Disability-ability-Vision Workshop

In order to better understand what it is like to be visually impaired, I completed a workshop that would help me to see through the eyes of those with less then perfect vision. This included looking through plastic bags which simulated 20/60 vision (still legally able to drive during the day), folding the plastic bag over to represent being legally blind, and also wearing sunglasses that had petroleum jelly smeared on the inside of the lens.
With the glasses on and a partner there for safety, we walked around throughout the CUB and tried out a series of things like, locating different features on an ATM, going up and down stairs, getting on an elevator, and ordering coffee.
These are some of the things I took note of during the workshop:
-In darker areas, or places with more shadows, it was hard to decipher between objects and people.
-In areas that were all white, and really light, it was still hard to decide where the open space was to walk.
-Walking into the coffee stand, it was really loud and all I could see was a mess of colors so it was really intimidating. They also did not have a braille menu, which made it hard to order.
-At the ATM, there was a flashing light that helped me find where to slide my card, but there was no lights or anything by the headphone jack that would assist me in using the machine.
-Going down the stairs in the library, the little black lining at edge of each stair helped me see the steps a bit better.
-Walking around, I couldn't see people walking up to me until they were within ten feet.
From this small amount of time I spent visually impaired, I realized that we do not do very much to accommodate those with visual disabilities. If I did not know the CUB from previous experience, I would have had no idea where anything was. For example, the stairs, elevators or ATMs. The built environment should be accessible to everyone regardless of cost, because everyone should have equal access to public spaces and facilities. If one person in our society isn't able to make a contribution because of the built environment that is not only incredibly sad, but also a huge loss. The CUB is the student union building, a place for students to come and eat, study, socialize, set up booths and much more, and if someone, for example, can't come inside and and maneuver, that is not only a huge loss to that person, but also to the millions of other students that they could be interacting with.
The picture above, is something I sketched to model what I saw while the glasses were on. Basically, everything was extremely blurry. I could see only really bright colors and lights, and then extremely dark figures. Everything else blending in together.