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Accessible Travel on a Budget: Exploring the Great Outdoors

“Accessible Travel on a Budget: Exploring the Great Outdoors” is an ambitious project reimagining the national park experience for travelers who are blind and visually impaired.

Erin and Monica Pruitt — 2025 grant winners

Erin and Monica Pruitt

Erin and Monica Pruitt are recipients of a $10,000 Blind Travel Foundation Travel Grant. They will embark on this journey together. Monica, who has Usher syndrome—a form of deaf-blindness—will explore iconic U.S. national parks: Zion, Crater Lake, Arches, the Grand Canyon, and more while Erin documents their experience on film.

Together, they will create a multimedia guide that combines practical tips, storytelling, and community-driven insights. Throughout the trip, they hope to actively engage the blind travel community—both online and on the trails—sharing updates, gathering feedback, and shaping their final guide based on research and lived experiences. This initiative will culminate in a public resource hub hosted on the Blind Travel Foundation’s website, designed to inspire and equip a new generation of blind outdoor explorers.

Updates

Trip complete! Access Erin and Monica’s blogs with Instagram videos here!

Monica and Erin stand smiling in front of a scenic canyon background. The text on a white background reads: “Accessible Travel on a Budget” with Monica and Erin Pruitt. On a white background reads “September 12–October 2: Sedona, Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Arches National Park, Crater Lake National Park, Mt. Rainier.” The Blind Travel Foundation logo, a blue eye with a black airplane swirling in the middle.

8/11/2025: YouTube video about the 2025 grant winner’s projects.

Park by park

Erin and Monica wrote up every park they visited. Seven essays, in the order they travelled.

Learn more about the other 2025 Grant Winners!

All 2025 grant winners