I was exposed to the challenges of visually impaired persons at a young age. My godfather, and my Dad’s best friend, was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at the age of 23. I grew up with a different vantage point from those who could see the world clearly. The lack of understanding for someone who could not fully see where they were going had angered me at an early age. When I was older, I realized that I was in a minority of young people that had experienced the struggles and challenges of visually impaired persons, first hand.
With the knowledge I had acquired throughout my years, I set out to write and design a manual to better train restaurant employees when serving the visually impaired. The implementation of the manual takes the burden off of the visually impaired patron and helps create an independent environment for them. This project addresses the important issues of disability and empathy when serving people who are visually impaired.
