Two years ago, while attending the annual convention of the American Council of the Blind, Terry Horvath asked whether any of his fellow attendees had ever been on a cruise.
The room fell silent.
"In my dreams," uttered one man.
At that moment Horvath decided he would try to make that man’s – and many other blind peoples’ – travel dreams come true.
"Seventy percent of blind people never find employment, which means very few can afford any type of vacation, let alone a cruise," said the Michigan-based Horvath. "That bothered me. I thought, there’s gotta be a way to let people who’ve given up on vacations find a way to do this."
As a travel agent specializing in cruises and as a partially-sighted person himself, Horvath felt particularly well-suited to make such a trip come to fruition. So he started reaching out to the visually-impaired community, the cruise industry, and contacts on St. Thomas.
Much to his delight, his hard work over the last 20 months has paid off, and on Feb. 15 Horvath will accompany a group of 50 blind and partially-sighted people and their companions to St. Thomas as part of a seven-day Carnival cruise.
"Luckily, we’ve been able to put this together at a very low cost to the participants," Horvath said. "And we found some great partners in the Caribbean who will ease the trip for us."
One of those partners is Bruce Flamon, owner of Flamon’s Island and Taxi Tours on St. Thomas. Horvath contacted Flamon while he was planning the trip, and found him to be one of the few tour operators in the Caribbean who was not only willing but enthusiastic about accommodating a group with special needs.
"Bruce has really stepped up," said Horvath. "He has done more than anyone else I’ve worked with to get this done."
Flamon’s desire to help arose partly from his recent experience traveling around St. Thomas with his partially-sighted nephew and his nephew’s blind girlfriend. He recognized that despite the obstacles blind travelers face, the joy they get out of such trips makes it worthwhile.
"I saw how much my nephew enjoyed feeling the ocean breeze in the open air safari taxi, how he absorbed the history lessons that I gave him, how he loved the feel of the water," Flamon said. "It gave me a new perspective on the blind."
Flamon said that in addition to charging a lower rate for his day tour, he plans to accommodate the group by offering lots of extra assistance with such tasks as getting in and out of taxis, shopping, dining, and beach excursions.
"My taxi drivers are up for the challenge," Flamon said, adding that the itinerary will likely include shopping at Havensight, lunch at Iggie’s, and beach time at Bolongo.
But they’ll need help. Of the group of 51 travelers, nine are sighted people accompanying blind travelers as companions, and six others, including Horvath and his wife Patty, are volunteer helpers.
While this ratio of almost two blind people for every one helper is adequate for onboard the ship, Horvath says extra assistance may be required when they are in port. With this in mind, he and Flamon are appealing for volunteers here in St. Thomas.
"When we go to get something to eat or go shopping, it may be a bit difficult without one-on-one help," said Horvath. "For example, many of these folks like to shop, so they will need someone to describe items on shelves and let them touch and feel things, or read menus to them."
Flamon says that the only requirements for volunteers are a good personality, patience, and a willingness to assist. He and Horvath will offer specific pointers on how to assist with walking and shopping on the actual day they arrive.
If enough volunteers turn out and all goes well, Horvath hopes to repeat the trip again next year with even more people.
"We’d love to have anyone who can pitch in come and give us a little bit of help," he said. "I really want to open the Caribbean to the blind. It would be great to see an even playing field for everyone."
"This trip means so much to me, and to them," he added, his voice choked with emotion. "I’ve already had two people say ‘I don’t know how I can repay you for this.’"
Those interested in volunteering on Feb. 15 can contact Bruce Flamon by Feb. 1 by calling 340-513-4041 or sending an e-mail to therealdealusvi@yahoo.com.
