1. Smooth Sailing? Autoethnography of Recreational Travel by a Blind Person.
- Author
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Stephens, Kate, Butler, Matthew, Holloway, Leona M, Goncu, Cagatay, and Marriott, Kim
- Subjects
COGNITIVE maps (Psychology) ,AUTOETHNOGRAPHY ,ACCESS to information ,ASSISTIVE technology - Abstract
We present an autoethnographic study of an independent blind traveller, Kate. It recounts her preparation for a 28-day cruise and then her experience onboard the ship. Her planning notes, field notes and travel diary were analysed in terms of five main themes: information access, orientation and mobility, tools and technology, cultural and societal issues, and person-centred issues. This analysis provides a deeply personal account of the barriers–in particular information access, orientation and mobility and staff attitudes–that she faced, as well as the skills and tools that she used to overcome these. A particular focus is Kate's use of technologies to access visual information and the provision of accessible maps and models before the trip to help her build a cognitive map of the ship's layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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