[Travelandtourism] This Sunday the Long Island Chapter and other NFB members will be doing a ship tour

[cheryl echevarria]

I have been working very hard with some of the cruise lines to change there ways of thinking.

One of those ways is doing a ship tour on the Norwegian Gem this Sunday in New York City.

I had invited 20 people with forms of travel skills and mobility skills, meaning sighted guide, cane and guide dog users.  All are eager to go.

This came about when I had first posted about a year ago to do a fundraiser on the a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, people were telling me, well don't you know that they don't allow blind people or guide dogs, or whatever was brought up. That made me stop and wonder what was going on.

So I contacted the cruise lines, and they had me speak to the head of the Access Department, Ms. Cathy Vazquez on the matters that were brought up to me. They realize that in the past that no only them but many of the cruise lines were not welcoming the disabled in anyway shape or form and were sued not only by the blind but other disabilities as well.

Since then, and this is even before my time with the NFB, they have been implementing many things to the cruise line, like braille elevators, and staterooms, not making blind people go with sighted people, making sure that all the ships knew that guide dogs were allowed and making accommodations for them as well.

I have to say that Norwegian and I have a great passion to make all our clients truly happy.

So as of this morning, the Norwegian Gem now has braille menus at all of the restaurants on the ship as well, and will be implementing them fleet wide.

So we will be off this Sunday, October 9, we have 4 guide dog users (including myself, but maxx is old hand at this anyway), many cane users, also some parents of blind children as well. This is not a children event. This will a ship tour of the state rooms, the entertainment areas, all areas of the ship that any client would want to go, restaurants, party areas, etc.  plus lunch on board, where doggies will have the bathroom areas, and a Q & A with the Access Department.

On the other hand ships like Royal Caribbean are getting rid of there braille, and what I found out from a person who own Special Needs at Sea on of my suppliers that works with the cruise lines to do there brailing and other information, such as wheelchair and scooter rentals that he found out for me that the printers and the software that they are using the people don't know how to use them or they don't have the proper information anymore, and we are working together with some ideas floating about how to work with us the blind and the cruise lines in the ways of jobs in the field or as independent contractors but still in the air of this.

Keep stayed tuned.



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Cheryl Echevarria
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