Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield, VA to provide Virginia State Parks staff in southwest Virginia with sensitivity training. The training is meant to help staff better communicate with and serve visitors with disabilities.
Junction Center staff came prepared to make this a helpful and interesting session. The training enabled staff to experience first-hand some of the challenges faced when living with a disability. Goggles were used to simulate being legally blind, having cataracts, a detached retina, and tunnel vision. Then the group was divided into pairs. One person was blind-folded and the other one was not blind-folded. The person without the blind-fold had to communicate how to get down the hall, outside the door, and down a ramp to the blindfolded person. Once outside the pair switched positions. Proper etiquette in dealing with the disabled was also covered.
The two hour training was so engaging that time seemed to fly. It was an eye-opening and informative session.