SPEAKER_00 0:00

Feeling like C by C, and then I just I get a feeling like this is it, this is my seat right here. And I'm I'm feeling my way over and I'm sitting sideways into the seat and just and I realize I'm sitting on some gentleman's lap. Oh he goes, Can I help you?

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Hey everyone, I'm Charity.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

And I'm Austin. Welcome to the Central Vision Podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:34

We're two hosts living with vision loss, sharing honest conversations about life through the lens of blindness and low vision. From relationships and travel to careers and technology, from family and confidence to accessibility and everything in between.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

We'll share our experiences, ask the questions people are already thinking, laugh through the awkward moments, and explore what it really means to live with vision loss.

SPEAKER_03 0:55

So whether you're living with vision loss yourself, love support, or know someone who is, or you're simply curious, looking for a different perspective, you're in the right place.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

I like to consider it my beach attire. Today we are going to be talking about traveling. Specifically, traveling as someone with vision impairment or vision disability or blindness, however, whatever term you prefer. But we all know that it's something we all want to do, but there's always that inevitable thought in our head to where we're thinking, is it really worth it? Because there's so many hardships when it comes to traveling as someone with blindness or vision disabilities. So that's what we're gonna get into today. Now, I'm sitting here with my co-host Charity, and she has made it in, I mean, just indisputably clear that somehow a hotel has hurt her in many different ways. She is not okay with the hotels. And she's gonna tell us why now. And we're gonna we're gonna figure out why these hotels apparently are such a bad thing for vision loss, but we all know they are. So, charity, let's go ahead and get your grievances on the table here.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

If hotels are listening, please take note because I will be much happier if some of these things are addressed. So, yeah, I don't like hotels. I whenever we're going somewhere, thinking about going somewhere, even if it's not just even if we're just taking a road trip and we're heading up to Michigan and we decide we're gonna split the trip in half and spend the night somewhere, I get anxiety over what hotel we're gonna stay at, what it looks like. So it starts when you first walk in the door. When you go into the door of a hotel, usually the lobby is pretty good, usually it's lit pretty well, but then you go into the hallway. And if it's especially if it's a higher-end hotel, pitch black, dark, dark carpeting, dark walls, mood lighting, like glass tables, which is like oh, glass glass tables, awesome. And then not to mention the rooms, like the rooms are always like monotone, they never have overhead lighting. The bathroom countertops are tiny, and they're just not well lit. The first thing we do when we get into a hotel room is turn on the lights, every light, and open the open the blinds and and try to find some semblance of light in the room. And it's just very uncomfortable for me to I mean the layouts and it's all tight and but my biggest grievance is with the lighting. It's always with the lighting.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

Yeah, especially because you know they try to do a lot of accent lighting kind of things, and it's it's so it's just not practical. I get it, you know, it makes sense. Oh, this is really nice. Like, oh, I love that light, but it's just not it's just not practical. And you know, for me with the hotel rooms themselves is even it's even in the same exact hotels, always a Hampton or uh whatever it is, but they somehow manage to have the same room, but not, but not the same room, so like the same lamp, but the switches in a different place, and like this.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

Oh, yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

You know, and this lamp on this side of the bed will have uh will have a switch here, and then this one will be on the wall, but it will be the same exact looking lamp. It's it's very confusing to me. And now I ran into this new thing. Uh and they're probably I think they're probably bringing it in now. I actually noticed overseas was you put your key into the door or into the wall when you walk in, and that's the only way the lights will turn on. And um, that makes sense. You know, then you take it out, so you're not running their electricity. I understand the reasoning for it, yeah, but they really should let you know at the front desk that this is going on. Um, that that's that's a big deal. And and my other grievance for me is I can always smell the pool, but I can't find it. Yes, you know, like I got my board shorts on. I'm looking like an idiot. I'm feeling the walls down there. Like, look at like this guy is trying to swim, but he's not swimming on the right thing or in the right thing, you know, and because they they just have a hallway where, you know, one room's an ice room, one room is a uh storage room, one room's a conference room, one room's a computer room, then there's a gym, and then you can still like you're you're playing Scooby-Doo over here. It's like maybe it's a nope, wait, I went too far. Getting colder, and trying to find it, and you just can never find it. So that's yeah, that's really, really, really hard for me. And they I just don't think they do a good enough job of letting you know, you know, what's going on. And it wouldn't be a big deal to just ask, is anyone staying have a certain kind of a disability? That way we can help them. But there might be a HIPAA rule against that. But if you want to disclose it, we can help you know be safer.

SPEAKER_03 6:11

It's funny when you talk about um each room being a little bit different. So I I've talked about leader dogs for the blind multiple times. And when I their rooms are set up, um, there's two hallways, and I always stay on the Avon hallway. And one time they put me on the Rochester wing, and I'm like, oh it's just a mirror image of the Avon wing, but I was lost. And it you have to remap in your head, like, okay, the bathroom used to be on the right and now it's on the left. The door used to be on the right and now it's on the left. And it's it most people would think it's the exact same room, it's just the mirror image layout, but I yeah, flipping it around in your head is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

You know, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_03 7:12

I take the elevator.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah, I'm a I'm a stairs guy.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

So my preference would be the stairs. Um, uh, but usually, so obviously when I'm traveling, nine times out of ten, I have people with me. If I were by myself, I would probably take the stairs because I can orient myself on the stairs and I don't have to fumble through the whole elevator thing. I'm I'm working on learning Braille and doing the minimal stuff with numbers and that kind of thing, but I don't have it. So when I walk into an elevator, first of all, I have to like stand there for a minute, the door's open, and I stand there and I'm like, is anybody there? Like can I walk in yet? Okay, can I go all the way to the back? I'm gonna position myself against the wall. And like I said, with people with me, it's fine. But if I'm by myself, then I'm okay, are the numbers on the right and or the left? And trying to figure it all out, it's yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Or the or the dings, you know, when you when you hit the button, there's multiple elevators with a bank of them, and you hear the ding, and it's like, okay.

SPEAKER_03 8:20

Where? Which one?

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Which one are you? And then, like, yeah, I mean, then you get the metal, like, nope, not that one. It becomes a game, and then I always I'll always see which one it is as the door is like closing. Closing. There's just someone looking at me like, what is he doing?

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Like, it was it's a very odd thing.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

But that's so for me, I actually tend me and my family, but I tend to try to get hotel rooms that are near the stairs. I prefer that. I don't there's not too much traffic usually either, but then I know exactly where I'm going. And I always have my dog with me, and uh not a guide dog for everyone listening. But I, you know, I it's easy for me to go right down there and not deal with her smelling every single room and whatnot. But the stairs down the however, that is the problem too, is the stair sets inside because they're always the emergency exit cement stair kind of deal. And there is no borders on the stairs, they're just gray washed nothingness. And I mean, once you find that first stair, you're fine. Unfortunately, my dog she will stop as soon as she feels tension, she'll stop. She she knows that she'll pull me down. But that is a big, and I'm very, very surprised. It would not take much to put a piece of grip tape, you know, black, something contrasting across that. It's yeah, hotels should be doing that, and it's it's a little ridiculous. Um, and I I'm at least glad that the ones that I've been to, they're starting to put the shampoo bottles and stuff mounted to the wall instead of trying to find these little itty bitty bottles everywhere.

SPEAKER_03 9:47

Yeah, and and then once you find them, trying to read which is which and not using body wash on your hair and conditioner on your body.

SPEAKER_00 9:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 9:57

For sure.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Um then another one that I I mean it drives me crazy about hotels is they always seem to want to make their lobbies, you know, they want to put these pillars and make them look very 3D, three-dimensional. And I don't understand why, because when it comes town to uh to continental breakfast or what have you, that you're it's like you're you're trying to go around these pillars and hoping you don't walk into the wrong room. I've walked into the kitchen a couple times, and it's just like, what are you doing here? Like, dude, I don't know. Why can it just be a big room? Why do we have to do these pillars, these awkward spaces, and then the high tables and low tables? It's this isn't a cafe lounge, guys. This is where we eat middle of the middle of the way food, but you know, it's just it's not that big of a deal. But once again, I can smell it, but I keep going the wrong direction trying to get to my breakfast. It's yeah, it's and then that's sterics, and I don't want to bump in anyone making like God forbid, you run into someone at 7 a.m. making their waffles and it's just you hate that guy.

SPEAKER_03 11:00

The sad thing for me is I get I develop so much anxiety over it that I don't even go down there. Like if I'm by myself, I traveled a lot for work by myself and I I wouldn't go down there. I wouldn't go get the coffee, I wouldn't go get, but when my family's with me, um, I don't I don't go down there either. I have them bring me at they're like, they go down and they're like, okay, this is what they have. And then they just bring me something up because I avoid dealing with it, which is kind of sad. It's it's pretty sad.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

It is, yeah. And you shouldn't be doing that, but I do get it. I that is actually the only time I'm guaranteed to get up early in my life is to be at a hotel and to get down there before anyone else is down there. If it opens at 6 a.m., I'm there and I'm getting messed up and I'm getting out. I like to eat there where I just take a whole bunch of it up to the room and I just have my own commental breakfast upstairs. And that's yeah, then I'm not in the way, I'm not worried about it. I know where my trash cans are, I'm good.

SPEAKER_03 12:00

Well, again, that's the other thing. Once you're done with it, like where do you go from there? Like, where is the garbage can? It's usually hidden in some corner, which uh all of it is understandable. All of it is understandable for the sighted community, but for those of us who are visually impaired, finding the the hidden garbage cans is it's it's hard to find in a garbage can when it's right out in the middle of the room, let alone the hidden ones.

SPEAKER_00 12:27

Oh yeah, I mean anything, you know, because they're getting very good at hiding. Like, I mean, how do you hide a mini fridge? But I'll tell you what, they hide it from me. I I don't know how they do it, but I'm you know, I am like you know, trying to break open this dresser like it's Fort Knox to find where to put my leftovers in. And there it is. Finally, I you know, move a couple cabinets, drawers, and you know, it's like national trevor treasure with a clue, and you finally find out to get into it. It's ridiculous. But it's it's just it's too much, you know.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

And the remote controls, it's crazy trying to find those. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

And the settings on TV, they're always dark. They're never, you know, and but you can't change them because they have these settings on them where you can't go in and mess with them most of the time. It's it's it's not it's not okay, it's not fair. And it it it's a good way to segue into you know, like airports and whatnot that you know, something to realize about traveling with vision loss and blindness is the destination is the easiest part. It's getting to wherever you're going.

SPEAKER_03 13:29

And that is the the hardest part of it all, which not just getting to where you're going, but the preparation that goes into getting to where you're going. Um, yeah, we choose a destination, and we have to think long and hard about our destinations. So a lot of times we come up with a list of places that we might want to go. And then my husband or my family will go through them with me and say, What do you think about this? And a lot of times I reach out to people who may have been there before. Like my my son and my son and daughter-in-law went to um Tulume and they were went to Mexico City and they went to, I think they were in Cancun for a little bit. And I've always wanted to go to Mexico. And obviously, my son's been my son for 27 years, and he was raised with me having vision loss from before he was born. I had vision loss. Um and so he was raised, he knows the progression of my vision loss. So whenever they go anywhere, I say to him, like, when they get back, so what do you think? Like, do you think I can I like Tulum would be good? How about Cancun? How about Mexico City? The interesting thing was um when they were in Mexico City, he said he saw a large number of visually impaired people in Mexico City. And I thought, well, yeah, I thought that's kind of unusual because I rarely run into visually impaired people that I'm aware of. And he said most of them were sighted guided, like they were they working with sighted guide, but sure. So yeah, once we choose a destination, there's a lot of prep work that goes into it for us, specifically related to me and my vision impairment.

SPEAKER_00 15:20

So actually, let's let's do that. Um when when you're packing, because I have a very specific way that I pack, and it's not the way I used to when I still had all my vision. I have completely changed my preparation for leaving on a trip. So what are what is the way that you do that? Maybe some tips and tricks for the other people out there listening.

SPEAKER_03 15:39

Okay, so I'm a little bit OCD, so and and I don't have good color vision at all. And lighting, even in we we typically rent a like a VRBO or we try to rent a house instead of a hotel. Just it gives us more space. And sure. But anyway, even with all of that, I I pack in Ziploc bags. So I before I go it I open the suitcase, I put outfits together in Ziploc bags, so I two gallon Ziploc bags, so I don't even have to when I get somewhere I can say, okay, these are tan shorts and it's this this shirt. I just pull out the Ziploc bag so I don't have to sort through everything while I'm there. Um but yeah, other than that, I think my packing is just typical. But what about you? What do you do? I I'd love to care.

SPEAKER_00 16:35

So now, okay, so my I use my bed typically. Sometimes I I will either use my bed, but the lighting's not great in my room. I have to go to the place with the best lighting possible in my house. Yes. So that is my kitchen where I have under cabinet lighting and my my lighting above. And I will go in and out of my room and I will get I I lay out not specific outfits because I always like to have an array of clothing that I can wear and mix up outfits that, but I need to make sure I have enough for every single day. So what I like to do is I start with shorts, jeans, whatever the bottoms are. So I'll fold those up, lay them, and I'll make, you know, if I'm there, if I'm gone for five days, it it depends. It's our washer on site, you know. But however many outfits, full outfits I need, and I'll start with the jeans, the bottoms, whatever, and then I'll grab the you know, the boxers, put those in, the socks, put those in, a shirt, put that in, or maybe and then a couple button-ups, you know, depending on what I'm what I'm doing, and a hoodie. But that's the way I need to see it all laid out. And then once I see it laid out, like, okay, I'll go through and make sure, you know, and usually I'm feeling for it. I'm not looking. I'm feeling there's a bottom, there's a sock, there's that, there's that. Good, good to go. Now I'll put that over in the suitcase and then I'll fold it all exactly to fit in the suitcase. It's a little tiring now that I do how far I go into it. But you know what? I never worry anymore. I never wonder, oh, did I pack that? I am so sure. But if I'm on, if I'm in my room, I take my sheet completely completely off to my uh white mattress cover. So then I can see all the contrast of where I'm hands and whatnot. And I have a king bed, so I'll you know operate it like I'm baking a massive cake or something, just move back and forth, back and forth. But that's typically what I'll do and just constantly checking. Did I get that? Did I get that? Did I get that? Just making sure.

SPEAKER_03 18:26

But that's how I typically prepare and and I have specific places for everything. Like um my husband just kind of we do not share a suitcase. We do not share a suitcase. I mean, because he's just throwing stuff in there and it's it's not, I mean, I've got my Ziploc bags with the air smushed out of them and vacuum sealed and all in there. And but then in every little pocket of my suitcase, like I know that socks go here, undergarments go here, my clothes go here, pajamas go here. Everything has in its own specific location where it and it does, like you said, it does become tiring because you have to if something as simple as going on a trip, you have to organize all of that in your head. Or I found myself panicking if something is not where I and it's stupid. Like, okay, nine times out of ten, if I forgot to bring my socks, who cares? I'm I'm I'm in the United States most of the time. I can go to Walmart and pick up socks. Yeah, but I'm I I'm not wired that way, so every if everything's not in its space, then I I getting anxious, but um it is tiring, the prep work is tiring.

SPEAKER_00 19:49

Yeah, and I found that, you know, and I get not everyone's like how to get that, but I I tell myself, because the fact of the matter is with vision loss that we have to accept that we might forget something, lose something relatively easily. And I always remind myself to where, like, listen, if you did it, and I do put everything where it should go, I'm very especially my carry-on, but if I forgot something, the worst that can happen is I have to go buy another one.

SPEAKER_03 20:18

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 20:19

I mean, you shouldn't plan like that. Yeah, I don't see I was in Las Vegas and uh we went to I I go and get reading glasses at the like the three X ones in in multiple pairs at the dollar store, and but they just they shattered, you know. We knock things out all the time and they just break. And they're not meant to last, you know. But I went to CBS to get a pair. The cheapest pair I could find was like $47 for a pair of reading glasses. I know because you're in Vegas, you know, if you went off the strip, you'd be fine. So that's something to consider, but it it's not worth stressing over and rooting your trip or your flight or whatever when you know, like you'll just be able to go get it. It it'll be it'll be okay.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

That's funny because the exact same thing happened to me when we were in um uh not West Palm Beach, uh Destin. We uh we were gone for my daughter's fall break, and I I don't know what happened. My reading glasses were lost, and there's not really a convenience store close to Destin. You have to sure you have to drive out away. And so we just go to this little um we were in Rosemary Beach, and they have this little shopping area, and it's all these niche little shops, and the same thing. I'm like, I just want a pair of reading glasses. First of all, trying to find them was absolutely insane. Like nobody had them. And then when I found them, it was the same thing. It was like they were like 40, 50 bucks, and I'm like, but I needed them, so I got them.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

Yeah, and they saw reading glasses, glasses, you know, thing the Those racks kill me because they are all over the place. They'll have the audacity to put this entire row is, you know, three magnification or 275 or 25 or whatever. They'll they'll have those marked. However, you'll get ones up here, threes down here. And like we're buying reading glasses because we need the reading glasses. We wouldn't be here if that was the case. If they're just all over the place, it's it's an absolute disaster.

SPEAKER_03 22:29

I agree. So what else do you find that you have to do to prepare to go on a vacation? Is there anything else that like you find unique?

SPEAKER_00 22:45

I love airports. I think they're so exciting. And they're they have just enough adrenaline through it, it's like a ride. It's it's it's wild, and you know, you could get you'd have the worst day or the best day in an airport. And true. I I the only other thing I could say about preparation is I walk myself through not what the ex what the airport's gonna be like, the worst it could be before I get there, to just kind of prepare myself to deal with the situations that tend to happen at airports, especially for our community. And I just try to think those through to prepare myself to not be angry or upset and to not get mad at the person that just doesn't know or just doing their job or whatever. Just take a couple 37 deep breaths and you'll be good to go. You know, that that's really all I I do run through my itinerary very in-depth and make sure that I know the times I'm being picked up from buses or whatever, just to if I can, I want to make sure if anything goes wrong, it's not because of my my mismanagement of my trip that you know, so I just try to make sure that that side is completely understood by me, that you can't convince me I'm wrong because I know from the back of my hand that exactly what I'm doing.

SPEAKER_03 24:07

So I have actually started um I'm traveling now a lot more by myself. Um that started last year after I got my my last guide dog. I had hesitated to do it because I I didn't have cane training. I didn't have a dog at the time, and it for me it was it was just impossible. Um, and so I never traveled by myself. And once I got my the dog I had last year, I decided I was going to begin traveling independently in that included airports. Um my family lives up in Michigan, and uh since I'm I'm no longer working, I have a lot more opportunity to go to travel up there without Tim if he has to stay back to work or whatever. So I thought I'm gonna do this. So I start with airports. I first find the airport. Now I normally I would fly Atlanta to Detroit. Um, the Detroit airport, I there's no avoiding Atlanta for me. I'm I'm near Atlanta, so I leave out of Atlanta, but I do have options to fly into Michigan and I can go a direct flight to Detroit or to Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids, Michigan, that airport is fantastic. It is small, it's a smaller airport, it's very well lit, it's less crowded. And so I choose to travel into Grand Rapids. So I'll start looking at airports. Um, where what airports could I travel into and what's gonna be easier? And then once I choose the airport, I even look at the layout of the airport. Like I see where I'm going to land into, and God forbid that they change it. God forbid that they change it. But they whatever we're where we're gonna land at, um, the gate that we're gonna go to, um, how do I I map out looking at the um the airport map, how do I get to baggage claim? I can't read the signs. I'm sure it's very well, you know, um, the placards, whatever saying which way is which to go to baggage claim. I can't find it. But the other thing that I do is um a lot of airports now, and I tried this. Um, oh, I I was coming to or from Michigan. I don't, I don't remember, but a lot of the airports you have free IRA access. And I don't know if you know about IRA.

SPEAKER_00 26:31

No, what is that?

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Okay, IRA is um an app that you can have on your phone and it's spelled A-I-R-A. And it is a service. I don't know if you've ever used like Be My Eyes. Have you ever used Be My Eyes?

SPEAKER_00 26:46

Once, I think. Uh I I actually absolutely love that app. Why don't you just for people listening that might not know what that is, explain what that is as well.

SPEAKER_03 26:53

Okay. So Be My Eyes was the my first exposure to that type of technology. And what Be My Eyes is, is it's an app that you can put on your phone and you just pull it up and you make a phone call. And for Be My Eyes, a volunteer comes on, they answer your phone call, and through the setup on the app, they can access your phone. So if I was in an airport and I didn't know where I was, I didn't know how to get to baggage claim, I could pull up Be My Eyes, a volunteer would um get on the other end of the phone, and using my camera, they could help guide me to baggage claim. And they may have to say, okay, point your phone up. I'm gonna see where, like I'm looking for where it says baggage claim or what um gate you're at. So there's that. Um IRA is in and be my eyes is free. So it's an app that's free and there's volunteers on the other end of it.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

And so right, anyone can sign up for that too, right? To be a volunteer. Any of our sighted listeners out there, you you can jump on and do this. It's just it from what I understand that you just might get a random call or whatever if you set your settings on to accept calls, whatever. That yes, you can be one of those people that helps someone in a grocery store that's visually impaired to see the label. You know, maybe they're looking for gluten-free, but they can't read the packaging. So you can help them do that. It's just a quick little call, and it means the world to us. They we also have it attached to my classes, so we don't have to exactly pull up the phone as well. So if anyone would like to do that, please, if you're sighted, please don't hesitate. We absolutely love it in our community. It helps us immensely. Be my eyes, please check out.

SPEAKER_03 28:38

Or it could be, I dropped medicine on the floor and I've thrown my dog into another room. Can you help me find it? It's just it's just simple things. So that's be my eyes. IRA is an app that's very similar. And I tried it for the first time when I was at uh Leader Dog for my orientation and mobility training. And it is, like I said, a very similar app. It's a paid prescription or paid subscription, not prescription. It's a paid, it's a paid subscription, but you do get um I think it's five free minutes every 48 hours. So if it's something simple that you need help with, then it's free. It's also free in places like Target, um, Starbucks. There's a whole list of stores. And I've actually been reaching out and um inquiring with other stores like Home Depot and Lowe's and places like that, big chain stores, to see if they will bring this on and provide free IRA service in their stores. But that IRA is also available in airports. And so when you get off of a plane, if you don't have assistance set up for yourself, you can get off the plane and use um call up IRA or be my eyes and say, could you help me get to baggage claim? And I've done it before. And it is it's incredible to be able to have that type of service to help me travel independently and to feel good about what I'm doing and feel independent even though I'm having help.

SPEAKER_00 30:13

So IRA is is that free in all the airports?

SPEAKER_03 30:16

Do you know if it's all an all-airport thing or I know that it is in major airports? Um you would have to look up each airport. Um, and you can look up on the app if it's free or not. So if you look go onto the app and you look up, look up Target, it'll tell you it's free in Target. I think you could do it on the app, otherwise you just Google it. Um but yeah, it's in major airports, it's free. I know what is in Atlanta, I know what is in Detroit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

Those are ones that I've experienced myself.

SPEAKER_00 30:45

And I'll make sure I drop these links in the description, guys. So we have the IRA and the B My Eyes for anyone let's look into this and get some more information. So awesome. So when you're so that you use that to help you because obviously the signs, and that's you know, one of the things that people deal with too is you know, when a departure or delay or all that stuff changes, they have the big boards, which aren't as big as you want them to be. And they have and it's constantly moving too, right? It's it changes, and you might just catch the last three letters and then was at it, not gonna wait for it to go around again.

unknown 31:20

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

So that's another thing that would probably be very, very useful. So I like that a lot. Uh, I also want to mention, so I did some research before this, and I did not know that the DOT requires the the airlines to actually take care of you if you let them know. This is very important, guys. This is very, very important. I know, leave your shame at the door. Just just it, you're not trying, it's not about looking cool while you travel, it's not about being the best traveler in the airport because you know what's really cool is a mojito on the beach. It does not matter what if if you're some goopy guy sitting weird in an airport or having trouble, just get where you're going and get that stress off your back. Is it better to be struggling for 45 minutes, sweating and freaking out? Or is it better just to say, hey, I need assistance and just go with it? Uh, but the DOT, the airlines, it is if you get to not not the airport itself, but the actual so you're flying Delta, whatever it might be, that you actually let them know that I need assistance. They can get you all the way from the passion drop-off, they will go through the entire process with you, including TSA, and get you all the way to your gate. So this is something I did not know because I don't know if my algorithm has started showing this, but I don't know if you've seen it. I the last one I just saw with Matthew and Paul online, those guys that uh the the he one of so the one of them has red and eyes pigmentos, and I think the husband is sighted, I'm pretty sure. Uh but yes, I've seen it a lot. The guide dogs have been a heavy issue going through TSA, and it's not because the guide dogs themselves inherently are a problem. I mean, they're trained, all that stuff. It's because certain TSA employees do not know what's going on, and they do not know how they're not trained at all. And it's you know, unfortunately, when I see these videos, uh it's it's awesome to see us not freaking out when we might be freaking out inside, but being very excruciatingly patient. Uh, however, I did find another legitimate thing I just found before we started recording this is TSA care. Have you ever heard of that?

SPEAKER_03 33:33

I have not heard of TSA care.

SPEAKER_00 33:36

So it it seems like an oxymoron a little bit, but it so apparently they they recommend 72 hours ahead of time. If you call the airport you're going to, uh whether you're departing or arriving, whatever it may be, if you call them and give them 72 hours, you'll have to know that you're coming in, that they will actually prepare for you so you can avoid all of that craziness that they'll know exactly who you are, and you'll be able to get through this quicker. And even better, I now obviously I have an experience in myself. I I would like to try it next time I fly and just see what the what it feels like. Maybe wear some wear a camera just so we can see exactly what happens. Yeah. Uh apparently, I from what I imagine is you it's not such they know exactly what they're looking for. They're not gonna be confused when you come through. I would assume that they have someone trained. I don't know exactly what they do to be prepared, but I would imagine at minimum they have someone there who is prepared for you.

SPEAKER_03 34:28

Who's aware, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:30

So that's that's also something to look into. TSA care. That's exactly what it's called. And then to remember the rule of the DOT, because I myself have had an issue with TSA, which is actually what's what gave me the final nail in the coffin to start Rare Perspective go. But I was flying with mom and dad, and we got to TSA. Now we're you know, TSA precheck, and that just doesn't really mean a whole lot all the time. It feels the same sometimes, you know. Yeah. And I I went through there, and then they, you know, they have the thing where you got to put your hands up and thing comes around you. And I do I try to go in there and I keep like something's not get letting me through here. And I finally realized I look down and there's one of those ribbons. Yeah, it's just blocked it off. Like, oh, they're not using it today. I'm glad I feel safe at this airport. I don't know why we're not using this today. It's wild, you know. Sometimes with TSA pre-check, you feel like you're very special, and then there's sometimes where it just doesn't make sense at all. Like, you should still check me, man. You don't know. Yeah, check me. You know, so I'm trying to like the TSA guy says, Go over here, sir. And my mom's mom calls me buddy, but whatever. But come over here, over here, over here. And I'm feeling along this metal gate to get to the little tiny gate to walk through. And the guy started, the TSA guy starts getting more and more upset. Over here, sir. I'm sorry, man, I cannot see. And my mom, buddy, over here, over here, almost. And then boom, got it. It's just I wasn't used to it. That's why it threw me off. It it we can look very confident when we know exactly what we're doing. When we've sighted, we we've done the sight line and we can kind of see what's going on. And then if something is different, it's like moving your water. If someone moves your water, you're screwed. That water's gone forever. It's gone. It's it's the same thing.

SPEAKER_02 36:17

It doesn't exist.

SPEAKER_00 36:19

And then he then he gets even more mad, and it just he, I mean, you can hear him rageful. And I finally get the gate, I'm fine. And then I lean into the guy and whisper in his ear and said, buddy, you need to be easy with people who have visual disabilities or any kind of disability. You need to be careful about what you say to them. It's not okay. And then I pat him on the back and say, Have a good day, sir. You know, that that was me being a little bit cocky, but rightfully so. You know, people should not treat people like that. Um you're like if you're if you think you're upset, imagine how I feel, bud. And I, you know, I slap him on the back, have a good day, and then I get a hand on my shoulder, like, oh, you've been selected for a random security check. Oh, oh, did I? Was it me that got a random security check? Of course I had. But then the guy that was wanting me and going through everything, going through my pockets and all this stuff, he said, I'm so sorry, man. I and he was saying it under his breath. I'm so sorry. I could tell all the way from back here that you were visually impaired in line. Yeah, I am so sorry. And I said, It's okay, man. I appreciate you. You're you're just doing your job. This wasn't your call. I understand it. It's okay. Thank you for saying that. And uh, you know, so then it's it's all fine. And then there was another funny situation, too, which the reason I'm telling these stories, guys, is because I want you to be confident where you go and just let the weird things happen. And I was on an airplane, I never fly at night, I never do because it's super dark. I like I like to fly in the morning and then have the day for me too. But I got on, I was going to Denver, and the funny thing is I look like a weirdo at the airport. I wear a massive, it's called a cloak. It's furry inside, it hangs down below, a super big hood. And this one has like swagger, hustle, get money all across the back of it and stuff, and a flat bill hat, big sunglasses on. I look like a rapper or something, you know. It's very funny, but I like it because people don't people kind of stay away from me, which makes my life a lot easier.

SPEAKER_03 38:21

Of course, then you get randomly chosen from all my bags always get searched when I'm wearing stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 38:26

It's it's hilarious. But I I get on, I got on the plane, and uh I myself like to take advantage of the two cocktails on the plane and before the plane. And uh it just I've seen too many movies and shows, you know. It just it kind of ruined me that just you know, you crash in on an island and you're screwed for a while. And but just get my two drinks, right? So I I used the bathroom on a plane, which I almost always refuse to do because it's it's a whole ordeal for us, you know? And it was dark on top of that. So I get up and I was towards the back of the plane. I get up and I'm just loosey goosey, not thinking to count the seats and to see where I'm at. So I just I go to the bathroom, I come back, and I'm just staring at this entire plane, like, oh no. Where do I go? And I, you know, I'm feeling like seat by seat, like, uh, this doesn't. Oh, that's hair. Nope, not that one. And then I I just I get a feeling like this is it, this is my seat right here. I I know it is, I know it. So I'm sitting down. I'm gonna do this for the camera, those who are watching. I'm sitting down and I'm I'm feeling my way over, and I'm sitting sideways into the seat and just slowly sitting down on and I realize I'm sitting on some gentleman's lap. And and I just sit there and he goes, Can I help you? And it goes, sorry, but uh I can't see very well, and I have no idea where my seat is at right now. And instead of getting up like a normal human being, I just kind of sat there, just you know, just kind of shooting it with them, just you know, so how's your flight going? Uh and then a flight attendant comes up and goes, Can I help you? Because they had just given me a free drink, too, which that helps even more. And can I help you? Can I help you, sir? Like, I'm sorry, guys. I cannot see well at all. I have a vision disability. I have no idea where my seats are. They start laughing, go, sir. Come on, come on. Like, I'm so sorry, buddy. Thank you for the for sharing your seat. Thank you so much. And he just starts laughing, thought it was hilarious. And we go, I think I was a seat in front of him or two seats in front of him. It was absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_03 40:41

So it I you know, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 40:46

No, I I was gonna see if you had anything crazy happen to you. That's just it's again, drop your shame at the door and just it it it it is we can't change it, just roll with it.

SPEAKER_03 40:57

So I always notify the airport, um, the airlines when I'm flying, and honestly, I have never had an issue. I have been very fortunate when I travel with my family, when I travel with my just my cane, and every time I've traveled with my dog, I have had no issue. But really, so on none.

SPEAKER_00 41:18

How do you uh when you say you notify them, do you do you notify them prior or do you go up to the the check-ins and stuff and let them know? What is your assistant for that? All of it, okay.

SPEAKER_03 41:28

All of it, yeah. So when we book our tickets, um we notify, especially when you're traveling with a dog, you have to um provide documentation in advance. So um, but even even when I'm not, um, we always say I'm we always put on the the reservation that I'm visually impaired. When we get to the counter, I mean it's obvious because they'll ask me for my ID and I'll tell the person because I don't I don't want to look like I'm a child, but I'll say, I'm gonna give it to my husband and he's gonna give it to you. And could you hand it back to him? Because I won't see you give it to me. So it I make I make it quite aware that I make them aware that I I can't see and kind of the extent of my vision impairment, like it for a while it was I have difficulty seeing to give you these documents, but I'm okay to make it through the airport, I'll be fine. But now it's now it's not that. Now it's I can't see to give you things. I don't, I'm not gonna be able to find where I'm going. I'm going to need assistance. We also um notify the I and I don't know what it might with, I think with Delta, it's prospect or something, um, that they physically help you through TSA and to the gate if I need that, which at this point I do. But also um all the identification for my dog and stuff. Um, they they've always been really good about that if you provide it in advance and they they look at it and they've been really good about how they handle my dog as well. They ask me specific questions. Um, can we have your dog stay here? And I always tell them I'm I'm not to be separated from my dog. And they cannot, they cannot separate me from my dog even to um uh inspect my dog, which they are allowed to inspect my dog. Um, and and I tell them, yep, you can put your hands on them, just let me know when you're done. Um, and I I just work with treating my dog so it doesn't become anxiety provoking for the dog, but yeah, no issue. The the only thing I will say is um and I traveled internationally quite a bit for work and I did have my vision impairment at the time. It wasn't as bad as it is now, but recently even we went to Hawaii and uh the furthest we traveled was Africa, and I'm telling you, I am the world's most dehydrated person that I get off of a plane. I refuse to drink on a plane because I won't use the bathroom. I can't do it. I it's so difficult. Everyone is set up differently. And you go in there and it's this teeny tiny space. And I'm like, when we went to Hawaii, my daughter was with me, and I'm like, oh, I have to go to the bathroom. And she comes back with me. And how embarrassing to have my daughter like open the door and be like, she's halfway in there with me in this teeny tiny little thing. And she's like, okay, when you close the door, feel here. This is where the latch is going to be. And then I'm in there and I'm I'm locked in there and I can't find the latch to get out.

SPEAKER_00 44:28

And I'm like, how yes, I've been there.

SPEAKER_03 44:35

It's terrible.

SPEAKER_00 44:37

This is how I live the rest of my life, right? Right here. This is my kitchen right here. This is my sink. Yep, right.

SPEAKER_03 44:43

I have water. That's about it. Slide something under the door because I'm not getting out. But I eventually find it, but then I uh I'm cringing the whole time as I'm like feeling the walls, and I'm like, how many people did not wash their hands and touch this door? And I am like uh all over it.

SPEAKER_00 45:06

I love that. Have you um because this comes down to the same thing, like I think we'll be visited in all sorts of episodes and all sorts of topics, but there's a difference between guiding me, helping me, and taking over.

SPEAKER_02 45:21

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 45:21

So do you ever run into that kind of an issue when you're traveling? Because I think it's very easy for you to say, you know, especially if you're noticed as someone that has a vision disability, to that you're you ask for help, you know, maybe you have a kid, maybe you have a dog, you ask for help. And I think people are very inclined sometimes, or they're just they just don't deal with the situation well. And they'll they they might grab your arm, say, here this way, grab your bag and just and just shoot you up and go somewhere. And it's it's kind of creepy, it's it's very intrusive. Um, do does that happen to you?

SPEAKER_03 45:54

All the time. All the time. And what do you do? I have so I have no problem anymore because if you grab me, if you grab someone and you're leading them, if you're guiding them, you can't guide someone by grabbing their arm. That is pushing them forward. That is not guiding them. So whenever somebody comes to help me and they say, Oh, let me help you, when they grab my arm, I just I plant my feet and I say, I would love for you to help me. Can I grab, can I hold your left elbow? And they're like, My left elbow, and they inevitably give me their right, which I can't handle. And then I'm like, no, the other, the other left. Can I have your can I have your other left? I just it's how I've been trained. I need to be on that side. And otherwise, it's like it's like being in the mirror image room. I can't do it. Um, but so yeah, I have no problem planning my feet and saying, I I I'd love for you to help me, but you can't help me that way. And on my most recent trip back from Michigan, um, I was I needed help getting on the plane. I got to the I got to the gate. I needed help getting, it was a weird setup, the whatever it's called that you go through to uh, what is it called? Whatever. The little tunnel that you go through to get to the door of the plane. It was it was really weird and it was Oh yeah. It was set, it had steps, sort of, and it was it was very yeah, it was not steps, but steep ramps. And if you weren't paying attention, it it's very disorienting for someone who is visually impaired to have all of us on the ramp when you weren't expecting it there. But anyway, um, I had asked for help and this young lady was helping me and she was not getting it. She was not like first of all, she was crawling, and I'm like, I'm I'm physically able to move a lot faster. Um, but you know, you feel you feel bad when they're helping you, saying, just like move it. Like they always walk really slow and they talk really loud, like you're like I'm hearing impaired as well. Like I can I can hear you.

SPEAKER_00 48:01

Yes. What is that about?

SPEAKER_03 48:03

I don't know. And they they speak slower and like really loud, like, how are you today? I'm like, I'm totally good. Like, and I just lower my voice, like, I'm totally good.

SPEAKER_00 48:13

Like start whispering.

SPEAKER_03 48:15

Yeah, like, yeah, I can hear you. Um, but anyway, I got on the plane and it was so odd that the gentleman who sat down next to me, like, he sat there for a minute before I even knew he was sitting down. And he's like, Oh, he he introduced himself and we had a good chat on the plane, but he's like, How did you feel about that lady who helped you on the plane? And I'm like, I I mean, she was fine. I got here, I'm sitting in my seat, so whatever. He's like, I had a I had to talk with her. And I'm like, What do you mean you had to talk with her? He's like, I did not like how she was handling you. And I'm like, that is so nice. And then when we went to get off the plane, he said, How are you getting off the plane? And I said, Oh, they'll come and help me. You know, don't worry about it. If if you just get my bag out of the baggage area and, you know, the thing up above, I appreciate that. But they're gonna they'll come help me. They always do, they're great. And he's like, I am taking you off the plane. He said, I did not like how they helped you, I am taking off you off the plane. And it was so nice of this gentleman to and he said the best thing that he said to me that day, and we talked hockey. He was he was from Canada, we talked hockey, so it was great the whole time. Um, and he said the best thing that he said to me was what do I need to do to help you? Like exactly what I need to do to help you.

SPEAKER_02 49:34

Ding ding ding.

SPEAKER_03 49:35

Yes, yes, don't assume what I need and uh the best intentions, but yeah, so what about you? Do you do you have similar situations where people do those things to you, help you in a way that you don't want?

SPEAKER_00 49:51

Not so much in the airport, like I said, people don't want to come close to me in the airport.

SPEAKER_03 49:55

Well, that cloak.

SPEAKER_00 49:57

Yeah, I know there they're yeah, I just don't look like someone to approach. And I but I also part of that's by design, but I also handle myself very well, and you know, like we have talked about in previous episodes, is you and I have very different vision. I still get around well enough to pretend, even if I, you know, hip check a watering fountain or something, you know, drinking fountain. But I don't really have I I have that happen outside of the airport, the outside of all that for sure. And I'm sure when I'm traveling as well, that happens, you know, quite frequently. When I mean it's just people assuming what you need and what kind of help you need. And I don't know where it comes from because if anyone would just stop and think, no one wants to be handled.

SPEAKER_02 50:42

Right.

SPEAKER_00 50:43

Not not in any situation to someone be handled. So I don't understand where that comes from. And I'm sorry if you're having a bad day, but it's just it's because your day was bad, doesn't mean you take it out on someone else who's just asking for assistance or something like that. It's it's it but it's and it's all about giving understanding that the world not everyone is nice, everyone's friendly, and to not get mad or upset and angry with every person that's just not a great person. That's just who they are. You getting mad at them is not gonna change anything, they're just gonna show more of it. So does it better just to move on and ask someone else, you know what? Sorry to bother you, sir. Ma'am, excuse me, would you mind? Absolutely, just forget that guy, forget that person, forget that experience. It's it's not worth it. You're not trying to change the world, you're just trying to get through your travel plans or whatever you're you might be doing.

SPEAKER_03 51:35

Speaking of your travel plans, um is there any place and I and I have one. Is there any place that you've wanted to go that you have decided not to go because of your lack of vision?

SPEAKER_00 51:56

No, I don't think so, really, because there if if I'm gonna do something, it's I I am I fully embrace the idea that we can still do everything, it's just gonna be a little bit harder, it's gonna be a little bit different. So, one of my trips I really want to take, and I have friends that are very excited to want to go with me, but is to go hike Mount Kilmanjaro. Like I really want to do that, and I I know it's going to be more difficult. I I have done little hiking things, and it's been, you know, I've ended up with blood running down my legs because I slip, I fall, I don't see something. But sometimes it's about who you're with, though, right? Because if you're with the wrong people, they don't give the patience that you need. They're they're in some race in their mind for some reason, and I'm a little bit slower. And I also like to just enjoy the journey now, you know. But that's something I'm thinking if I'm willing to do that, there's probably not anything that I'm not really willing to do anymore.

SPEAKER_02 52:51

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 52:52

I don't know about scuba diving because I don't like barracuda and sharks. Those things just scare me. If I can't see them too, and there's just a barracuda sitting there, but no.

SPEAKER_03 53:02

I will say I I hiked in Tennessee and I was with my cousin, and she did not fully inform me. Jessica, if you are listening, I was not fully informed. She did not fully inform me before we were going, and I'm just following her. I'm following her her literally her tennis shoes. I'm following her feet. And we get to the top of this mountain in Tennessee, and I'm looking over the edge, and I am about five feet from falling 40 feet to my death. Thank God I did not know that because I would have never gone up there. But uh and another note, there is one place that I I have always it's been on my bucket list to go to Victoria Falls in South Africa. I've always wanted to go. And I have now erased, sadly, I've erased it from my bucket list. I I'm not gonna go. I I think I've lost too much to be able to see what I I wanted to see. And you have to take some some crazy transportation and the wildlife there is insane. And if I'm gonna be next to a lion that's about to eat me out that I want to see it, I'm not gonna. So that's I think that's the only it's sad that I wish I could have done it earlier, but um finances didn't allow for it.

SPEAKER_00 54:23

Let me let me separate something here. Did is it because you think you can't do it or you won't appreciate it as much as you should if you're going to do that trip?

SPEAKER_03 54:33

I think it's a little bit of both. I don't think I would, if I'm gonna spend that much money on a vacation, I want to be able to enjoy it. And I feel like while I may be able to physically do it, I may be too afraid during the process. I I may have too much anxiety to I'm not gonna go on a vacation and cause myself to have like an anxiety attack. So I and I think that's where I'm at. It was it's I think a hotel's dark, try the middle of the bush in the middle of the night with lions breathing next to your tent. Like sounds. No thanks.

SPEAKER_00 55:15

Yeah, I just wanted to ask that because I I think it's important for everyone to understand to where I truly do believe that we can still do everything. Is it harder? Yes. Is it potentially more dangerous? Yes. Yeah, is it a little bit less fun? Yes. Yeah, however, there is a difference between not being able to do it, and I don't want people out there, I don't want myself especially. That's something I had to get over for myself, is reminding myself that you can do anything, it's just gonna look the same, and it might not be the same experience as it once would have been. However, that's a good point to just acknowledge for all of us. You know, it's always, hey, get out there and travel. But everyone, you know, always worried about finances and things like that. And it it's a hard thing, it's everyone's different position, but I promise you, try to get out there, put money aside, do whatever you need to do, and you don't need to live some lavish vacation, but go see the things you can before you can't if you have some progressive vision losses. Yes, it's so important. And it's it's I mean, it's the same thing they say as you get older, do the things you can because that time goes away very quickly. I'm starting to worry about my needs. You know, middle-aged over here, I'm starting to worry about my needs.

SPEAKER_03 56:22

Oh, for God's sake. Thanks for telling them that, Stephanie. Now we're gonna hear about it every episode.

SPEAKER_00 56:26

Uh how old he is. So the last thing I wanted to two more things, because we're about out of time, getting out of time, is I found an app. So I when I've traveled overseas, I just want to put these apps out there for the technology being used. So I've used one, Google Translate is fantastic. When I was overseas, it was very easy to talk into the phone and then switch it over to the person I'm talking to. They were able to hear it perfectly, and then I'd look at it and he'd either say it or have it spoke or written down, and it was beautiful. And also, something with traveling overseas is it is harder to understand when you're losing vision loss, but it's it's not a legitimate thing. However, my friend taught me this and I fully believe it is 80 to 90 percent of uh communication is body language, and maybe you can't understand someone else's body language because you can't see it per se, but you can do it yourself to help your side. If you can use your hands, your arms, your your tone of voice, that it helps immensely. But other than that, I also found numerous apps across the app store, and I tried many of them. All of them seem to work pretty well, but some things work better for menus or uh I used one for uh a washer and dryer that worked really well in grease, and it was it just scans your screen and then lays out every word where it was in English, and that's not perfect, but it's enough for me to say this is the normal cycle, this is the speed cycle, delicate cycle, you know, whatever. Uh those those brought an immense amount of help to me. And I know this I don't use a screen reader personally, but the screen reader would be able to read all the words it translates back. You just have to hold it distance away and it will go through every word that's in your view. It's very, very useful. Do you have any other apps that you use that help you travel?

SPEAKER_03 58:16

Um, so the metaglasses have live translation. Um yeah, I bought my own uh I bought metaglasses after I went to OM and used them in Target and got to shop by myself. And they have um when I went actually to my the guide dog class where I got Arlo, I was paired with um two women from uh Mexico and they spoke Spanish. And I would I would bring my metaglasses to the dinner table. And one of them spoke very good English. She was actually an English teacher, but she found it hilarious watching me struggle with with my very minimal Spanish. But then I came with my meta glasses, and I'm like, yeah, so metaglasses have live translation, and you can only pick one language. Like you can I picked Spanish and I I would have to unload Spanish and then download, like if I was in Germany, then you download German and um you can only you can't have it's just not all downloaded in there. But I do love the live translation on metaglasses and it's fairly accurate.

SPEAKER_00 59:22

Okay. Yeah, that's very interesting.

SPEAKER_03 59:24

Yeah, but other than that, I um besides what I use, the technology I use in airports and stuff, I yeah, I don't I don't have any others that I can think of right off the top of my head. But if I think of something, I will obviously let you know and we can put it in the show notes.

SPEAKER_00 59:41

Yep, yep, absolutely. So the ones you said earlier though, so be my eyes, look into that, especially the cited the people that are cited that are listening to this, watching this, please hop on that. And if you have the ability to volunteer, it takes no not much of your time to do to just you can pick a chunk of time.

SPEAKER_03 59:59

Yeah, you pick a chunk of time that you're available and you'll say, I'll take a call from four to five on Wednesday. And then if no one calls, you don't have to worry about it. If they call, then you get to help. Yeah, but it's not like your your phone number's on there constantly.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:14

Yeah, and it truly helps. I mean, it makes things that should be easy for us, it allows us to have no stress doing it, whether it be shopping or, like she said, dropping prescription pills. That's a big deal. Uh so we greatly appreciate that. And the other one was a rye, uh, IRA.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:30

IRA. IRA A I R A.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:33

Okay, we'll put that in the notes as well. Awesome. So the last thing I'm gonna ask you. So if you could give some insight to anyone that is considering traveling, considering you will use a cane, you will use a guide dog and whatnot. What if you had any kind of insight overall, what would you tell someone who was thinking about booking that trip?

SPEAKER_03 1:00:52

I would say, I would say do it. I would say do it, but I'm I'm a preparer, so so be prepared. Like, um, I mean, plan what you're going to do and how you're going to do it. That just relieves anxiety for me. Um, but I would definitely say for sure, do it and enjoy yourself. And if you find when you get there that things aren't going as planned, make new plans. Um stay at the stay at the resort pool instead of going on the hike that you don't feel comfortable with. I mean, you can always change plans while you're there, but definitely go do it. Enjoy yourself and and don't let it cause a lot of anxiety.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:32

I love it. That's a great point. Just sometimes plans change and don't let don't let that be what kills your your time. Just go and do something else. Like there's plenty of time or plenty of good things to do everywhere. Um awesome. And I'm gonna say one more thing that I found out is anyone that has had a bad experience or does have bad experience when it comes to traveling on the planes, or it could be trains or anything that would fall into the DOT, the Department of Transportation, to go ahead and you can actually contact them and leave a complaint or leave some suggestion, et cetera. From what I understand, they actually do take this very, very seriously, and they are constantly reading them to update everything that goes on and happens with people like ourselves, other people with disabilities. And the only way it's gonna change if we become vocal about that.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:19

Yeah, it's good to know.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:21

Good to know. So closing out, letting everyone know out there our listeners who are visually impaired, sighted people that might not want to travel for different reasons, go do it and understand that traveling can be stressful, but leave your shame at the door, leave everything at the door. Just we're not we're not here to be the top-tier flight. I sure am not. If anyone would see me in an airport, they'd go, Who is that guy? Like just walking to a forum. It's awesome. But to go do it, go take that trip, go have fun, go have those memories because you never know whether it's vision loss or something else. You never know if you're gonna have that opportunity to go again. It's always important to take that opportunity, take that trip, make the leap, chase your dreams, do whatever you need to do. All right, guys. With that being said, thank you for stopping by. Please remember to like, share, subscribe, follow us. But also, please, if you are someone with vision loss or someone who has blindness, please let us know in the comments. Let us know anywhere you can the trip, the tips that you might have, maybe the tricks that you might have that help that could help other people get through what we have struggles with every single time we travel. And also, I want to hear some of your hilarious stories. If there's something crazy, if you also sat in a gentleman's lap, I want to hear about that. You know, I want to hear all the fun stuff, but it's also it gives us more material for things that we could bring up that are relevant to our community for our future episodes. So thanks so much, guys. Please like, share, follow, subscribe, all that stuff. We are on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook at Central Vision, and then we have our website, centralvision podcast.com. Thank you so much, guys. We'll see you next Tuesday.