A Quick Exercise
Give this activity a try in your setting and see what it reveals. This is an excellent way to put people in the place of learners with disabilities and highlight even simple changes that would greatly improve the learning experience.
Grouping
Break folks into groups of 3-4 people and give each group one blindfold. The blindfold consists only of a linen napkin or bandana – just big enough for someone to hold over their eyes. One person in the group must wear the blindfold by wrapping it around his or her eyes and holding it in the backs of his or her head. There’s a reason they “use up” their hands as a resource.
Activity 1
Start with one piece of paper. On that piece of paper, there are various words and pictures. Ask each group to come up with an organizing schema for the words and pictures – group them by similarities. Explain the groups and why they put different objects in each group. They have 5 minutes. The room is a little quiet at first, but soon there is a lot of talking – first, those with sight left start explaining what the pictures are. Some in detail, some without detail. Then they move into creating the groups. They usually designate a note-taker to write down the groups and indicate what words or pictures go to which group.
They report back to everyone on those groups.
Observation notes: Never have the blindfolded individuals been selected as note-taker or reporters. However, when you call on the blindfolded individuals specifically, most can remember the group categories, but not which words or pictures went into the category. In fact, their recall schemas are usually different from how the group organized the words and pictures. The blindfolded individuals have tended to organize more by sounds in the words or picture names, or by visual features of the pictures (and associations with similar words) as described to them by their classmates. They draw a picture in their heads and start sorting based on what information they’ve been given. Sometimes the information given to them is scant; sometimes it is rich. Be sure to call on those blindfolded to note these results.
Activity 2
Now, switch to a second exercise. We give them tangible objects (manipulatives) and ask them to sort these into groups, too – groups based on differences instead of similarities. We’re doing a basic compare and contrast exercise. These objects are 3-4 leaves, each a different color (green, yellow, red and brown), 3 silk roses (one a bud, one in mid-bloom and one fully bloomed) and several nuts, including a walnut, acorn, and pecan.
Usually, the groups quickly give the objects to the blindfolded individuals. Most wait for questions before they describe anything, some do not. Once they have the groups created and their groups, ask them to report back to everyone.
Assessment
At the end, give them an assessment. Pass out blank sheets of paper, ask them to take out a pen or pencil, and explain that they’ll now be assessed on their learning. Tell them their grades will be based in part on recall and in part on penmanship. Then ask them to list the groups from the first exercise, the groups from the second, and name some objects, to include describing color or size. Move through the assessment questions at a quick clip, doling out 7-8 questions in 2 minutes. At the end, collect their papers.
Reflection & Articulation
Reflect on the exercise – what did I as the “instructor” do well? What could I have done differently or better? How could I have designed the materials differently? What about the assessment at the end – what could I have done differently to support success on the assessment? And what about their fellow “classmates” – how did they support or hinder the learning of the blindfolded individuals? What did they do that helped, hindered, or what did they not do that might have helped?
Observation notes: Usually, the group agrees that the instructor could have explained expectations up-front for what students would be tested on, that this would have altered their individual strategies. The instructor could have provided flexible materials – usually the recommendation is for electronic materials. The blindfolded individuals, while they appreciated the help, really wanted to be autonomous. And finally, they usually agree the instructor could have designed a far better assessment that would have been a true measure of learning.
And what happened during the exercise with the folks who were blindfolded? By the second exercise, many have found something to hold their napkins or bandanas back so they free their hands – this is akin to freeing up cognitive resources because their attention is split as long as their having to pay attention to both the blindfold and the exercise. This is what many students with physical or technical accommodations face – they have to pay attention to much more than just the learning materials and exercise.