Reporter Jane Gargas and I took a trip to Seattle this week to work on a story about a man from Wapato who is losing his sight and learning to live without it. He attends school at the Washington Department of Services for the Blind, where he’s learned to cook, is learning to use specialized computer software and navigate the city without sight. Part of the program, the part that surprised me the most, was his shop class. While the rest of the class taught skills used in daily life, the shop class is designed to give students confidence to tackle whatever life brings. If they can learn to handle a table saw safely without sight, to build a project from scratch, they can have the confidence to step beyond their comfort zone and tackle a multitude of challenges.
When we got to the class, the teacher was insistent that before we make any pictures or observe our student working on his own project, one of us have the actual experience of working without sight on one of the saws. Jane bravely donned the darkened glasses that prevent peeking and was walked though running the radial arm saw.
There’s something to be said for having an experience. While journalists are so often removed from the experiences of our subjects — observers, never participants — I’ve always found that sharing an experience gives me a better understanding of the challenges people face, or the lessons they are learning. It also never hurts to try something new, to be willing, like the people we write about and photograph, to put yourself out there and be willing to risk a bit, to share a little piece of life with someone else.
Picture This | seattletimes.com blog
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