to share accessible resources for entertainment, news updates, and connecting with students and others. With the extra free time, I had taken it upon myself to be more involved with and communicating more frequently with other blind creators, writers, and advocates. I had been sitting on the footage from the Turkey trip for a couple of months and was assessing the global pandemic to see when it would be an appropriate time to talk about travel. Unfortunately, I still don’t think we’ve gotten to that point 100 percent. However, I decided to rethink the execution of BLIND ABROAD. Though content related to the virus is
valuable, I felt it was important to diversify content, as too much of one thing can be unhealthy to consume. In the process of adapting what would have been an ongoing documentary series, I decided to expand the medium into something more sustainable that made sense in the climate of social distancing. Along with releasing our mini-documentary, I decided to launch a remote podcast, and to blog related to amplifying the voices within the disability community where I could connect and learn from people around the world. I’m optimistic that the world will open up to travel soon, and we’ll be able to follow up in person
with many of the guests I’m bringing onto the podcast to talk with remotely. But I don’t think travel will look the same way as it did when I traveled to Istanbul. Many airlines and governments will have new policies and precautions in place for the health and safety of the public. I can imagine many of these policies won’t consider the blind or disability community as a whole when implementing these measures. I’m afraid much progress we’ve made to travel independently with humanizing accommodations will take a step back for the foreseeable future.
James Rath is the co-creator of a travel documentary series, BLIND ABROAD, focused on showcasing the experiences of traveling with a visual impairment.
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