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The #Netherlands ‘s rural #cycling network could be the eighth wonder of the world: thousands of miles of smooth, signed, scenic, separated paths connecting every remote corner of the country.

The result? A cycle #tourism industry worth €2.4 billion annually to the national economy.

With a delay, we arrive at the last window of the accessibility for the blind advent calendar.
This one might be known to some of you as the news has reached quite some peak in media outlets worldwide. Accessible Christmas was an app developed to let blind people enjoy the Christmas lights of Madrit through a geolocation-based audiodescription experience. The great thing about it was, you could also access these descriptions wherever you were. Many blind people do not have the privilege of worldwide mobility so bringing bits of the world closer to them is what I call an extension of accessible tourism. Describing the world you experience through textual blogs, social media postings, audio recordings and sharing interesting highlights of life in different countries is what you can do next year to make others travel even if they physically can't. If you're the one unable to travel, here are a couple of things that help me personally when I wish I could be elsewhere but can't:
1. Play a random radio station in a language you understand nothing of or find the music that you like coming from somewhere obscure or far away. I enjoy checking out local charts in other countries just to see how different languages fit into the music trends of today.
2. Try to find recordings of places on sites like Freesound or Soundcloud; close your eyes and imagine.
3. Read travel blogs, watch or listen to content on the Internet of others travelling where descriptions are abundant; research how topics that interest you are managed elsewhere.
4. Try to find penpals, somebody to exchange occasional packages with and simply make friends; if that's possible, try to find a local language conversation group, groups for people who have moved to your city etc. meet, ask questions but most of all, listen!
5. Maybe one day make your own advent calendar.
https://coolblindtech.com/this-app-allows-blind-people-to-enjoy-christmas-lights/
#Accessibility #Blind AdventCalendar #Spain #Travel #Tourism