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.