The last Dining in the Dark event was held in Bakersfield by Valley Center for the Blind, treating diners to a sensory experience and hopefully giving them insight into how people who are blind or low vision live their lives. Photo via Valley Center for the Blind

For over 50 years, Valley Center for the Blind (VCB) has been a leader in the Central Valley for providing people with vision loss an opportunity to find support, community and training programs.

VCB will host its Dining in the Dark event at Fort Washington Country Club in Fresno on Thursday, Sept. 11. 

Dining in the Dark is a sensory dining experience designed to raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals who are blind or have low vision.

Attendees are invited to wear blindfolds for two of the four courses, relying on their senses beyond sight.

 

Singular experience

Shellena Heber, the executive director of Valley Center for the Blind, said that the food for Dining in the Dark events typically vary depending on the location.

“There’s something so powerful about putting on that blindfold, because usually for the first 15 minutes or so, the room is filled with laughter, as you’re trying to figure out, ‘Did I or did I not get any salad on this fork?’ But after a while, it gets a little quiet, and there’s something wonderful about that idea of being able to put yourself in someone else’s position,” Heber said.

Proceeds from the event will support programs that focus on employment, training and independence for those with vision loss.

 

Return to Fresno

This will be the first Dining in the Dark event in Fresno in five years. VCB hosted the event earlier this year in Bakersfield.

“Dining in the Dark helps us to support our core services, especially in the areas where, unfortunately, there just isn’t a lot of support and funding to help people who are blind or low vision,” Heber said.

The event will include wine tasting, dinner, a silent auction and a speech from a former VCB client who is now an employee.

VCB was initially founded as a volunteer-run social program for seniors. Over 50 years later, VCB provides rehabilitation training, peer mentoring, support groups and employment services.

“In the last 10 years, we’ve really developed into a much more robust program that is really designed to help fill the gaps of unmet needs for people who are blind or low vision in the Central Valley,” Heber said.

 

Rising demand

According to the National Federation of the Blind, around 2.4% of U.S. adults are blind or have low vision. Over 60,000 people in Valley Center for the Blind’s service area are affected. Heber said the demand for services is expected to increase by as much as 25% in the next decade as more people experience vision loss.

For people with vision loss, employment remains one of the biggest hurdles. Across the country, around 70% of adults who are blind are unemployed. VCB works with clients on skills like resume preparation, interview practice and application submissions.

“We help people do everything from preparing their resumes and doing mock interviews, but also go in and actually submit applications,” Heber said. “Not all application portals are built in a way that a person using a screen reader could use, so sometimes we have to provide a little bit of extra help just to be able to get past that first step of sending in your application.”

 

Business partnerships

The nonprofit also operates a workforce development department that contracts with businesses nationwide. With that department, VCB provides call center work, document scanning, digital accessibility compliance and other services.

VCB also has several corporate sponsorships that help make events like Dining in the Dark possible and other VCB endeavors. In addition to sponsorships, VCB works with companies to connect with potential employers. Heber said it’s impossible to do what they do without community support and corporate sponsors.

“We can help businesses make positions right within their company accessible for a person who is blind to be able to perform that job,” she said. “So many of our clients have been eagerly looking for a job for decades, and are very eager to do a really great job for an employer and to stay a long time.”

Dining in the Dark begins at 6 p.m. Sept. 11. Tickets are $150 each, with tables of eight available for $1,000. Additional information is available at myvcb.org.