Even for the most adept, traveling can present unexpected challenges. But when you are struggling with a disability, or helping someone who is, making travel predictable is a must even before you start out.
This is true for a variety of reasons. People with certain special needs such as autism often feel anxious about visiting new places, and would like to know what it will be like beforehand. Others with physical disabilities need to know whether a building is handicapper friendly and whether or not there are grab bars in bathroom stalls, and if so, which side(s) they are on.
Enter AbleEyes.org. Founded by a special education teacher Meegan Winters, AbleEyes.org contains 360-degree videos of the inside of buildings, including restroom facilities, produced by Google-certified photographers. The site also includes short How To Videos and What to Expect Videos.
Auditorium of Hurst Planetarium at Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Mich.
Women’s restroom in Hurst Planetarium at Ella Sharp Museum
Examples of How To Videos include life skills such as going to the library, checking out books, clipping nails, playing tag, sweeping the floor, tying shoes, washing hands, putting on deodorant, and much more.
Examples of What to Expect videos include what to expect at the airport, when getting a hair cut, when going to the doctor, when going to the dentist, when riding a bus, and when going to the Wharton Center (a theater in East Lansing, Michigan).
The site is adding to its video collection continually and invites users to contribute suggestions for videos and places to be mapped on its Request a Tour/ Video page. The site also welcomes user-created How To Videos and What To Expect Videos on its Submit Videos page.
The site is completely free to users and is paid for by businesses who want to be featured on the site. If you would like to find out more, you can subscribe to a mailing list for weekly video and tour updates and/or contact Winters at meegan@ableeyes.org.