Guests at the University of San Diego could choose to eat their dinner blindfolded at Saturday's annual benefit, which paired a sensory dining experience with tactile art from blind and low-vision artisans. The event, called In the Dark, ran from 5 pm to 8 pm at La Gran Terraza on the USD campus, with proceeds supporting both a local artisan collective and university engineering programs focused on accessibility.
According to KPBS, the benefit was hosted by USD's Engineering Exchange for Social Justice, known as ExSJ, in collaboration with GIFTED Blind Artists, Crafters, & Knitters, or GIFTED Back. The evening featured a three-course dinner curated by a USD chef, with guests given the option to wear a blindfold while they ate, experiencing the meal through touch, taste, sound and smell rather than sight. Tickets ranged from $125 to $150 and could be purchased online or by contacting event host Pearl Mecenas at 619-433-4493.
The format is not new to accessibility advocacy. Sensory dark dining experiences originated in Europe in the 1990s as a social mediation model meant to foster dialogue between blind and sighted participants while challenging assumptions about sensory disability, according to Disability Studies Quarterly. At USD, that concept was folded into a fundraiser that doubled as a showcase: the event included tactile artwork created by blind and low-vision artisans, a silent auction, artwork for purchase, and opportunities for guests to meet the featured artisans and hear their stories, per the same event listing.
Who's Behind the Night's Host Organizations
GIFTED Back was founded by Pearl Mecenas after she recognized that blind and visually impaired crafters lacked a dedicated public and online marketplace to sell their work, as reported by CBS 8.
Mecenas now also serves as executive manager of ExSJ, a role made possible after an anonymous multiyear gift enabled USD's Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering to bolster the program, according to the USD News Center. ExSJ, whose leaders include Associate Professor Dr. Odesma Dalrymple, translates community-defined problem briefs from marginalized groups into hands-on undergraduate engineering projects and faculty research. The center has collaborated with San Diego's blind community, including the Blind Community Center of San Diego.
Why the Stakes Go Beyond One Dinner
The dual role Mecenas now holds, linking a grassroots artisan collective directly to a university engineering center's funding and staffing, helps explain why In the Dark functions as more than a novelty meal. Proceeds primarily support ExSJ projects and partly benefit GIFTED Back programs.
That mission touches a sizable population. California had the largest blind and low-vision population of any state in 2023, with approximately 845,000 residents reporting vision disabilities, according to U.S. Census Bureau data published by the Center for Research on Disability. That population underscores why initiatives giving blind artisans a dedicated venue to sell their work and tell their stories carry weight beyond a single evening's ticket sales.
Part of a Broader Local Push for Accessibility
USD uses the Step Navigation application to support campus navigation, as Hoodline has reported.
In the Dark took place at La Gran Terraza, 5998 Alcala Park. Attendees could choose to don a blindfold or take in the tactile art and live entertainment, and the evening was built to support GIFTED Back and ExSJ programs.
