[NFBF-Tampa] How Dining in the Dark is Covered by the Media

[Marion Gwizdala]

Dear Fellow Federationists,

 

                For those asserting how the Dining in the Dark experience is
so positive, here is what the media tells the world about us as the result
of these sort of events! Read on to learn about, as the reporter shares “the
perils of blind dining”! Oh, and let’s not forget that we, the blind, do not
belong to the “clean plate club” because it is just too frustrating to eat
all the food on your plate! 

 

Dining in the Dark

A fun event for Southeastern Guide Dogs.

 

By 

Hannah Wallace

 

Here’s one challenge about eating blindfolded: green beans. Difficult to
locate on the plate, difficult to get on your fork, and harder still to fit
in

your mouth without, y’know, poking yourself in the eye or something. 

 

Consider this among the many lessons learned at 

Southeastern Guide Dogs’  Dining in the Dark event this past weekend, which,
in addition to introducing a roomful of sighted supporters to the perils of
blind dining, also included

a lovely talk by retired U.S. Marine Michael Jernigan, as well as the
revelation of a fun new art project coming soon to the streets of Sarasota. 

 

After the salad course (the event was catered by Kona Grill), the room full
of Southeastern supporters at the Grande Clubhouse at the Lake Club was
asked to don their blindfolds and await the entrée. As they set the plates
down, servers told each diner that the Chilean sea bass was paired with
rice, and the steak was paired with green beans. And then, we just had at
it. 

 

group start Ruth Lando and I, in a not-so-centered selfie.  

Selfie blx5ap

group end

Though I wasn’t above using my fingers to locate various items on the plate,
I proudly relied on my flatware to carve and serve my food. (Though many,
many disappointing times I brought the fork to my mouth only to discover it
was empty.) 

 

I went mostly for a straight up-and-down approach, stabbing things from
above and hoping they’d stick. To my right, Ruth Lando, media relations
manager

for Southeastern Guide Dogs, was apparently employing more of a side-to-side
scooping method. At the end of the meal, she discovered most of her green
beans had fled her plate and landed on the table (or the floor). 

 

 

I even managed to treat myself to a few sips of wine—slowly sliding my hand
on the table, past the plate to find the glass, as we’d been instructed
(stemware being yet another tricky part of the experience). 

 

Another interesting lesson: Because you can’t see your plate (and also,
perhaps, your frustration may mount), you don’t feel obligated to eat
everything in front of you. 

 

This is the sort of mile-in-your-shoes experience that surpasses an
organization’s usual information sessions and provides fresh insight into
its mission and its clientele. 

 

That being said, Jernigan, a St. Pete native and the first U.S.
servicemember to lose both eyes in combat in Iraq, is a true asset to the
cause. An easy and charismatic speaker in dress blues, he gave an overview
of his life before, during and after service, illustrating the irreplaceable
importance of his guide dog—both for mobility and emotional support. 

 

Lastly, Southeastern Guide Dogs announced its 

“Superheroes on Parade” campaign,

which will feature 50 life-size statues of guide dogs in capes, all to be
decorated by local artists and publicly on display around town. No word on
when and where to spot them just yet, but the project will culminate a
little over a year from now with an event on Palm Avenue.

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