[Blindtlk] The Cost of Independent Travel

Sat Aug 28 22:48:56 UTC 2010

May I put my 2 cents in here first and foremost the car is something we are 
working on to show other companies, that if a car can be accessible to the 
blind the why not smaller things like keeping books on time for our kids, or 
making stoves and the work place more accessible for everyone.  The car is a 
symbol, I myself don't think I want to drive again, I drove for over 20+ 
years prior to going blind and the idiots on the road I don't want to deal 
with anymore.  My biggest thing is now getting the blind to travel meaning 
on a trip to enjoy their lives, like maybe going to a nice resort in their 
state or a cruise or maybe going to Puerto Rico, etc.

Independent travel also means to opportunity to get around and enjoy our 
others senses we will have including our sense of self, and sense of humor, 
a sense of being a people who enjoy life.

The biggest compliment you can pay me is to recommend my services!

Cheryl Echevarria
Independent Travel Consultant
C10-10646

http://Echevarriatravel.com
1-866-580-5574
skype: angeldn3

Reservations at echevarriatravel.com
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Absolute Cruise and Travel Inc.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gary Wunder" <gwunder at earthlink.net>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 5:26 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] The Cost of Independent Travel

> I asked Mark Riccobono and Anil Lewis who both believe they have talked 
> with
> you. They do not appear smug to me and indicated they enjoyed your
> challenging questions. What they tried to tell you and what makes sense to
> me is that things must proceed in a sequence. There is nothing we know of 
> to
> discuss with an insurance company until there is a vehicle they can see 
> and
> test. There is nothing for us to say to congress about changing the laws 
> of
> our land to eliminate vision requirements to drive until there is a way to
> drive without vision. These issues are important but have to be discussed 
> in
> a sequence which makes sense.
>
> When we have something which is demonstrably safe for us to drive, then we
> start building the base for a change in law. With that change in law,
> negotiations with an industry who will want our business makes sense.
>
> One last point. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. The way we
> will get from transportation on which we are dependent on others to
> transportation which makes us as independent as sighted folks is to take
> each challenge, and indeed, they are significant challenges, and work on
> them one at a time. If you can think of a way to approach Congress and the
> insurance industry before we have a product, let's talk about what we 
> should
> be doing and saying. In the meantime, let's start on the elephant.
>
>
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Bryan Schulz
> Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 11:30 AM
> To: lras at sprynet.com; Blind Talk Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] The Cost of Independent Travel
>
> hi,
>
> well then everyone is not quoting the same stats.
> i was told from the top that just the completed prototype will be 
> somewhere
> between 1 and 2 million with a m.
> my irritation and bias is with the smug attitudes of the people at the top
> that directly told me they don't care about public acceptance, insurance, 
> or
> drivers licenses until there is something on the road.
> talk about being blind, refusing to even begin strategizing how to 
> overcome
> these roadblocks is burying your head in the sand like an ostrige.
> Bryan Schulz
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Lloyd Rasmussen" <lras at sprynet.com>
> To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 28, 2010 11:05 AM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] The Cost of Independent Travel
>
>
> >I am on the NFB R&D Committee, where we have discussed this project
> > forseveral years.  Dr. Maurer or Mark Riccobono would have to give you
> > specifics, but I don't think that we have had to spend very much money 
> > on
> > the blind driver challenge so far.  We are concentrating some effort on
> > getting engineering students to work on projects which would be 
> > beneficial
> > to us, and this is one area where this effort is working.  Our leaders
> > take
> > risks, but they are prudent.  And rapid access to tactile graphics may
> > open
> > up some employment opportunities even if driving doesn't pan out in the
> > near
> > future.
> >
> > Lloyd Rasmussen, Kensington, Maryland
> > Home:  http://lras.home.sprynet.com
> > Work:  http://www.loc.gov/nls
> >
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> >> On
> >> Behalf Of Brian Miller
> >> Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 5:37 PM
> >> To: 'Blind Talk Mailing List'
> >> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] The Cost of Independent Travel
> >>
> >> Hi Dave,
> >>
> >> I totally agree that just because something is difficult, or because
> >> sighted
> >> folks say it just can't be done, doesn't mean we shouldn't try it.
> >> However,
> >> we are not an organization with infinite resources, and we must choose
> >> carefully what it is we will  commitment our limited resources to.
> >>
> >> I'm sure our leadership has considered this, and is well aware of the
> >> range
> >> and scope of choices to be made, and the impact such choices will have 
> >> on
> >> our resources.
> >>
> >> I wish those of us in the organization who are not directly involved in
> >> this
> >> effort knew how much of our resources will b committed to this
> >> endeavor --
> >> how much time, how much money, how much person-power.  Perhaps this
> >> information is out there and I've just missed it, but as yet I haven't
> >> seen
> >> such a breakdown of the resources we've committed or will commit.
> >>
> >> Again, this doesn't mean we shouldn't do it, it just means we need to 
> >> be
> >> aware of what the consequences will be to making such a choice -- i.e.,
> >> this
> >> is important enough that we've committed X amount of whatever to the
> >> effort,
> >> and as such, it also means we may have less for something else.
> >>
> >> Best always,
> >>
> >> Brian Miller
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
> >> On
> >> Behalf Of David Andrews
> >> Sent: Friday, August 27, 2010 4:25 PM
> >> To: Blind Talk Mailing List
> >> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] The Cost of Independent Travel
> >>
> >> A number of people here have pointed out problems with developing a car
> >> that
> >> blind persons could drive.  It seems to me that the tone of some of 
> >> these
> >> messages, if not the words, is that this is something we shouldn't do
> >> because of this and that.
> >>
> >> For sure, there are lots of problems ahead of us.  However, one can
> >> choose
> >> to see these as challenges and opportunities, not disabling problems. 
> >> We
> >> can always find reasons not to do something.  Doing it is harder 
> >> because
> >> we
> >> must go against conventional wisdom.  However if we had accepted what
> >> sighted people said we could do, or not do, all along, we would still 
> >> be
> >> in
> >> the dark ages, literally and figuratively.
> >>
> >> Dave
> >>
> >> At 08:32 AM 8/26/2010, you wrote:
> >> >Hi Ray,
> >> >
> >> >I do think you make some good points, and I have thought of these
> >> >questions myself. I understand the underlying purpose of the
> >> >project, but there are a lot of problems to be worked out before it
> >> >is even remotely possible. I do think there are much more productive
> >> >things that we could be doing with the funds that are being put into
> >> >this project.
> >> >
> >> >I go back and forth on this issue. Mostly though, I wish the
> >> >organization were putting its money somewhere else.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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