"Seven Stitches Later": A Technologically Interdependent Travel Experience From The Perspective Of A Visually Impaired Individual

Travel is an integral aspect of our lives, and this rings true for blind and visually impaired individuals alike. This activity can be enhanced with technology to facilitate a safer and more efficient experience, however with the abundance of options available it becomes difficult to establish a decision on which tools to use. In this autoethnography, I propose a technologically interdependent travel framework comprised of five pillars, orientation, communication, evaluation, navigation, and transportation. Based on over ten years of technology-supported travel experiences I have encountered first-hand as a visually impaired traveler, this experience report serves as a demonstration of what tools I have chosen and why, as well as how I utilize them throughout a naturalistic travel experience while associating each tool to a pillar from the proposed framework. I conclude this report with a recognition of existing limitations and opportunities for future research based on my observations and experiences.