February 1st, 2012 
The Blind CaféTM returned to Austin for its third consecutive year on January 26th – 28th. For three nights, guests could tap into their curiosity and learn about blindness and sensory deprivation. It was an eye opening experience for many as they participated in a community style dinner, a Q & A with their blind servers and enjoyed live music all in the pitch dark!
Photo Credit: Rosh & One Eye Broken Glass MySpace Page
While waiting to be seated, guests were greeted by their blind servers. The servers did a wonderful job of making the guests feel welcome and comfortable. If anyone was nervous about this experience, their nerves were quickly calmed by the friendly wait staff.
Walking into the dining area was the part that I feared the most. The room was completely dark! So, the key to finding our table and chairs was communication. We had to communicate with one another in order to find our spots.
Once I found my seat, I was curious about what was around me and where in the room I was sitting. But, then I found my food. There was a salad right in front of me. I never found a fork, so I proceeded to eat my salad with my hands. Hey, no one could see me!
I rarely took my hands off the table for fear that I would never be able to find my food again. At one point, I strayed from my food and accidently put my hand in my neighbor’s soup. Thank goodness she was done with it!
The food seemed delicious, and I wondered if my sense of taste was heightened because my sense of vision was eliminated. However, my sense of sound was not heightened. During the dinner, I noticed that the hearing in my right ear is much stronger than the hearing in my left ear. Trust me, I was not trying to take this experience to the Helen Keller level. But, because of this, it was easier for me to carry on conversation with the guests to my right.
During the dinner, guests had the opportunity to ask the servers blind related questions. We were all curious about the blind lifestyle. For example, how do the ladies shop for clothes or apply makeup? What’s it like to travel? What’s it like trying to getting a job? The servers were happy to answer these questions, and the guests were intrigued by what they had to say.
The last part of the dining experience consisted of a concert in the dark, music from Rosh & One Eye Glass Broken. When the music started to play, I turned my chair to “face the music.” I assumed the stage was to the side of me, but when the lights turned on, I was facing nothing more than a wall. Maybe next time, I should dine at The Deaf Café.
At the end of dinner, a candle was lit in the center of the room. Guests could finally see where they were sitting, how big the table was and who made the biggest mess. I’m kidding about the mess part! But, it was neat to see how big the room was, how the tables were arranged and where that music was coming from.
The Blind Café is a remarkable dining experience that serves a good cause. A portion of the proceeds benefit the National Federation of the Blind of Texas – Austin Chapter’s BELL Program. The Bell Program (Braille Enrichment for Literacy and Learning) provides children ages 4-12 with two weeks of intense Braille instruction through fun, hands-on learning and activities. The program targets those children with low vision, who otherwise do not receive Braille instruction because of their residual vision.
Photo Credit: National Federation of the Blind of Texas – Austin Chapter
Today, fewer than 10 percent of blind children are learning Braille. The National Federation of the Blind strives to improve Braille Literacy by achieving the following goals:
- The number of school-age children reading Braille will double by 2015.
- All 50 states will enact legislation requiring special education teachers of blind children to obtain and maintain the National Certification in Literary Braille by 2015.
- Braille resources will be made more available through online sharing of materials, enhanced production methods and improved distribution.
- The American public will learn that blind people have a right to Braille literacy so they can compete and assume a productive role in society.
