HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi Sponsors Photography Exhibition, The Blind View

The use of cell-phones, laptops, TVs and other electronic gadgetry are an essential part of our lives. Nowadays, people tend to spend most of their time with these visual devices. In a civilization that is as vision-centric as ours, it is usually difficult for sighted persons to comprehend a blind life. However, there is more to being blind than what we see, and our collective subconscious needs a precision surgery to alter our perspective on blindness. The Blind View is a Sightsavers’ initiative that is meant to be the precision surgery that changes our perspective on blindness. Persons that are visually impaired make use of other senses to create visions. What if sighted persons could visualize what blind persons see?

Photography serves as an extension of sight. Sighted people see photography simply as a way to capture moments and scenes. What if they realized that sight supersedesthe simple act of seeing? What if they appreciated moments, textures, and odors through photographs? What if they learnt that there is a dissimilar kind of photography that they are entirely unacquainted with- a unique form of photography that is upheld by the blind?

The Blind View aims to fascinate and astonish people with highly influential events and connections to increase understanding on the abilities of blind persons. The Blind may have deteriorating eyesight, but that is often compensated by a better understanding of their environments using other senses. The Blind View project highlights these realities and confronts the prevalent perceptions on disability.

Sightsavers, in collaboration with Beyond Sight Foundation a photography series for those living with vision impairment, will carry out two photography workshops for blind persons in Mumbai (June) and Bangalore (September). The photos taken in these workshops will be displayed soon afterwards in public exhibitions in the two cities and also in online virtual galleries- all concluding in a gala event in Delhi. Supported by strong online and offline promotional activities, voting for the best photos by the public, and numerous sensitization exercises, the movement will increase awareness about Sightsavers and the significance of the social inclusion of blind people.