Dialog in the Dark Exhibit

I went on a field trip over the weekend with the Ralph Chandler Middle School Band and Strings. The director of the band and strings, Susan Wines choose for the children to experience this exhibit. This exhibit left me almost speechless. All the tour guides are blind or visually impaired. Our guide was blind. His sight was taken from him at the age of 39 by a gunshot to his face. As we prepared to go through the tour we were given a cane to find our way around. We were taken into a lighted room and then the room gradually darkened. Our guide asked us all to stand up and follow his voice as he guided us into the first room. There we were able to touch the floor, listen to sounds and smell. It was a park. We had mulch, tree’s, sounds of birds and flowers. Our next stop was the grocery store. Our group identified the shapes of items in the store like a gallon jug, cans, fruits and vegetables. Did you know that in the dark you can shake a can to tell what is in it? A gallon jug in a cooler isn’t always milk. We can use our hearing (to shake it) and our touch to feel the weight. A gallon of water weights more than milk I found out. I just never paid attention to the weight of a gallon. The guide then took us on a boat where we heard the motor of the boat, water, animal life and touch of the wind on our faces and the rocking of the boat. The last room was a café where we could purchase soft drinks and ask personal questions of the guide. We learned that he chooses his clothing by the type of fabric and that he has a machine that he can put his money in to tell him how much it is, like 10, 5, 1 etc.

What happens when we have light whenever we wanted it and suddenly it was taken away by an act of violence as it did to our guide? Well, one of the students asked a question? She asked: Do you hate the guy that shot you and is he in jail for what he did to you? The guide answered no he didn’t hate his shooter but he forgave him and they became friends and that he wasn’t in jail because he went to heaven. Our guide demonstrated to the children that he forgave his friend as God forgives us. I think that our guide left a strong impression on how great of a God we have and forgiveness can be given to a human no matter how bad it may seem. Even though his visual light was taken, he still had light in his heart to shine for us to feel. He brings God glory by sharing his story in the dark about forgiveness every day to all ages.

If you get the opportunity to visit Atlanta, this is a wonderful exhibit to take your family to.