I often hear the argument that making something accessible for blind people is not worth it, because there aren’t many blind people using it. My argument usually is that if it was accessible, you would have more blind people taking advantage of it. It is even more difficult when we don’t just make something accessible..
First Blind Man to Complete Race Across America
Dave Wilkinson, a blind 30-time marathon runner and Ironman, is planning nothing less in 2024 but to join the Race Across America bicycle race event. He will ride on a tandem bike with Jim Trout who has done this race several times before. They will ride 3000 miles in 12 days, across 12 states. I..
ChatGPT helps blind people in travel planning
I was curious if ChatGPT has any ways to help with travel planning that I couldn’t do with any other tools, so I put it to the test. I tried a few things where I had challenges previously, and overall it was able to help me in two specific ways: finding more efficient ways to..
I Almost Lost My Friend to a Preventable Accident
The other day my friend was walking home from work using his white cane. All of a sudden he stepped into a hole, dropped 8 feet, and submerged into mud and water covering him all the way. It was the middle of the winter, the water was about 40 degrees Fahrenheit. He survived, due to..
How to Introduce Yourself in a Meeting
Introduction Over the last few years, you may have noticed that many meetings and conference presentations start by people describing themselves. The idea is to make the meeting as inclusive for visually impaired people as possible. But is it for visually impaired people only? Does it make a meeting more inclusive? Is it mandatory? There..
Trip report to Scotland with a guide dog
I recently read a post on a mailing list from Eric Caron, who explained the difficulties of traveling with a guide dog to Scotland. He wrote about the days of travel arrangements, paperwork, and expenses. I asked Eric if he would be willing to share his story with you. I have to say I had..
Blindfolds Are Not the Same as Being Blind
Often when discussing the experience of being blind, I find that different simulations are implemented to explain what it feels to be blind. Probably the most common is to put on a blindfold. While such exercises can have many different values, the only thing they don’t simulate is what it means to be blind. However,..
Preparing for Life When You Are Going Blind
Introduction If you or any of your relatives are going blind, it will probably be one of the biggest life events. It is hard to avoid trauma, but it is important to know that people who go blind can continue doing what they were doing with modifications, and it will also create new opportunities. Going..
Remembering trips
Previously I discussed that for blind people sometimes the only way to experience something is to get on the road and touch it. But there is a difficulty with this. While sighted people can take photos and videos, for us it maybe a chance of a lifetime and the only thing we can do is..
Why Blindness is Expensive and Time-Consuming?
I always tell people that being blind is expensive and time-consuming. Just by the nature of things, the expense parts can be cut back to some extent, but the time consuming will always be a thing. I could provide numerous examples, but for now, let’s concentrate on some of those which are related to travel..