Mobility Resources

Welcome to the mobility resources page. On this page we are assembling information on sources of dog guides, mobility aids, and other information related to ways to make travel easier and more enjoyable for persons with a visual impairment.

Guide Animal Schools

• Leader Dogs for the Blind. Leader Dogs for the Blind was founded in 1939 by a group of Michigan Lions. Their goal was to train dogs to lead the blind and to provide facilities and means whereby trained dogs could be matched to a blind master. The training school and executive offices are located in Rochester, Michigan.
• The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind. Since 1946, the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind has provided guide dogs free of charge to blind people who seek enhanced mobility and independence. They also offer extensive public education vehicles to broaden society's understanding of vision, vision impairment, blindness, and disability rights. They are located in Smithtown, New York.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc. Guide Dogs for the Blind accepts visually impaired students from throughout the United States and Canada for training with a Guide Dog. They provide all of their services completely free of charge, and they are
  supported entirely by private donations. They have campuses in San Rafael, California, and Boring, Oregon.
• Guide Horse Foundation. The Guide Horse Foundation is a non-profit charity dedicated to providing free guides for visually impaired individuals. Their guides are miniature horses which perform similar duties to those traditionally associated with guide dogs.

• The Seeing Eye, Inc. Founded in 1929 the school's mission is: "to enhance the independence, dignity, and self-confidence of blind people through the use of Seeing Eye dogs." It has no branches or affiliates. Located in Morristown, New Jersey, The Seeing Eye serves qualified blind persons from throughout the United States and Canada.

Mobility Aids

• Orientation Tools from Arkenstone, Inc. Arkenstone, Inc. sells a talking map product, called Atlas Speaks, that can help a person with a visual impairment become familiar with an area and its landmarks.
• Soundscapes from The vOICe - Seeing with your Ears. This page demonstrates experimental methods for representing the visual environment using sound. Software is also available for download that can let a person try out these techniques using a personal computer and PC-based camera.

Travel Resources

• A Guide for Persons with Disabilities - Taking Charge of the Air Travel Experience. The Canadian Transportation Agency has prepared a guide to making air travel a successful experience as a person with any of several disabilities. The article is written for a Canadian audience, but it also includes tips that could be useful to anyone planning a trip by air including a checklist to use when preparing to travel.