James Kon

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin experienced walking and dining in pitch black condition during the ‘Dine in the Dark’ event at Pusat Bahagia last night.

The event, organised by SSEAYP International Brunei (Bersatu), aimed to raise public awareness on the challenges that persons with vision impairment face.

The minister with senior officials from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports wore blindfolds and used white canes to walk from the Darul Imtiyaz Hall to the dining hall.

Before the walk to the dining areas, Brunei Darussalam National Association of the Blind (BDNAB) President Jamary bin Danggat briefed and demonstrated on the use of the white cane.

Representatives from BDNAB also demonstrated how blind and visually impaired individuals manage their day-to-day tasks, such as eating, walking and interacting with other people.

BDNAB representative Muhammad Zulhardie Hamdan, in his speech said, “The Dine in the Dark project is being held for the second time. The first was on May 18, 2018. This year it is held in conjunction with the World Sight Day that is celebrated on the second week of October. “The project hopes to raise awareness on the importance of taking care of eyesight or eyes as well as to provide knowledge on the mobility of persons with visual impairment.”

He also hoped that the experience gained can be shared with family members and friends.

Participants also shared their experiences about eating while wearing blindfolds.