The Set of Enlightening Signs for Enhancing Positive Attitude towards Blind People: A Study of Dialogue in the Dark Exhibition

Abstract

This study aimed at analyzing the signification signs that the visitors received the message from Dialogue in the Dark Exhibition-changing their attitudes and perceptions toward blind people from pity into acceptance and understanding. Semiotics was employed to analyze two data sources, namely, data collected from the researcher’s participatory observation, and data collected through in-depth interviews from people participating in the exhibition. The descriptive analysis was used through transformative learnings. The study found 4 key signs, that changed the participants’ pity to acceptance and understanding, included 1) dialogue, 2) darkness, 3) guides, and 4) visitors that assisted to change the visitors’ attitudes and perceptions toward blind people. All these signs were the key factors to support transformative learning process among them. The results from the interviews also revealed that the visitors gained a better understanding, respect, and acceptance toward blind people; however, they still had a pity feeling toward them. In the future, to continue changing the people’s feeling toward the blind, we could convey the message through other activities that could completely change the attitude of compassion for the visually impaired.