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❍ standing upright
❍ feet together
❍ arms extended,
● Debrief
Enhance
Blind Crossing Your
Facilitation
What: A series of trust activities suitable for all groups. Skills!
Attend
Group Size: 2 + Our
Facilitator
Time: 30 Minutes
Training
Props: One blindfold per person. May 24-
28, 2006
Site: a level open space, clear of any obstacles.
Instructions:
2. Ask participants to face their partners so that there are two straight lines, each person facing his/her
partner. The lines (and therefore the partners) should be approximately three yards away from each other
at the start.
3. On cue, the line you designate will walk towards the other line with blindfolds on. For them to do this
safely, they will use the "bumpers up" position.
● "Bumpers up" means that the person has both arms extended straight forward from the shoulders
with elbows slightly bent and the palms turned forward (like you were motioning "stop" with both
hands at once). Demonstrate for them the "bumpers up" position and check for understanding.
4. The "stationary" line will meet the walking line with its "bumpers up," that is, if all goes well, each
sighted partner will meet their blind counterpart palm-to-palm.
● Note that I put "stationary" in quotes above and I noted that the sighted partner meets the
blindfolded walker. The person with sight must take the responsibility for shifting to either side in
order to meet his/her partner. Blindfolded walkers don't necessarily walk in a straight line, hence
the responsibility on the sighted partner. This point is CRUCIAL for the safety of this exercise.
Make sure your group understands this clearly.
● Once the first line of walkers completes their blind crossing, they remove their blindfolds and go
back to their starting point. Once they are resituated, the lines will switch roles and repeat the
exercise. At the end of this step, everyone has made the crossing once.
● Instruct both lines to move backwards until they are 5 yards apart. Repeat steps 1-5.
● Instruct both lines to move backwards until they are 10 yards apart. Repeat steps 1-5.
Facilitator Notes:
1. Whenever you have blindfolded participants, you as facilitator must be extra conscious of safety. Before
doing this exercise, review with the group your use of the "s- word," i.e., STOP. Should the group ever
hear you say this, they are to freeze in their tracks - you have seen a potential safety issue (e.g., a
participant about to walk into another participant) that you will need to correct and you will tell the
group when to begin again.
BLIND WALK
OBJECTIVES:
● Students will experience what it would be like to be without the sense of sight.
● Students will be good partners and will safely guide each other on blind walks.
● Students will identify three things on their blind walk by using their other senses besides sight.
● Students will discuss what they learned from their blind walk with the whole class.
● Students will think about what kinds of questions they would like to ask our blind visitor, who
will be coming to talk to the students the following day.
MATERIALS:
PROCEDURES:
1. Have students come meet on the carpet and assign everyone a partner.
2. Tell the students that they have learned a lot about why their senses are important to them, now
you want them to experience what it might be like to be without one of their senses. Explain that
everyone is going to have a chance to see what it feels like to be blind.
3. Inform the students that they will be going on a blind walk. Tell them that you are going to pass
out blind folds, one to each set of partners, after you are through giving the directions
4. Now, tell the students that one partner will be the guide while the other partner wears the
blindfold. It is very important that the guides keep their partners safe. They must tell them when
steps are coming and they absolutely cannot allow them to bump into anything.
5. Explain to the guides that their job is to lead their blind partners outside to the playground, where
they will choose three things for their partners to try to identify using their other senses besides
their sight. Ask the students to quickly review what these other senses will be.
6. Tell the students that you will blow a whistle after 10 minutes and then the partners should switch
Sequence of Instruction
1. Tell the students to help each other put on their blindfolds. Then ask the guides to lead their
partners carefully to the line. Before leading the students outside, explain that if they can still see
under their blindfold, they should close their eyes, because you really want them to have a chance
to see how it feels to be blind.
2. Allow the students to lead their partners around on the playground for about 10 minutes. Suggest
to them that they take their partners to all different areas, on the grass, on the blacktop, and on the
play equipment.
3. Remind the students that the guides need to find three things for their blind partner to identify.
4. After 10 minutes, blow the whistle and ask everyone to switch their blindfolds.
5. Allow the students to roam around for 10 more minutes, and then blow the whistle again,
signaling all of the guides to lead their partners into line. Tell the students to leave their
blindfolds on until they get back to the classroom.
Closure
1. Group the students at the carpet once again and collect the blindfolds. Begin a discussion about
their blind walk. How did it feel to not be able to see? What kinds of sounds did they notice
outside. Could they tell what part of the playground they were on by the way the ground felt
under their feet? Were they able to correctly identify the objects their guides gave them? What
senses did they use to identify the objects?
2. After exhausting all of the student comments about their blind walk, explain to them that they are
going to have a visitor come and talk to them tomorrow that is actually blind and uses a seeing
eye dog to help her get around. Tell the students that you are excited that they are going to learn
more about what it is like to be blind by listening to her and by asking her some good questions.
3. Prepare the students for the visit by asking them if they can think of some questions
they would like to ask the blind woman ahead of time. You can write down the questions
as they think of them on a piece of chart paper.
4. After the students are done volunteering different questions they would like to know
more about, read over the list you have made out loud to the students, and then ask
them to try to read it along with you once again.
1. Students will gain insight on what it would be like to be without their sense of sight by
keeping their blindfolds on and cooperatively going on a blind walk with a guide for 10
minutes.
2. Students will demonstrate that they can be good guides by safely guiding their blind
partners around the playground.
3. Students will demonstrate that they can use their other senses other than sight by
identifying three unknown objects without using their eyes, and then discussing what
they discovered with the class.
4. Students will express what they learned on their blind walk by discussing what it felt like
to not be able to see and by discussing what other senses they used.
5. Students will become prepared for their visitor by thinking of several questions that they
think they would like to know more about in order to help them learn what it must be like
to be blind, and how a blind person gets around.
ADAPTATIONS/RETEACHING IDEAS:
1. A lot of prompting might be necessary when thinking of questions for the blind visitor.
Prompt the students to ask questions that might help them learn how blind people get
around on their own and do daily chores. Also arouse their interests to ask the visitor
about her favorite hobbies so they can discover if blind people enjoy doing some of the
same things they do.
EXTENSIONS:
1. This activity might be a good one to refer back to and write a short class story about.
2. Explain to students that many blind people donÕt need a person to guide them because they use a
cane which they move back and forth in front of them. Allow the students to take turns
throughout the day trying to get around the room with their eyes closed using a cane.
REFLECTIONS:
1. Did this turn out to be a safe lesson? Were the students good guides?
2. Was the lesson run efficiently?
3. How did the students respond to the lesson?
4. Were the students adequately prepared for the visitor?
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