"Seven Stitches Later": A Technologically Interdependent Travel Experience From The Perspective Of A Visually Impaired Individual

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Travel is an integral aspect of our lives, and this rings true for blind and visually impaired individuals alike. This activity can be enhanced with technology to facilitate a safer and more efficient experience, however with the abundance of options available it becomes difficult to establish a decision on which tools to use. In this autoethnography, I propose a technologically interdependent travel framework comprised of five pillars, orientation, communication, evaluation, navigation, and transportation. Based on over ten years of technology-supported travel experiences I have encountered first-hand as a visually impaired traveler, this experience report serves as a demonstration of what tools I have chosen and why, as well as how I utilize them throughout a naturalistic travel experience while associating each tool to a pillar from the proposed framework. I conclude this report with a recognition of existing limitations and opportunities for future research based on my observations and experiences.