Building Empathy for the Visually Impaired Community
This project was special for me, created as part of my Experimental Storytelling course at the University of Washington’s graduate program. It was an open-ended class where we could experiment with topics of personal interest. As this course took place in the spring quarter of my first year, I was still in the process of solidifying the direction for my thesis project, which I would pursue throughout my second year.
Before beginning graduate school, I knew I wanted to focus on the intersection of visual impairment and design and on how individuals with disabilities are considered throughout the design process. This project became one of my first opportunities to explore different avenues and mediums for conveying my message. As someone with mild visual impairment, I feel connected to both the sighted and visually impaired communities.
A key focus of my project was to help these two communities understand one another better, as both are often misunderstood by the other. Through conversations with several individuals in the visually impaired community, I found many stories that could help sighted individuals gain insight into the daily challenges faced by those with visual impairments. This project is not intended to make sighted individuals fully experience or empathize with those in the visually impaired community, but it aims to serve as a starting point for meaningful conversation.
For accessibility, I chose an all-audio format, making it approachable for the visually impaired community. I recognize that this may limit access for those in the deaf community, but I hope to add closed captioning or find another accessible solution soon. Rather than using a narrator, I wanted to incorporate familiar background sounds to situate each story and make each scenario relatable. The project includes three unique stories based on real experiences from individuals with visual impairments—situations that were embarrassing or challenging to explain at the moment.
I hope you enjoy the audio and come away with a greater sense of empathy for those in the visually impaired community. This project offers a small glimpse into the struggles faced by this community, while also showing that it’s okay to find humor in uncomfortable situations and learn from them. Above all, we each face challenges, but they don’t have to define who we are!
