Dialogue in Dark opens visitors' eyes to visually impaired

Stepping into Dialogue in the Dark takes away a visitor's sense of sight, leaving children and adults to rely on touch and hearing to discover where to go.

Founded by Patrick Cheung Sui-lam, it is a kind of theme park, managed by visually impaired people. The Mei Foo attraction even includes a boat ride.

And stepping out into the light brings new insight, as visitors realise - often to their surprise - that the best-equipped people to handle the darkness were those with limited vision to start with.

The attraction forms part of Dialogue Experience, a social enterprise Cheung set up in 2009 based on a model pioneered in Hamburg, Germany. It also incorporates business games for corporate work.

"Afterwards, when they come out we have a 90-minute discussion, where they reflect on their feelings and their decision-making during the games," he says of the sessions for business.

"For example, how do you measure in the dark without a ruler and without being able to see? How do they communicate with their teammates? Some people become quite controlling, but if others stay silent, they can't communicate with them."

Cheung was once in the shoes of the business executives he works with. After training as an industrial engineer, he conducted efficiency studies in factories to "squeeze the last penny out of the worker", he says.