Smooth Sailing? Autoethnography of Recreational Travel by a Blind Person
Kate Stephens, Matthew Butler, Leona M Holloway, Cagatay Goncu, Kim Marriott · 2020 · ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS) · doi:10.1145/3373625.3417011
Summary
This paper presents the first autoethnographic study of a blind traveller, documenting Kate Stephens' (the first author) experience planning and undertaking a 28-day cruise around Australia with her vision-impaired husband. Kate, a 63-year-old who has been blind all her life, is an experienced independent traveller with strong orientation and mobility skills. The autoethnographic method — where the researcher studies their own experience — provides an unusually rich, first-person account of the barriers, strategies, and emotional dimensions of travel as a blind person. The study covers a two-year period: the extensive pre-trip planning phase and the trip itself, which was cut short to nine days when COVID-19 forced the cruise's cancellation. Kate's planning notes, field notes, and travel diary totalling approximately 19,000 words were analysed by three researchers (including Kate) using thematic analysis, producing five themes: information access, orientation and mobility, tools and technology, cultural and societal issues, and person-centred issues. A distinctive feature of this study is its detailed examination of the technologies Kate used across all phases of travel. The research team also created bespoke accessible maps and models of the cruise ship for Kate in four formats: text lists, 2.5D tactile graphics on microcapsule paper, laser-cut multi-material maps, and 3D printed models. These materials were developed iteratively through close consultation between Kate and the map producer, allowing Kate to build a cognitive map of the ship's layout before boarding.
Key findings
Information access was a persistent challenge. While pre-trip web-based planning was reasonably successful, onboard information was frequently unavailable in accessible formats. The cruise company's Access Office ignored requests for accessible bar lists, TV information, and stateroom information packs. When the trip was cancelled due to COVID-19, critical rescheduling information was delivered only as printed letters — Kate learned about new flight arrangements by overhearing other passengers. This highlighted how information access failures become acute in emergency situations. The accessible maps and 3D models proved invaluable for building orientation confidence. Kate found even the text list useful for understanding the ship's layout, and the 3D printed model of her deck floor allowed her to plan routes from cabin to key locations. The laser-cut map was preferred for its tactile distinctiveness, while the 3D model gave a sense of the ship's overall shape that couldn't be gained from walking the public areas. Kate took the maps onboard and referred to them throughout, though after building a strong cognitive map she used them less frequently. Cultural and societal barriers included staff treating all disabilities the same (offering wheelchair assistance to a blind person, providing large print when electronic format was requested), passengers making assumptions about Kate's preferences, and discriminatory policies on shore tours that required blind and deaf passengers to have a "carer" present. Kate also documented the emotional labour of constant self-advocacy — repeatedly asking for promised accessible materials while feeling like she was being a nuisance. Technology played a central role: Kate's smartphone was her most versatile tool, used for GPS navigation onshore, accessing Aira for remote sighted assistance, taking photos, and general information access. Baggage weight limits created an equity issue as assistive technology added significant weight.
Relevance
This study has direct implications for the travel and tourism industry, which continues to fail blind and low vision travellers in basic information access and staff training. The finding that cruise staff lacked awareness of how to support different disabilities — defaulting to generic "disability support" regardless of individual needs — points to a widespread training gap across hospitality and tourism. The discriminatory shore tour policies Kate encountered likely violate anti-discrimination legislation in most jurisdictions. For accessibility technology researchers, the detailed case study of accessible map creation demonstrates that multiple tactile formats serve different purposes and that close collaboration between the map user and producer yields the best results. The study also validates the value of autoethnography as a research method for disability and assistive technology research, arguing that the huge heterogeneity within disability communities makes individual-focused methods particularly valuable. For practitioners, Kate's experience reinforces that accessible information provision must extend to emergency and ad-hoc communications, not just planned content — a consideration often overlooked in accessibility planning.
Tags: visual impairments · travel · autoethnography · orientation and mobility · tactile maps · 3D printing · assistive technology · cognitive map · self-advocacy · accessible tourism
Standards referenced: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities