• According to a study by the French Federation of Guide Dog Associations for the Blind (FFAC) revealed by

    20 minutes,

    one in two visually impaired people has already given up going on vacation.

  • Because the sum of obstacles to overcome is often enormous.

    Websites dedicated to tourism are still too little accessible to visually impaired people.

  • Their guide dogs are not accepted everywhere.

    And access to on-site recreation is often limited.

"It's like that every year.

As soon as I see the summer vacation approaching, I wonder what I'll be able to do for two months,” explains Flore, 26, a college French teacher and visually impaired.

For her, as for the 2 million visually impaired people in France, going on leave is not a formality, but a hassle.

From the preparation of the journey, the obstacle course begins.

According to a study by the French Federation of Guide Dog Associations for the Blind (FFAC) revealed by

20 minutes,

70% of visually impaired people find it difficult to book a ticket, hotel or stay online because 90% of sites are still not accessible.

“The sites are poorly designed and the text-to-speech software reads the information out of order, making the info incomprehensible.

Many of them also ask to validate the order by Captcha.

Which is not possible for a blind person”, observes Alexandra Blanchin, general manager of the FFAC.

“Sometimes the voice synthesis triggers in English.

Or the sites are stuffed with images that the software describes every time.

Every summer, I spend whole days surfing on these sites”, also underlines Flore.

The sites sometimes offer telephone assistance, but this is not at all systematic.

“Too many tourist places still refuse guide dogs”

While some only have to put their finger on a map to decide where they will travel, 70% of visually impaired people say they are restricted in their choice of destination, due to the lack of accessibility of certain places.

“Too many tourist places still refuse guide dogs.

This is not the case in holiday residences or hotels, but in lodges or rental apartments.

We often have to call the owners to reassure them and convince them to welcome the visually impaired person and their dog,” says Alexandra Blanchin.

And when they manage to book, customers are not always satisfied: “I had booked an Airbnb in Cabourg.

And on the spot, we had to redo the housework,

Of course, there are organizations offering group tours designed specifically for the visually impaired.

"But very often, people who suffer from a disability do not want to leave with people who encounter the same difficulties as them", observes Alexandra Blanchin.

This is confirmed by Flore: “I have already left with this type of structure.

And each time I was the youngest and surrounded by retirees.

Talking about osteoarthritis problems and playing bridge, it's not really my thing, ”she says.

One out of two visually impaired people has already given up

For those who manage to leave, once in the place of vacation, the difficulties in terms of mobility sometimes remain.

Indeed, 63% of respondents believe that they cannot move easily, transport and public roads not being adapted to their disability.

Example: "While the law specifies that taxi and VTC drivers must take care of visually impaired people, many refuse it when they are accompanied by a guide dog", notes Alexandra Blanchin.

Access to leisure is also limited: it is difficult to practice physical activity (swimming, hiking, horse riding), or cultural activity (museums, visits to monuments).

"Shopping or practicing a sporting activity is not easy for a visually impaired person, if they are not accompanied", underlines Alexandra Blanchin.

An opinion shared by Flore: “Every summer, it's Indiana Jones.

You have to systematically check that I can do the activities without putting myself in danger.

And I note that some museums do not have audioguides or a guide at all.

At the restaurant, the menu is still often in paper format and it is not uncommon for the toilets to be at the end of a staircase.

This sum of obstacles is such that some decide not to travel.

Thus, one out of two visually impaired people has already given up going on vacation.

Flore, she was only able to take a week's vacation this summer: “I will go to a friend's house on the Ile d'Yeu.

That's not a lot over two months of vacation, ”she regrets.

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*OpinionWay study for the French Federation of Guide Dog Associations for the Blind, conducted among 309 visually impaired people with a guide dog interviewed by telephone on the CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview) system, between April 25 and May 6, 2022.

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