By: Kim Ann Wardlow, Executive Director
Post 3 of 3 recapping the 2026 Canes, Tails and Trails event
During the Canes, Tails, and Trails event, I had the pleasure of sharing lunch with Roxanne. This was her first activity with either Aftersight or Foresight Adventure Guides for the Blind, and I was grateful for the chance to get to know her.
Roxanne shared that she is gradually losing her vision, a life change that has tested her usually optimistic outlook. As we talked, she told me that meeting the kind, caring, and understanding people at the hike had genuinely changed her perspective. The experience, she said, gave her a renewed sense of hope and a more positive outlook on what lies ahead.
One of Roxanne’s greatest passions is travel. She had begun to worry that vision loss might prevent her from continuing to explore the world, so she had been trying to fit several trips into her schedule while she still had more usable vision. That led to a conversation about travel resources, and I told her about Scott Garrison and his company, Blind Pilots. Scott was interviewed on The Blind Chick sharing his journey from being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa at 19 to becoming an adventurer who refuses to let blindness limit his independence.
When I promised to share his contact information, Roxanne was thrilled. It was a reminder that Aftersight provides more than access to the news and information that make headlines. Connecting people with resources, opportunities, and one another is also an important part of what we do—and sometimes a simple conversation can open the door to new possibilities.