Forrest Gump had it wrong. Life is not a box of chocolates, it\u2019s a kaleidoscope. With the flip of a wrist realities are shredded and the world takes on a totally new shape.
Fitting words to depict the experience of the blind; spoken by executive head Freddie Botha last Wednesday evening when the Institute of the Blind celebrated its 135-year history.
To mark the occasion the institute, for the first time ever, changed its name. It will now be known as Kaleidoscope, changing its focus to being a commercially viable entity, with a rousing pay-off line: \u201cLet the blind lead\u201d. This, according to Hein Wagner, Kaleidoscope\u2019s brand ambassador, places the focus on visually impaired persons as complete citizens in the community capable of taking the lead in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dinner to mimic blindness<\/strong> For some, strangely this was a cue to give way to their inner boisterousness, whereas for most, I imagine, the darkness was oppressive. Diners enthusiastically piped out at how magnificent it was to actually smell the ingredients in the salads they were eating, as if feta cheese suddenly tasted better \u2013 sardonic, but true. \u201cBlind people in the modern world are often unseen; invisible to a sighted society, and we want to change that because the blind have such unlimited potential and so much to offer to the world,\u201d said Botha. \u201cHuman awareness can be likened to a kaleidoscope and we know that with a simple twist of perception so much can be revealed. This is what has led us to the new name for the refreshed, revived Institute for the Blind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The institute presently receives only 15% of government aid and is therefore solely responsible for the generation of 85% of the total operational expenses. 97% of visually impaired unemployed<\/strong> He says they are also in the process of transforming the production units to become more sustainable. Already innovative products have been launched including a new coffee brand, wine etiquettes, cane, weaving, wood, mattress, metal, arts, crafts production and sales.Employment is one of the biggest challenges the blind face in South Africa \u2013 this is evident in light of the fact that 97% of the visually impaired are unemployed. Public ignorance and society\u2019s general lack of knowledge of the blind, expensive assistive devices and training, inaccessibility, school training and provision of Braille text books are other major challenges the institution faces. Forrest Gump had it wrong. Life is not a box of chocolates, it\u2019s a kaleidoscope. With the flip of a wrist realities are shredded and the world takes on a totally new 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The point was powerfully illustrated with a Dinner in the Dark event, unlike any this journalist has ever seen.
The windowless dining hall at Langverwacht Wine Estate in Kuils River was pitch black, entered into through a heavily draped black tunnel to eliminate every point of light and shade. This attempted to mimic complete blindness and organisers made very sure they missed nothing when cellphones, cameras and anything that could possibly provide light were confiscated at the door in a somewhat fascist manner.
Wagner, who has been blind since birth, explained total blindness as \u201cnot only the absence of light, but also a complete loss of depth perception, the ability to determine distances between objects and see the world in three dimensions, with no option of reprieve\u201d.
If this was not immediately understood by diners when they entered the hall, it soon became very clear. A menacing nothingness \u2013 pitch black, heavy and flat \u2013 wrapped up your entire consciousness to threaten your very existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I for one couldn\u2019t keep my eyelids open after only a few minutes and cowered down to protect myself from the overpowering darkness. It is hard to say exactly when one\u2019s other senses kick in, but mercifully they do, and when this happens you can somewhat relate to Wagner when he says \u201cwelcome to the magical world of the blind\u201d.
Wagner, despite his blindness, has many accomplishments to his name and lived by the motto that \u201cImpossible is Nothing\u201d.
He ran the Antarctica, Two Oceans and New York marathons, completed several Cape Town Cycle Tours, tackled the white waters of the Zambezi River, not to mention climbing the ten highest mountains in the Western Cape. He was the perfect host in a most bizarre setting \u2013 sighted people having fun at being \u201cblind\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A crew of blind and partially blind waitrons were our only salvation and in the proverbial land of the blind, Erasmus\u2019 one-eyed man was truly king.
These waitrons expertly guided every lost soul to their exact seats at the tables, to the restrooms when needed, passed the wine, found the cutlery and served a plated three course meal. Astonishing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is therefore important that we should strive to become more self-sustainable to ensure a future for our persons who are visually impaired,\u201d Wagner explains.
He says the institute is setting up sustainable partnerships with local and international business entities to strengthen the brand and grow its product offering. \u201cBy raising the bar in becoming a world leader in all things blind related, our aim is to inspire the blind and sighted alike to be successful \u2013 no matter the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wagner says the name change reflects an international character and opens doors to new opportunities, projects and funding.
\u201cA few of our goals include the development of a one-stop resource centre for blind and deaf-blind persons at our information centre, the establishment of a modern technology training centre at our adult career development department, the marketing of the institute as one of the best tourist attractions in South Africa, and to establish more viable partnerships with the corporate sector and businesses as well as to enhance existing partnerships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is also our goal to create more opportunities for job placement of visually impaired persons in the open labour market,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Peadar Hegarty, who works with the team as a strategic advisor, says that the new positioning will help Kaleidoscope change how the world sees the blind.
\u201cKaleidoscope projects inspiration, emanating from this wonderful community of blind and deaf blind persons who, far from seeing themselves as disabled, actually live their lives as people of unimaginable ability.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"