Friday, November 6, 2009 . Sheryl : Entering the Dark
12:11 AM

Before participating in the DiD tours, I did not have any expectations on what we were going to "see" at the DiD exhibition. Although we were fed with much needed information about what was going to take place, the only thing I had in mind was the curiousity about how the visually impaired guides would know exactly where things were and how real the exhibits and scenes were placed.

True enough, things can only be proven after we have been through it ourselves. I had a very enriching experience throughout the tour in DiD. In the beginning when I first stepped into the exhibition alongside my groupmates, it was pitch dark. We couldn't even see the outlines of any figures like how we usually see things when lights are switched off. However, our guide, Wesley was a very friendly person. He ensured our safety and a fun journey with him throughout. It was only through his words that we felt assured and at ease to move around in the dark.

Through this tour, the greatest take-away I had was being able to be in the shoes of a visually-impaired person. I never knew how it felt like to only feel the beauty of nature and every single detail of our environment through our senses other than sight. The tour has really met the objectives of DiD Singapore - to raise awareness and create tolerance for Otherness in the general public.

"After the tour, darkness is no longer fearful to me. Its an adventure, not an experience."
That would be my sentence to conclude my whole journey throughout Dialogue in the Dark.


As a whole, I personally felt that the establishment of DiD Singapore in Ngee Ann, led by our very own HMS director, Mrs Choo as the Managing Director for DiD Singapore acts as a very close learning platform for our students here in HMS. It is definitely a very good learning model as we personally are able to hear from the Director herself how much she went through setting up a Social Enterprise. We are able to obtain many learning experiences from her openly with no reservations.

As a BZSE student myself, I feel that with the use of what we have learnt through our diploma, we can definitely help Dialogue in the Dark in many ways. For example, marketing plans- coming up with various items for customers' purchase to advertise DiD SG to their friends- and improvement of business plans. As DiD Singapore may be new within the country, not many people may be aware of its existence. In this current phase, we can also help reach out to other visually impaired individuals who are still ill-informed about this new job opportunity for them.


Thank you.

Sheryl Tan
BZSE T01 Year 2


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