Hannah and Emily participated in a sensewalk activity where one person was blindfolded and the other person guided them. Hannah noted feelings of disorientation and a heightened awareness of touch and wind when blindfolded. Emily found the experience busier and relied more on hearing to navigate. Both felt more self-conscious and aware of how people were staring and laughing at them. They realized how the blindfolded person is made helpless and the guide is given power over them.

1. Intervention 3 –
Sensewalk
Emily and Hannah

2. Hannah’s walk
• Always thought that she was going to bump in to something –
but those feelings went away over time
• Woman tried to pass her a leaflet even though she was
blindfolded
• A lot of people looked and laughed
• Held up some boys on the stairs and they didn’t walk around
us just stayed slowly behind us – only laughed when they saw
the bandana but before they gave a sympathetic look.
• Orientation was lost very quickly
• Felt shorter – maybe because we weren’t in a rush to get
somewhere and thinking more about what is going on around
instead

3. Hannah’s walk - Sensory
• Could feel the ground underneath the feet more that usual.
• The wind felt a lot more harsh and could feel it more than
normally.
• Touch was the most used and important sense. For example
the railings on the steps in to campus were important when
climbing the stairs as when it was flat the railing was flat and
when going up the stairs it steepened.
• Didn’t notice that before being blindfolded
• Taste and smell were irrelevant to the area – Couldn’t tell
where we were by different smells or tastes.

4. Emily’s walk
• Was a bit busier as people were walking to lectures so felt
more concerned about getting in the way of people
• Always thought I was walking in to something or was going to
fall over
• Felt quicker than the usual walk home from uni – maybe
because concentration was focused on something else other
than getting home
• Path felt more uneven and the bumps at the lights were not
very good for awareness of where you were.
• Less worried about what people were thinking or doing than
when we were walking backwards because we cant see them.

5. Emily’s walk - Sensory
• Most important sense was hearing – constantly trying to listen
for other people’s footsteps around.
• Could hear the cars and felt more aware of the noises that
they made. They felt a lot closer than usual.
• Didn’t really help with knowing where we were just more
aware of the surroundings.
• Felt clumsy and could trip at any point.
• Could hear things more clearly as that was the sense that was
focused on the most.

6. Power
• Became less aware of what people thought and came to
accept it
• Blindfolded became the subject and helpless and the guider
had a lot of power
• Felt objectified and the guider had the power.
• Thought that people looked more at the person blindfolded
rather than the guider – often would be just a quick glance at
the guider but would stare at the person blindfolded and
laugh!