Revving vehicles, talking people, chirping birds, rustling trees and a partner were relied on by some students to get across campus this week.
Ohio University students in the Communicating with People with Disabilities course were blinded by “sleep shades” and walked from Lasher Hall to Schoonover Center on Monday and Wednesday mornings.
“You learn to trust your ears,” said J.W. Smith, the course’s professor who has been blind since birth. “It’s a different world. Every little crack, every terrain change, you notice those things.”
Smith’s course focuses on studying how able-bodied individuals communicate with those who have physical disabilities.
More than 500,000 people in the United States are legally blind, with at least 50,000 becoming blind every year, according to the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio’s website.
Smith asked the students to keep their sleep shades on and focus on the sounds around them on College Green. He asked them whether they would decide to attend OU based on the campus’ sounds if they were visually impaired.
The route through campus required crossing the street several times.
“I’m kind of a trusting person, so it’s not that bad,” said Jessica Osborn, a senior studying communication studies. “The cars when we were crossing the street kind of got me.”
Participants also explored Schoonover Center and attempted to navigate the many staircases and hallways, occasionally tripping and bumping into walls.
“At first it’s kind of scary, but you get used to it,” said Andrew Sharp, a junior studying communication studies.
tm255312@ohiou.edu
@taymaple
