Hi everyone,
Do you wonder how the disabled can go away on vacations and have fun like non-disabled?
Going on vacations or venturing away from home might be difficult for some disabled. Others maybe cannot go away because of medical conditions. Some might be recently disabled and need to get used to doing things differently in their new world. Others have no problems.
With some creativity, technology and planning disabled can successfully go on vacations or get away for needed rest and relaxation.
I am very happy to say my wife and I went on a vacation with just the two of us for the first time since I lost my vision. We spent our 19th wedding anniversary away while on trip. I missed my 12th anniversary because I was in coma at the time. My wife did not forget, she dressed up, came to hospital and was with me, even though I was with her only in spirit. This vacation took special planning and organization to help it go smoothly for both of us.
Deciding to try something new
My wife and I had a very rocky road to say the least after I went into a coma, lost my vision, became diabetic, got neuropathy in both legs, lost the ability to walk for one year and many other obstacles to overcome. With such drastic life changing events,my loving wife was a little unsure if she could handle being solely responsible for me away from home with nobody to back her up if she needed help. I was not worried myself since I go to work in an office, attend meetings at local remote locations and attend other events. Venturing further away for a few days was something new for both of us and we were ready for this challenge and experience.
Time to plan for a successful trip
My wife can see, but cannot drive long distances or on freeways. Since my wife does not drive long distances ,the first challenge was finding out how to get where we wanted to go. I picked a place not too far from home for our first trip.
Luckily I have family living near and asked for help with overcoming the first hurdle of how to get to our destination. I politely asked my brother for help. Plan was for him to drop us off one day and pick us up another day. We would have to take public transit or walk once at location to get where we needed or wanted to go.
Our destination we chose for our first vacation alone since I went blind was a bed and breakfast (B & B). For those of you who might not know what a B&B is; B&B’s are houses converted into places where the public can stay. This kind of lodging creates a very friendly and family like atmosphere. They have B&B’s across the US. My wife and I had stayed at this B&B we chose for this very special trip before when I could see and drive. Since we would have no vehicle on this trip eating breakfast at the place we were staying made things easier.
Incorporate Technology
My wife and I still had to worry about finding places to eat for lunch and dinner and any recreation we might want during our trip. Luckily increases in technology for the blind has improved in some areas and offers aids that did not exist a few years ago. I brought along my talking GPS system on my braille note taker so we could travel the streets without worrying about getting lost. We could search for local shops, restaurants and places of interest; all accessible to the totally blind.
I brought along other things, like my talking glucometer to measure my blood glucose level, a portable digital voice recorder to record quick notes when ever I wanted, and my braille watch, so I could check the time anytime, even at night without waking up my wife with a talking watch.
Non Technical Solutions
Had to plan to bring all medication now that I am a diabetic. I used one of those plastic holders that had a compartment for each day. I loaded up compartments prior to leaving on trip. This made taking pills easier each day. I had two smaller plastic containers which I carried in my pocket. Each morning I filled one smaller container with my day’s supply of medication. In the other small container I would have a sugar pill in case of any low blood sugar attacks. I take insulin twice a day. After testing my blood glucose level in morning and taking my morning dose of insulin I filled an extra syringe of insulin. This extra syringe I put in a portable insolated hard container which I could carry with me during the day in case we were having too much fun and did not feel like coming back to our home away from home any time soon. I planned on having fun and had to be prepared.
Ready to Explore
As I walked through the streets, my wife told me how clear and blue the sky was. The gentle warm breeze was very relaxing as we walked through the city streets. I felt the sun hitting my face; it was the perfect temperature. Not too hot, just absolutely perfect. We were very close to the ocean and we could smell the freshness of the sea blowing in the air. My wife described the very flat crystal clear blue ocean. Because the ocean was very calm and had no waves I could not hear the ocean sounds from the streets.
As we walked, my wife described all the beautiful old Victorian houses painted in a rainbow of colors. They all sounded so perfect. We ran into a few carpenters remodeling or repainting a few of them ,and talked to these workers. Everyone was very friendly. All houses had such tremendous gardens. They seemed to have such an amazing array of flowers. So many I thought I was walking through a florist shop. The smell of flowers was so great I could picture in my mind all the different flowers with their different colors and shapes of petals. I even felt and brought to my nose some very large flowers to smell up close. No bees; I was safe. We talked to some of the owners of houses as we walked. These people seemed so peaceful and happy. I thought it would be very relaxing to take care of such beautiful gardens. We walked many, many miles exploring the streets, beach, shops and restaurants during our trip.
At the B&B
Each night after dinner we would come to our home away from home. It even smelled like home. In the evenings they would bake hot fresh chocolate chip cookies and have them out for guests. They would serve freshly ground coffee as well. Smell was amazing when you walked in from outside. My wife and I would go to the dining room, eat cookies and have coffee. We would meet the other travelers from all over. Everyone was so nice and very friendly, probably because they were as relaxed and having as much fun as we were. One of the days we were away it was my wife and my 19th wedding anniversary. A very nice couple from Ohio took our picture after we had returned from our celebration dinner. Usually if I was just sitting nobody knew I was blind. Not until I stood and they could see my white canes did they notice. Nobody cared a bit and treated me just like any other. I think B&B’s are like being in a person’s home. I even got to know the owner. Met all the workers and they got to know me and my wife.
I think my wife’s and my first vacation together with just the two of us was a grand success. Now hope to go on more trips. Hope my wife can be more relaxed and confident in herself and me when we travel together in future.
Summary of things I had to plan for
•Destination, is it accessible; Is it within your travel distance; How can you get around when you are at location; are things close enough, like food and other places you might need?
• How will you get to your destination?
• Medications; be prepared for anything.
• Does your disability require special eating routines and diet? Make sure you have a place to keep food and medication in room at safe temperature.
• Does your disability limit you in amount of luggage you can carry?
• If you use technology to assist you, do not forget extra batteries and chargers for devices.
Does anyone else have tips to help the disabled or family of disabled travel? Any stories of trips others would like to share? We all are very interested and would love to hear from you.
Picture of my wife and me standing in front of bed and breakfast.
Bill Tipton
Contributing Author,
Global Dialogue Center
http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/
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