Jackie Hull has hospitality in her veins. Since eighth grade, when her parents ran a little country inn in northern New Jersey and her favorite subject was geography, she has been a natural for the industry. Here she speaks with Travel & Disability editor, Scott Rains, on her experiences creating Outta Sight Travel - a unique resource pioneering multi-sensory travel.
In 1999, I met Gary Metzler through our mutual involvement in the local LIONS club. Gary is totally blind and also uses a hearing aid. The LIONS are noted for helping the blind and I felt it would be hypocritical for me to not help one of our own, so I offered him my assistance if needed. We started "seeing" each other and got married in September of 2000.
Shortly after we started going together, I was invited to the inaugural celebration of the Carnival Triumph. Our party was sitting in the theatre enjoying a beautifully orchestrated show - the costumes were magnificent, the choreography was fabulous, they featured lasers and pyrotechnic displays, and the stage set was phenomenal. All of a sudden it felt like I was slapped on the face and it dawned on me that Gary would not be able to appreciate any of this. That's when I realized that it would be necessary to start "looking" at things differently.
Travel agents often have questions about serving clients with disabilities. I have heard from some who are genuinely puzzled why anyone who can't see would go "sightseeing." How do you educate travel agents and suppliers about the needs of your clients?
Gary started to travel more and more with me. One afternoon he was sharing his experiences with a counselor at the local blind resource center and she asked why he wanted to travel when he couldn't "sight-see." That's when we decided that it was necessary to go beyond "sight-seeing" and experience the world with a multi-sensory approach.
Gary enjoys the sounds and smells of the destinations. He thoroughly enjoys experiences - things like riding in a Cable Car in San Francisco, the streetcars in New Orleans and the double-decker buses of London. We have one particular story - it's funny now, but at the time it was a very horrific experience.
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