Travel can use technology in the right way to help vision-impaired travellers

Founded in 2004, Traveleyes continues to grow in popularity among fully sighted and blind travellers worldwide.

 

Year upon year, more travellers join our groups from all over the world – but more can still be done to improve the experience for vision impaired holidaymakers.

About 95% of airline websites are not accessible, for example.

 

Traveleyes’ website is fully accessible enabling blind people to book a holiday with the same ease as any sighted person.

 

Hotels are often not accessible in certain areas – particularly the more luxury modern hotels as they often use touchscreen technology for lifts and air conditioning.

 

Ironically, the more traditional lifts with braille, for example, are more accessible. Aircon units are the same – no longer using tactile buttons.

 

And can we have more voiced technology and voice-activated technology for touch screens, in lifts and in rooms. It’s really not so difficult!

 

Why can’t all lifts announce what floor they’re on? An Alexa (or similar) in a hotel room would make things like finding light switches and adjusting the aircon so much easier for blind and vision impaired travellers.

 

The main bugbears facing our travellers continue to be dealing with preconceptions about what they can and can’t do.

 

Too many assumptions are made without engaging properly with those travellers to see if they have the capability to participate in certain activities, and secondly considering making adjustments so they can partake in activities.

 

At Traveleyes we never assume our vision impaired travellers can’t do things – they often want to do more than the sighted travellers on our trips, including the more adventurous activities like skydiving.

 

We have made travel accessible for vision impaired and blind travellers by pairing them up with fully sighted travellers (not carers) which means they don’t have to rely on their own friends and family members to go on holiday and experience the world.

 

Sighted travellers who join us are often solo travellers themselves and are keen for a more purposeful travel experience.

 

They don’t have to have any knowledge of blindness (we train them) and they receive a significant reduction in their holiday price in return for sharing their eyes.

 

Travel agents can help their clients too by making their websites accessible, especially for screenreaders, and by always alt texting website images.

 

AI and technology are very powerful and if used the right way can improve the lives of disabled people in this area.

 

Agents should ideally think about finding hotels that have the right accessibility needs for their customers.

 

Talk to clients and find out if they need a room near the lift or stairs, the swimming pool, or the restaurant, for example – although, an “accessible room” is not necessarily accessible for blind people.

 

It’s hard to find anything when it’s in odd places specifically designed for wheelchair users, and the emergency cord can be a liability when you think it is the flush!

 

It would also be good for travel agents to learn about how special assistance works at train stations and airports and have those contacts.

 

When organised, everything will generally run very smoothly, but it can be very frustrating if not.

 

We receive great feedback from our blind travellers – and sighted people love our trips too.

 

They often comment on how they take in more of their surroundings as they describe the sights and explore the destination with their other senses.

 

At the end of our holidays, there is always a strong sense of fulfilment shared between all the travellers.

 

If other travel companies can continue to adapt and improve their technology and services, then even more vision impaired holidaymakers can experience the world more easily.

 

All travel agents are welcome to contact Traveleyes for more details about fam trip opportunities to get a first-hand taste of how accessible travel works at its best. It would be a great way to expand their knowledge of blindness, remove any preconceptions, and all whilst having a great time!