A Glimpse into the World of Vision-Impaired Travel

Sue Slater, owner of Presto Magic Travel in St. Louis, is a travel advisor with a mission. Not only is she legally blind, she arranges travel for those who are also visually impaired. She says that at 75 million plus, this population is vastly underserved and her goal is to make the world an easier place for the visually challenged to visit and enjoy.

To the cynical and empathetic who wonder why a blind person would bother to travel, she explains: “People ask me all the tine how I can enjoy visiting museums, aquariums, zoos, and other sights. I always say, it is simple with the right do-arounds…I experience travel through my other senses, through great description, smell, touch and listening. I would imagine other visually impaired people do the same thing when they travel.”

On one of her online travel profiles, she explains, “Being that I am blind, I have been allowed to touch 100-year-old carpets and drapes, feel the carvings on furniture from before the Civil War and felt many beautiful sculptures while people were describing them to me! My motto is ‘Anyone can travel, no matter their limitations’…I am a perfect example of that!”

Slater, who lost her sight before the age of 35 due to retinitis pigmentosa, a hereditary condition, turned to travel in the year 2000 based on a recommendation of her husband…