Hi all!

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

I've done some correspondence with a Christian lady who wants to help set up a travel organization in which qualified sighted companions will travel with a blind person.  Here is her info, below my name:

Sharon

Travel service for blind and visually impaired desiring fully
sighted travel companions, persons also serving as drivers.

Qualifications for companions worki           ng in this program:

Those working presently or those who have worked with persons having
disabilities, teachers of blind and visually impaired, people in the field
of special education, students in special education, persons in blindness
related services but not necessarily a must. These should be individuals
wanting to help others, church workers, community service workers, anyone
involved withclubs, organizations, and retired groups.

Blind persons and sighted companions should be matched well. Screening is
most important for sighted individuals applying for this program. The
program gets started or is born in one's local community.

Sighted persons should be experienced with good guiding techniques and
should be able to describe people places and things. The travel buddy
accompanies his or her blind person from the beginning of the tour till the
end of the tour whether it be a day, three days, a week or two weeks and
maybe longer. Trips do not necessarily have to be designed with a blind
person in mind. Blind persons may wish to travel with a sighted tour company
or group.

They may wish to do air travel, bus, train, car trip or cruise. This is not
necessarily a group of blind and sighted people traveling together.

Since this is not a volunteer service, blind pals should pay for the service
that is offered to them either my partially or completely meeting the
expense of the sighted travel companion. There could be financial issues
both on the part of the blind and sighted individuals in which case maybe
there could be some kind of financial aid or help but in most cases my
observation is that people do not travel if affordability is an issue.

I will attempt to contact blind people in chester county, Delaware,
Montgomery and bucks counties. They may feel free to contact me if they are
interested should such a service become available. I feel that this can be a
unique service that could eventually benefit blind persons in the United
States and anywhere.

Contact information:

Carol Sexton 484-680-2440 email [log in to unmask]

Land phone 610-647-0757.

This is an idea of mine and I know that there is a group that has been
started. Mine would be a bit different but I think that I could work well
with the person who has started a business. I am open for all kinds of ideas
so feel free to share and need ideas both from the sighted and the blind
communities.