploma ever - we learn about creating businesses with a social cause.

Our whole cohort had a really great tour in the DiD exhibition, and it was so fantastic we decided to post up our experiences as a blog to share the experiences we had during the tour.
We hope that after reading our reflections, you will consider coming down to DID yourself! Just as we have been impacted, we believe Your life will never be the same again. (=

To find out more about the DiD tours, you can call the Booking Hotline @ 64606222 or check out the website at www.dialogueinthedark.com.sg Navigate around using the tabs above.