Posted: 9/22/16 | September 22, 2016
The ability to see all the charm in the world — from a sunset over the mountains to the mist of the cloud forest to the crystal blue waters of Thailand — is something we often take for granted.
Personally, I’ve always wondered what would happen if I were to lose the ability to see it. would I have the fortitude to carry on? how would I adapt? I mean, I’ve never even sprained a finger!
A few months ago, I received an email from a reader named Tyler, telling me about how he travels with his friend Dan, who is legally blind (he suffers from incredibly low vision). I was immediately inspired by Dan’s story. born sighted, he started going blind in his teens but adapted and didn’t let it stop him from traveling.
The much more Dan, Tyler, and I talked, the much more I knew this story had to be shared on the blog. though I recognize the irony in sharing a text-based interview about traveling blind, nonetheless, here is Dan’s inspiring story — and some very wise guidance for us all.
Nomadic Matt: Hi Dan! thanks for doing this! Opowiedz nam o sobie!
Dan: I’m 31, from Nobleton, Canada. I started going blind when I was a toddler. A family friend discovered that I was sitting abnormally close to the TV, desperately trying to look whatsoever the awesome planes in top Gun. I ended up getting a prescription for absurdly thick corrective lenses like Mr. Magoo.
When I was seven, I was kicked in the back of the head by accident by a friend of mine and ended up with a detached retina, leaving me blind in my left eye.
In 2008, the vision in my best eye started to go red. I was told that my best eye’s retina was coming off. For the most part, the surgery to repair the tear was a success, but the scar tissue wasn’t healing properly. I had two much more operations over the next two years, but the recovery process was slow.
For a large chunk of that time I was completely blind. At first, I was extremely light-sensitive. It wasn’t until much later I was able to regain some, mostly blurry vision — but with the added bonus of retinal scar damage!
After recovery and long fight with depression over losing my vision, I realized that I had a choice: adapt or stagnate. I chose to adapt, better myself, and to just keep moving forward.
What it’s like to live a life with a vision disability?
For me, living with a impairment is something I’m practically used to, though there are always challenges. For example, my only big requests for my former housemates were to keep cupboard doors shut, not leave knives in the sink (I’d choose to keep all of my fingers), and not leave anything on the floor that wasn’t there before.
It’s really the little things that are difficult, and that can honestly be embarrassing. With low vision, you rapidly learn to mistrust anything made of glass, specifically glass doors. who knows where they are, if they’re open, or even if they exist at all!
Many public and private buildings and services simply aren’t available by their nature. One case being train stations: I can’t see the board with the arrival/departure times, or the platforms. Usually, there is support available but my pride and independence imply I try my hardest to navigate situations myself.
I use an iphone to take a photo of the train times and zoom in on it, letting me relocation at my own pace. using a small, high-resolution screen lets me have a better look at the world around me without having to get within inches of the subject.
What’s fuels your passion for travel?
My passion for travel comes from my family. Both of my parents are nomadic at heart. My dad traveled all over the world in his youth for various reasons, eventually leaving his native France to come to Canada.
My mother is a brilliantly independent woman who travels across Canada and beyond, speaking on behalf of the Lions foundation of Canada, an organization that offers canine guides to people with a broad range of disabilities, not just the blind.
In fact, she’s completely blind and travels with a canine guide herself. Our disabilities aren’t really connected on a hereditary level. She’s been completely blind because before I was born, and has worked with canine guides because 1989. She’s a huge inspiration to me and a major part of why I do my blog and YouTube channel.
Beyond family, I travel for the people. You can’t walk through a hostel without a pleased Australian sticking their hand out with a “how’re ya goin’?” I realized people are genuinely curious about my vision, my cane, and my travels. I feed off of their curiosity, and I love being in a position to tell stories. I just love learning about how the person across from me got to be across from me.
What challenges did you face traveling with low vision? Were some countries simpler to travel in than others?
Luckily for me, Europe (where I mostly travel) tends to be fairly accessible. While it’s nearly impossible to retrofit a thousand-year-old church with available ramps and touch tours, to their credit, many have typically made some sort of effort.
Sometimes it’s as easy as a large-print or braille guidebook, or in some cases you’ll have a full-blown exhibit in which people can feel the objects on display.
When I first started traveling back in 2012, I had the most difficulty in Barcelona. I was still learning how to work with abnormal street crossings. anybody who has been there can attest that, for better or worse, their intersections are octagonal. It’s also insanely busy.
But then I went to Morocco. We made a video about it, but holy cats, Barcelona is like walking through an empty grocery store by comparison. imagine all the vendors calling out to you, the cars and scooters going at road speed wherever they want, the scammers coming up to you with their sleight-of-hand and silver tongues.
Imagine holes in the sidewalks, beggars splayed out and blocking pedestrian traffic, and the heat. combine that with the din: the noise of all those people and cars, the music blaring from shops and stalls and cars, the shouting of hawkers.
Now imagine that with one hand occupied holding a cane and only half of your vision and that blurry, foggy, and tired. Morocco was, understandably, intense for me.
I know this a dumb question but how do you manage to travel if you can’t see? Do you always have someone with you? Like, what are the mechanics of it?
I’d say my travel style is very much like many other backpackers’ but slower. For example, say I’m taking a train from Vienna to Munich. I know the train is at 11:00. So, what I do is find the display board. any ounce of clarity I may have with my vision sort of peters out after a few feet so what I do is find as large a group of people as I can.
If they’re all facing the same way, they’re probably staring at the train timetable board. I’ll look the same direction they are and find the inevitable big, black, square blur. I figure that this is the train board, take a picture of it with my phone, and shuffle away to a quieter, calmer area. I’ll then have a gander at the photo and find my train’s time at my own pace.
I like to travel with another person, but it’s much more because I’m a social person than I need assistance. I’m currently on the road with one of my best friends, Tyler. He’s been a hugely integral part of three points of Contact, a passionate traveler, talented musician, and natural videographer.
He and I met four years ago while he was working in Lyon, France, and became friends straight away. There are few people out there I would count on as much to travel with.
What particular guidance do you have for low-vision or blind travelers? What are some essential logistics to consider?
The best guidance I can give to them is the same as I’d give to anyone: use common sense and count on your instincts. If something feels wrong, make it known, ask questions, and don’t be scared to change your situation.
For the most part, people are good and naturally look out for us, because the cane is an internationally recognized symbol of blindness.
That’s a double-edged sword, though: we’re also easy targets so count on your gut. get out there and travel, show people you can pull it off the same as anybody else, no matter how poor your eyes work.
What kind of resources are there for blind or visually impaired travelers on the road? Is there a network out there? Spotkania? communities that you could join?
Blind or low-vision travelers are living in a fantastic time to be abroad. services and support groups are easily available on the Internet, and numerous organizations reach across the world. In Canada we have the CNIB, the UK has the RNIB, and across the planet are other resources and contacts for the blind.
By contacting these resources, you can find available routes, get in touch with transit specifically for people with low vision, and simply have a support net if required.
Resources that aren’t blind-specific, like Facebook and Reddit, are outstanding to connect with other disabled people as well.
Couchsurfing is fantastic to meet people who are prepared to show you around, even if you don’t crash at their homes. creating contacts and asking questions expands our range of movement!
Do your family and friends support your traveling escapades?
My family is a well-traveled bunch. My sister and I were lucky enough to explore Europe much more than a few times growing up. My mother travels all over Canada doing speaking engagements, and my dad is originally from France and has been all over the world.
Even my grandparents have been circling the globe for over 50 years. So, it really came as no surprise to them in 2012 when I announced I was going on the road.
They were, of course, nervous at first. but they also knew that trying to dissuade me from the idea would be futile: I’m stubborn and they know it. My parents, my sister, and my extended family have all bEen niezwykle wspierający, ponieważ pierwsze pomruki tego pomysłu.
Czy możesz nam opowiedzieć o swojej następnej przygodach?
Po zakończeniu tej obecnej podróży w Europie nie mam pojęcia, jaki będzie mój następny port. Naprawdę pociąga mnie Australia i Nowa Zelandia, Japonia i dolna połowa Ameryki Południowej.
Ale szczerze mówiąc, myślę, że nadszedł czas, abym odkrył własny kraj. Kanadyjczycy podróżują po świecie, ponieważ odwiedzenie własnych jest tak trudne i drogie, co jest wstydem. Jest to drugi co do wielkości kraj na świecie i widzimy go mało.
Tyler może dołączyć do mnie w jego części, a nasz przyjaciel Amy (Chicagoan, który występuje w kilku naszych filmach z Portugalii i Hiszpanii) wyraził zainteresowanie dołączeniem do nogi!
Co jest na twojej liście życzeń?
Bardzo chciałbym nauczyć się żeglować. Mam ten obraz w głowie łapania wiatru i odczuwania kontroli nad łodzią jak żaden inny. Przy odrobinie szczęścia będę miał okazję następnego lata, aby spróbować jeziora Ontario.
Dawno temu, kiedy byłem w pełni zachowany, zaplanowałem również kilka podróży. Jeden w Kanadzie i na zachodnich autostradach przybrzeżnych. Nigdy nie widziałem Pacyfiku i naprawdę muszę to zmienić. Kolejna podróż zabrałaby mnie na rodzaj trasy bluesowej/muzycznej: Chicago, Memphis, Nowy Orlean.
Mam nadzieję, że wkrótce dotrę do Chicago.
O.K., Ostatnie pytanie: Jakie masz wskazówki dla osób niewidomych lub innej niepełnosprawności?
Moje wskazówki jest pamiętanie, że nic nie warto zrobić, jeśli nie jest to trochę przerażające. Będą chwile, kiedy będziesz się spieprzyć. Zostaniesz zraniony, zawstydzony i zdezorientowany. Musisz wziąć te chwile i uczyć się od nich. dostosuj się z nich. Skorzystaj z tych okazji, aby edukować innych.
Ponieważ chociaż większość ludzi jest miła, hojna i pomocna, jedyną osobą, na którą naprawdę musisz odpowiedzieć, jest ty.
Posiadaj trudności i trudne czasy, a oni nigdy cię nie będą właścicielami!
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Mój najlepiej sprzedający się przewodnik w miękkiej oprawie w New York Timesa po podróży światowej instruuje cię, jak opanować sztukę podróży, abyś zejść z utartej ścieżki, zaoszczędzić pieniądze i mieć głębsze wrażenia z podróży. To twój przewodnik do planowania A, który BBC nazwał „Biblią dla podróżników budżetowych”.
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