disability simulations

I have this personal theory that I'd like people to consider: Spending 30 minutes trying to eat in a pitch-black room doesn't really tell you much about being blind. It just tells you how difficult it is to eat a meal in the dark. This seems to be a pretty controversial thing to say, since "disability simulations" like the one the Washington Post wrote about are seen as a "good" way for the able-bodied to learn about the "challenges" that people with disabilities face every day. The theory seems to be that able-bodied folks (like me!) can learn what it's like to be blind by being blindfolded and led around for a couple of hours, what it's like to be deaf by having earplugs for the afternoon, and what it's like to be a full-time wheelchair user by using a wheelchair for three hours a day for a week. Strangely enough, spending a couple of hours in an unfamiliar situation is pretty darn difficult!