Many challenge course facilitators use blindfolds effectively on challenge courses to add more depth and challenge to an activity, to frame an activity around adaptation, tolerance or individual difference, and to focus on leadership, trust, and communication, among others. Though it can be a useful facilitation tool, blindfolding participants can be incredibly intimidating for and potentially emotionally damaging to participants. Along with the emotional safety issue, some school programs also avoid sharing blindfolds to prevent the spread of lice.
Over the past few years I have been brainstorming ideas for using and presenting blindfolds in a way that is beneficial for participants. Recently, I was teaching high school students involved in a semester-long challenge course class, and one fun way I was able to incorporate blindfold use was to have them make their own. They were given an assignment to use their creativity to design a blindfold using materials from home. Students received prizes for the most creative, the most reliable, the most colorful etc. (Everyone received a prize of some kind.) The blindfold creations ranged from " shades" made solely from duct tape and swim goggles painted in gold to a colorfully-decorated football helmet decorated along the lines of a space creature. The students not only ended up with their own blindfold for the semester, but had a great deal of fun using their creativity, had a lasting memento of our course, and had a way to expressive themselves in the group.
Though this may not be realistic for one-day programs, it could work in camps, treatment, and other multi-day programs. A participant in an ACCT workshop last winter suggested giving participants a bandanna of their own at the start of the program that they keep throughout. This could be combined with an interesting processing/introduction activity I was exposed to in college at the University of New Hampshire where facilitators bring bandannas in an array of styles, designs, and colors, and participants choose the bandanna that best represents their personality. This activity traditionally is used as a closing where the group members choose a bandanna as a gift at the end of the program. We discussed using it as an introduction activity, as bandannas can be useful for participants along the way and are a lasting memento of their experience. To read more about the bandanna processing activity, see the book, Reflective Learning Theory and Practice by Sugerman et al.
Other suggestions are the use of Mardi Gras-style masks, painted sunglasses, or other colorful options. I have noticed participants are more comfortable with colorful blindfolds than dark strips. Some programs just have participants close their eyes.
The way we as facilitators frame the use of blindfolds also plays an important role in our participants' reactions. I always tell participants that blindfolds are just a reminder to keep your eyes closed. I never tie the blindfold on a participant unless they ask for help. It is always a choice. Regardless of what kind of blindfolds your program uses, remember the importance of giving participants a choice about what they participate in; remember challenge courses can be captive and blindfolds incredibly intimidating; and remember that the experience should be emotionally safe and empowering.
