Something that I found very interesting from the Zoom interview with Ms. Chantalmays was the training that she had to go through while she was in college. The drop-off simulations with the blindfolds and the cane were especially interesting, because I cannot imagine attempting to do something like that. Most typical people could probably get by in this simulation if they were in a familiar building or room, but trying to navigate in a public place with no vision seems like an extremely daunting task. It is hard to think about the fact that those with blindness or low vision live their entire lives like that, which is hard to comprehend with no prior training. I think the idea of being blind for a day and navigating a public place can contribute to the misconceptions that typical people have for those with blindness or low vision, and can almost exaggerate the difficulties that these people might face. I do not mean this in an insensitive way, rather, I mean that I believe typical people underestimate the ability for those with blindness or low vision to adapt to their surroundings and assimilate into a world that is not always accommodating. This begs the question, how often and how severely do typical people underestimate people of all disabilities, not just blindness and low vision?
Abby, I agree; hearing about Ms. Mays training was very interesting! I would have never thought about how one must simulate similar experiences to blindness to be able to coach those who are blind, but now that I know that, it makes total sense! I also agree that it is likely often that society underestimates individuals with disabilities. Seeing videos like these remind me why it is so important that we always try to believe in everyone!