Sendero Group Travel Blog

Jose Can You See Blind Guided GPS Sailing Tour of Biscayne Bay:



In the spirit of adventure pioneered by blind explorer and sailor James Holman in 1820, modern day explorers, Mike May and Scott Duncan are teamed up for the very first time to combine their GPS and sailing skills to show conference attendees around the Biscayne bay. Scott is on a temporary break from his boat in Australia. Mike May is a world traveler famous for his downhill speed skiing and GPS navigation in over 30 countries.

This adventure proves that the blind can lead the blind, or sighted, and hear stories of independent travel and nearly being swept overboard. Kindred spirits combine with modern and ancient navigation.

I waffled considerably about whether or not I should try to attend any of the inaugural events. Two things tipped the scale and I am very happy they did. Ginger Kutsch told me about the ball she and Jim were attending and Sara Beck said she was going just to hang out without tickets to anything, just to be among the revelry. Once I received an invitation from friends to stay at their place, I booked my flights.

I arrived on a delayed flight Sunday, January 18, and changed into my tux on the way to the Disability Power and Pride Inaugural ball, where I met Sara Beck and her sister Heather, my dates. There were 1000 people of all disabled flavors. There were senators and congressmen who wanted to give long speeches and all the crowd wanted to do was to burst into cheers every 30 seconds.

My only lament was that there were probably lots of blind people I knew at the ball but we had no way of recognizing each other.

Nonetheless, we met lots of interesting people we didn't know including 3 state beauty queens with flowing gowns and crowns on their heads. It was interesting to hear everyone's story of why they were there.

Sara, Heather and I danced along with Miguel who would not have stood for being separated from me. It was all pretty fun and crazy.

Sara and I spent Monday at National Public Radio, hosted by Mike Starling who I met at CES. We got the grand tour, met lots of people I have listened to for years on the radio and Sara and I were interviewed about the unique way we met.

Not having connected with Stevie by Tuesday morning, Sara and I and her friend Ashley met near the Mall to see how close we could get to the inauguration. The logistics of moving around Washington were incredible. They took the metro and were delayed because a woman fell under the train and they were all stopped. The bus dropped me many blocks from the mall and I had to walk through the freezing cold for quite a ways to our meeting place.

We joined the crowds flowing toward the mall and just kept winding our way closer and closer to the main event until we had a good monitor to watch and good sound. We were in a sea of people, shoulder to shoulder on the grass beyond the reflecting pool between the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial.

The crowd interaction was fascinating, hearing different accents, comments of where people were from, how they got there, gasps, groans, boos, cheers, clapping, shivering, crying...
When we finally heard the oath, I felt like I let out a breath I had been holding for 8 years. We cheered and hugged knowing this was an experience we would remember forever.

I couldn't help wishing our boys were there too. I had a mileage ticket for Wyndham, which I gave up when I couldn't confirm tickets. In the end, we had an incredibly rich experience in the middle of the masses rather than among the elite. Turns out a lot of people who had tickets couldn't get in because of some mix up.

It bordered on scary leaving the mall. There was no security or anyone directing traffic. We were like molecules in a stream, just flowing into the path of least resistance. When we came to the line of porta potties, we just bounced off and kept flowing. Everyone was very calm and nice about it but the slightest panic could have created a mess. It helped that I had recorded some GPS markers on our way into the mall and Miguel did an amazing job guiding amongst the dense crowds.

We had to walk for miles to find a business which was open and by that time, we were frozen. We thawed out in a pub and relived our experience as we watched the parade on television. We really didn't want the day to end but at the same time, we felt emotionally exhausted. I still can't believe it actually happened and I got to be a small part of Barack Obama's inauguration.

Eight years since Sendero released the first accessible GPS, we are pleased to finally have street maps available in New Zealand, ironic since we began working with HumanWare with the BrailleNote in 2001. Better late than never.
Sendero, HumanWare and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind celebrated this new form of independence in Auckland October 29. Over 100 people attended the reception where they had a chance to see and hear the accessible maps and to toast the collaborative efforts to bring this technology to New Zealand.
After comments from Mike May of Sendero, Maurice Sloane of HumanWare and Neil Jarvis from RNZFB, Stevie Wonder spoke about the importance of accessibility. He graciously talked and took pictures with attendees. At least two television stations were filming.

Meeting Stevie Wonder - and those dreadlocks
The Dominion Post | Thursday, 30 October 2008

All blind Kiwi musician Ese Aumalesula wanted to do when he met Stevie Wonder was to grab hold of those famous dreadlocks.

"It's his trademark, it's a part of him, so I wanted to [touch them] so I could believe that this dream was really true – that it was Stevie, man."

The American megastar, blind since birth, was happy to provide a handful of locks as Aumalesula had some one-on-one time with his idol.

Their conversation sealed a decision for Aumalesula to chase his musical dream, after a string of successful performances on New Zealand's Got Talent with funk band Ease.

"He just told me that I've got my foot in the door now, and just to go for it while it was still fresh. So that's it, there's no doubt in my mind now that I can make a go of it."

Aumalesula was still buzzing from his encounter last night: "It was as if I had jumped off the Sky Tower on a bungy or something. I was all breathless!"

Wonder is in New Zealand for concerts in Auckland tonight and tomorrow. He performed in Christchurch on Tuesday.

Last night he attended a Foundation for the Blind function in Auckland, and joined US software entrepreneur Michael May in launching a GPS system that helps vision-impaired people to get around.

"They give us independence," said Wonder.

"They give us accessibility for the blind. It gives us freedom."

Stevie Wonder launches GPS system
By MICHAEL FIELD - Fairfax Media | Thursday, 30 October 2008
JOHN SELKIRK/Fairfax Media






American superstar Stevie Wonder loves technology and what it can do for the blind.

"It's a feeling of being independent," he told an Auckland gathering to launch a New Zealand version of a GPS system for blind users.

A Californian company, Sendero Group, developed the remarkable device which not only gives voice directions to its blind users, but is also a powerful internet linked computer.

Wonder is an old friend of Sendero founder Michael May who confessed he used the launching of the New Zealand version of the GPS system to catch the star's Christchurch and Auckland concerts.

It coincided with Blind Week, the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind's annual appeal.

As a measure of his fan quality, May said Apple iPods have only, in the last month, become blind accessible after lawsuits in the United States.

He got one and the first thing he loaded up was 585 of Stevie's songs.

Wonder, a big user of technology, said he wanted to spread the message of accessibility for the blind. Video of event and Stevie Wonder's speech

"It is so very important in the sighted world and those in the various places of technology understand that by doing this you are getting a kind of freedom you cannot even imagine."

Technology was making life easier while being fascinating and exciting.

"It's a wonderful thing. Life is about creating joy and making things better."

May's own story is as remarkable as Wonder's. Video of Mike May's Speech

He was blind for 43 years and yet managed to clock a world record speed skiing record - more than 100 kph - got married and had children, changing nappies from the day they were born.

Then came the day the Californian, blind from the age of three, was given the option of getting back his sight and seeing his wife Jennifer for the first time.

Did it ever worry him, as the bandages came off, that he might not like the way Jennifer looked?

"This was the fear of a lot of my female friends and family," he told Fairfax Media.

She wasn't worried and nor was he.

"She was self confident about that, the real beauty of the moment, was that she was there to share the new images with me.

"I knew exactly what she looked like, there was no revelation."

The one eye that gives Mr May 20/80 vision is nearly perfect anatomically, but he cannot see detail as well and still uses a cane or a guide dog.

The GPS system, which fits onto a Braille interfaced and sound enabled device that also provides internet and email, gets the user into the vicinity of where they are going.

"It doesn't make me a blind robot," he said, adding the vision impaired were happy with cane or dog.

The Sendero devices come with "a look around mode" that announces to users what is around, without the need to enter commands.

"The number one challenges is no longer the technology, it's the affordability."

In a country like New Zealand 70 percent of the blind were unemployed and a GPS device cost between $1000 and $10,000.

"It's really important to get funding to help purchase these things; the cost is the barrier now.

"It's like buying a car for a job; this isn't something I am doing to find the local pub, this is so I have the independence to get a job, change a job, to do things with my family, its part of my whole life navigation system."

He lost his vision in a chemical explosion but said he had long come to terms with it.

"In fact it is more about living life to its fullest," he said.

"If one has a good family, a good job, feels good about themselves and all of those positive things, it doesn't matter if you are blind or sighted.

"Being able to see, for me, is icing on the cake, it wasn't something I really felt I needed to do."

Stevie Wonder performs at Vector Arena tonight.

Today, Vieve and I traveled to the Chillon Castle. It was about an hour and a half train ride, with great views of the lake and the vineyards. I used the GPS to set a Replay, and determine which cities we were traveling through and at what speed. The castle was beautiful, and we spent about 2 hours exploring the different rooms and courtyards. The castle was built in the 1100’s and was built along the cliffs of Lake Geneva. On our way back, we stopped in Lausanne where we had a nice lunch along the lake. Today was our day to ourselves to sightsee, and tomorrow begins the exhibits. We are both having a great time, and want to come back to Switzerland soon to do more sightseeing.

Vieve and I arrived in Geneva on Monday without any airplane delays. We spent our first day getting situated and touring around Geneva. Our hotel is located in a very central location, next to the train station, many restaurants and the beautiful lake. Despite being tired from our long trip, we decided to take a long walk around the lake and the surrounding area. We walked up 150 stairs in the Saint Pierre Cathedral, where the views were breathtaking. It was a great way to get a first impression of the city. On Tuesday, we attended the conference and listened to the Presentation of Regional Reports, where we learned about current issues in blindness throughout the world.

You never know when you book a vacation 9 months ahead of time, what will happen, particularly when it comes to the weather. I'd say we got more than lucky.

We arrived in Santiago, somehow ending up in First Class seats for the 11 hour flight that actually reclined all the way down. What a treat. Our skis actually arrived this time. We spent two days mucking around Santiago, where the weather was beautiful.

The 2.5 hour drive to Portillo was a nail-biting one as the local driver popped in and out of the line of trucks winding their way over the Andes into Argentina. The last 29 switch-backs were particularly nerve-racking.

We made it on time to ski some runs on Saturday. The snow-base was 7 feet at the lodge, 12 feet up top, a bit hard packed but great coverage. There are no trees at this elevation, over 9000 feet at the base. There is an assortment of chairs, pommas and these conveyances they call slingshots. Five people line up, pull down a pomma-like thing and then the operator turns on the engine. You are whisked up the steep slope, much faster than a chairlift travels. If one person falls, you all eat it. You are banking on your slingshot mates to be good skiers or boarders. They simply turn the engine off when you are at the top, not necessarily on a flat place.

Sunday was a cruzer day, pretty flat light so not great for those sighted folks on the mountain. Didn't bother me a bit. I did get a little altitude sickness.

Sunday Night/Monday morning, the snow dumped. We woke up to quite a storm. By the time they got the first chair running around 9, we had a good 2 feet of fresh powder. It stopped snowing around noon and was completely clear by 3 PM. They kept the lifts open past 5 because it was so gorgeous and everyone was after the new powder.

If you scripted a snow vacation, you would have a perfectly sunny day after the snowy one and that is what we got Tuesday. There were still plenty of fresh tracks to be had; Carson and Wyndham found them all and even took some runs on a GS race course set up for a local team.

Turns out the Canadian National team is training here for 2 weeks as well as a junior Canadian team. Lots of racers, coaches and trainers to visit with in the hot tub and in the lodge.

Speaking of the lodge, we have 3 multi-course meals each day plus tea. The food has been phenomenal at every meal, even very fresh vegetables and too many desserts. If you aren't eating, skiing, drinking or in the hot tub, you might go to the disco, gym or game facilities. I particularly enjoy meeting interesting people who have skied around the world. My favorite is 78 year-old Gary who has skied 211 resorts and will enter the Thursday race. Lots of stories to share around a pisco sour, the local Chilean drink.

The word is that a monster storm is going to hit Thursday night with as much as 15 feet of snow. If it does materialize, we may either ride it out in hopes of more powder or we may fly to Northern Chile to the desert, which is supposed to be amazing. We'll wait to Thursday to decide. I have been stuck here before for multiple days and had to leave eventually by helicopter. I don't think we want to miss those First Class seats home Sunday night.

Pretty amazing summer vacation. The only thing that would make it better is to be here with a bunch of family or friends.

Mike

As an avid baseball fan, I have a goal to go to all of the major league baseball stadiums. One that was very high on my list is Wrigley field, so I was so excited to find out that I was going to the game while in Chicago for the AER National Conference. On Thursday night, Mike, Robert Kurson, Gil and I went to the game. We had the opportunity to sit in Derrek Lee’s seats, the first baseman for the Cubs. Mike and Robert went to the game early, and got to sit in the dugout and talk to Derrek and some of other players for the Cubs. It was a perfect night for baseball, and our seats were right behind home plate. One thing that really impressed me about Wrigley Field was the die-hard fans. There was not an empty seat in the stadium, and the fans do not leave until the very end of the game. The Cubs beat the Florida Marlins 6-3, followed by their victory song, “Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago what do you say the Cubs are gonna win today. Go Cubs Go!” You would have thought that the Cubs had just won the World Series with how excited the fans were after one victory. Outside of the stadium, it was hard to get a taxi because the streets were flooded with people high fiving each other and singing as the local bars all played the victory song. I had a great time as a Cubs Fan for the night, and now I can check off Wrigley Field on my list of stadiums, with hope that I will go back soon.