Sendero Group Travel Blog

Follow Sendero travelers on their adventures using accessible GPS.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

 

2013 CES: Register Now for Free!


As some of you know, I have been going to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas for many years and have produced a number of show highlights and podcasts. You can find those on the Sendero site.

For the past 8 years or so, CES has provided guides for free. It is such an overwhelming show to navigate that full time sighted help is absolutely wonderful. I don't think they have ever been fully booked. I have ended up most years with two guides just so they have something to do.

The registration is free up until August 31, 2012. It is also wise to book accommodations far in advance to get a good location within walking distance of either the light rail or the convention center. Should you decide to attend, I am happy to share logistical details.

Mike

Monday, August 13, 2012

 

Stevie Wonder visits the SF Lighthouse by Bryan Bashin


We were treated this afternoon to a visit to the Lighthouse by Stevie Wonder. The visit was arranged by Lighthouse longtime friend Mike May, who wanted to show us off.

Stevie spent nearly an hour in our store, checking out the latest tech gadgets and ultimately buying some other items. It was fun to watch him walk around using the MiniGuide, an ultrasonic sensor that detects objects. He bought three.

 Presumptuously I asked Mr. Wonder if he ever listened to music, and when he told me he did we showed him a pair of headphones on a stretchy band one can sleep with. It was great to watch him put on music and sway to tunes with our products.


Later in the afternoon he joined one senior in an unplanned rendition of “I left my Heart in San Francisco” and I thought the senior was going to cry right then and there. Stevie greeted many staff, introduced his daughters and entourage to all present, and then visited the seniors as they were finishing lunch.


Immediately some of the frailest ones cried out that Stevie should sing them something and to our astonishment he broke out in a serious rendition of “You Are the Sunshine in my Life.” It gave us all goosebumps to hear him sing in our little kitchen.

Stevie spoke with the seniors about how he’s working with the United Nations to encourage accessibility in consumer products and wishes to build a world with universal accessibility. He then later urged each of the seniors to pay attention to the skills they learn at the Lighthouse, especially Braille. “In the end,” Stevie said, “You’ve got to feel *something*.”

Needless to say, we were dazzled by the two hours Stevie spent with Lighthouse employees and clients. We couldn’t have planned this in a dozen years.

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