[GeoStL] Geocaching for the Blind
- From: Pam Ekey <pekey@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Geocaching <geocaching@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2005 15:25:04 -0800 (PST)
-
Sometimes I may think I'm blind when I'm geocaching, but this story is about
the visually impaired who use gps units for navigation, and yes, geocaching.
I'll never complain again when I can't "see' the cache.
This is from the Cincinnatti Enquirer:
Saturday, January 8, 2005
Guiding might
Visually impaired turn to satellite data devices for travel, games and everyday
mobility
By Deborah Kendrick
Enquirer contributor
They came to Ireland from the United States, Scotland and the Netherlands.
There were 20 in all, gathered at the Royal Dubliner Hotel to share a toast,
plan tomorrow's adventures and pool their files from a day of geocaching.
The notion of hidden treasure long has captivated imaginations, so it's no
surprise that the 21st century has put a technological spin on the sport.
Geocaching, as it is called, began in May 2000 when then-President Clinton
removed the restrictions on satellites in the global positioning system (GPS),
making that information available for civil and commercial use, in addition to
the military.
GPS devices already had hit the mainstream, but the lifting of what is called
Selective Availability rendered the possibility of pinpointing a location about
10 times more accurate.
Armed with Internet access and hand-held GPS devices, people from each of the
50 states and 210 other countries gathered in Dublin in September to track down
designated sites in Ireland and Scotland - just for the fun of it.
But this wasn't an ordinary contingent of geocachers. This blind and visually
impaired group had one Irish-trained guide dog among them and a flurry of white
canes. Fifteen of the 20 carried electronic personal organizers, called
BrailleNote, over their shoulders.
Each BrailleNote was equipped with GPS software (that talks and displays
information in Braille) along with a hand-held Delorme Earthmate satellite
receiver.
Like other tourists, the group visited historic sites, museums and pubs,
navigating the unfamiliar towns with their GPS devices. The devices were loaded
with street maps and local points of interest.
To locate additional landmarks, participants typed in street addresses or
longitude and latitude coordinates and a pedestrian or vehicular route was
constructed.
Each evening, the group talked about what they wanted to do the next day. Some
went to kiss the Blarney Stone, others to a seaside village, others to find
live music.
"I think my favorite discovery," said Valorie Stanard, 44, of Kansas City, Mo.,
"was finding the Cork City Gaol (pronounced jail)." "We were given a tape and
headphones, and we were able to tour the whole place by ourselves. You could
feel everything - the bars, the life-sized models bound in chairs - everything."
The "Way Fun" trip was organized by Sendero Group LLC, a California-based
company that has been the leader in harnessing the power of the global
positioning system to assist blind people.
Michael May, blind inventor, entrepreneur and Sendero CEO, captured the wonder
in an online blog:
"I was thinking ... as I strolled from the cyber café back to our hotel. Here I
was in Cork, Ireland, a place I have never been before today, and within 10
hours was feeling at home and very oriented."
As the Way Fun adventure in Ireland and Scotland ended, many were asking,
"Where should we go next? Alaska? Canada? Maine?"
No matter what that destination might turn out to be, the additional
independence talking GPS software affords blind travelers will be a treasure in
itself.
Information about GPS software designed for use by blind and visually impaired:
www.SenderoGroup .com and www.VisuAide.com.
RELATED STORIES
? Treasure hunt winner
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