Blind Date

     I chose to dine at Taco Mac in Roswell on Crabapple. My sister works here as a bartender. I didn't tell my sister that I was doing this, and she wasn't working there that night. I came alone. In order to make this as authentic as possible, I wore sunglasses to hide that I could actually see, and I borrowed a walking stick from a friend of mine who is blind. As soon as I left my car, I acted out the part by walking slowly and using the walking stick to feel around. For the most part, I kept my eyes closed in order to become one with my character, but occasionally, I opened them in order to observe the reactions of those around me to my disability. After walking through the first set of doors, the host saw me and opened the second set. Once he greeted me, I told him that I would like to sit at the bar. I did this in order to have more interaction with those around me. Privacy would just have excluded me from interacting socially, which is something that I thought was very important for this experiment. He offered me his arm in order to walk me over to the bar. I accepted his offer. At this point, I had my eyes closed.
     It was Friday night. There were a lot of people there. I could tell by the loud crowd noise. I could also tell that it was pretty crowded, because as we made our way to the bar, I kept bumping shoulders with people. The crowding really made me feel small. I felt very vulnerable walking with my eyes closed and not knowing what was ahead of me. Relying on my host to get me to my destination was a little nerve wrecking. I kept feeling like I was about to walk off the edge of a cliff, or just trip and fall. I definitely didn't feel any comfort during this experience. Although, it did get a little bit easier as the date progressed. What they say is true. When you lose one sense, all your other senses are heightened. Also, you realize that fear is a sense. Well, at the very least it becomes a bigger part in deciding your every move. Overall, I undeniably experienced sensory stimulation.
     We finally reached the bar. After feeling for the chair in front of me, I hoisted myself up onto it. At that point, I opened my eyes a little bit in order to see my surroundings and who was present. As soon as I saw that I had a couple sitting to my left and an empty chair to my right, I closed my eyes again but not before seeing the woman's reaction after processing the fact that I was indeed blind. As soon as she made the connection, she averted her eyes and turned to her date. I don't know why she did this, since I technically cannot see her. The only thing that I could come up with is that she felt guilty for staring in the first place. At this point, the waiter told me that the bartender would be with me in a moment and would take my order. I didn't wait long before I heard the bartender asking me what I would like to drink. I told him what he had in terms of beer. He listed some names before I picked one. Then, I asked him what kind of meals they had and what he might suggest for me, someone who likes chicken but doesn't want wings. I said this in order to not be difficult and have him read the whole menu to me. I chose a meal and let him go.
     During my time there, I had asked to be led to the bathroom. The bartender had called a waitress to help me. Even though I chose to sit at the bar, I realized that the degree of sociality was very low. Other than the host, bartender and waitress, no one conversed with me. I appreciated that these three people were able to show adaptability to my situation in their establishment. They were very nice and willing to help me. This whole experience showed me that I had very little control of my surroundings. Overall, the accessibility was okay. I didn't run into major problems. Yes, there weren't many things available to me, such as a menu with braille, but I had at least the minimum possible accessibility to everything that others did, as well, especially with the help of the staff at Taco Mac. I enjoyed this experience very much.