Why "Paddling From Europe To Asia Solo"?

I am an ocean lover, boat enthusiast, avid user of assistive technology, accessibility advocate, and have an adventurous spirit. That's why I want to design a Non-visually Operated Smart Kayak (NOSK) and paddle solo from one continent to another. My project entails designing a semi-robotic kayak and travelling with no assistance on an approximately 3.5 mile route from Europe to Asia via the Bosphorus strait. It is more about finding the appropriate technologies and adapting their applications to my purpose than taking a physical challenge. The equipment I will place on the kayak will provide its rider with important information including the speed of the kayak, which compass direction it is heading, the distance of the closest waypoint, what other waypoints are around, the depth of the water underneath, whether the kayak is on course, distance to the destination, whether there other boats or other objects around, and weather information, including wind and temperature.
My fascination with the ocean started in a very early age. Growing up in Turkey, all my favorite activities were water related such as swimming, playing on the beach, fishing, and boating. My interest in the ocean and water sports still continues today. I swim, sail, go fishing, and I especially love kayaking. Kayaking is a sport any Blind person can do with appropriate training and very little adaptation. The traditional way for Blind kayakers to paddle is tandem paddling with a sighted guide. With my semi-robotic kayak design, however, a Blind person can paddle solo by using currently available technologies.
Inspired by self-driving cars, I started to think about my semi-robotic kayak a long time ago. As a Blind person and an accessibility advocate, I believe a project like this will make developers of self-driving cars take Blind users into consideration more seriously in their designs and also educate the public about how blind people can operate a vehicle in an uncontrolled environment safely and independently.
Crossing the Bosphorus has symbolic value. It is where East and West meet, ancient and modern stand together, fairy tales and reality blend into each other. It is where Phineus, the Blind king, guided sailors through dangerous waters and it is where I used to sit on a ferry dreaming about a time in the future when Blind captains and crew will roam through, and nobody will be surprised.

How I get ready For The crossing?

This project is about adapting currently available technologies such as GPS, compass, and sensors to create a Non-visually Operated Smart Kayak and building up physical strength to paddle about 3.5 miles across the Bosphorus. In order to design the Smart Kayak, I have contacted universities, scientists, researchers and companies that develop high and low tech devices that I will be using. I also exchanged emails with Blind and sighted kayakers, rowers, and sailors to share my design and received useful feedback.
Navigating on the water requires paying great attention to many details as well as using high tech devices like a talking compass, GPS and sensors. The direction of the wind, feel of the sun, sound of the waves crashing on the beach, sound of the traffic coming from the shore, the current and waves transmitted through the seat of the kayak, all offer clues about where and which way the kayak is heading. However, navigating over water in a straight line is not as easy as walking on a sidewalk with a cane. There are no grassy edges or curb to trail. It is very easy to veer off course without even noticing. Therefore, during my training I will improve my orientation skills on the water using all my senses as well as practice use of high tech devices.
The first part of my training will take place in and around San Francisco. My regular training sites will be Lake Merced and Chrissie Field, and Pier 40 and 52 in the San Francisco Bay. In addition to my regular weekly trainings, I am also planning to go on kayaking trips with local Bay Area kayaking groups to nearby lakes, lagoons and parts of the Bay.
During this time I will paddle a total of 500 miles to improve my orientation on the water, become an expert in using the high tech devices I have on the kayak and also increase my physical strength.
In June of 2018, I’ll work with local paddlers in Istanbul to learn the currents of the Bosphorus as well as to determine my starting and finishing spots on both sides. Before crossing the Bosphorus by myself, I’ll have a chase boat escorting me couple of times. In July, I’ll cross the Bosphorus and complete my project.

What Is My Privious Experience?

One of the most fun parts of designing this project was expanding my knowledge of the components of autonomous vehicles. I have worked as an assistive technology teacher for years, so I’m familiar with many of the devices I’ll use for navigation, but in order to design this project, I also consulted experts in the fields of engineering and robotics. I talked with many experts in this field, including professors, technology specialists and engineers from US and Turkey. I have decided to equip my kayak with 4-8 sensors that will beep when something gets close and a talking depth whisperer that will warn me if I enter a shallow area. I will also use a talking compass and GPS on my phone. Marty Stone, an engineer in Georgia, has made an audio navigational system for me that helps me stay on course and Marty and Hacemos at ATT have been developing the device even more and turning it into a complete nonvisual navigational system. I will also place an object locator on the dock, which will activate when I am 15-20 meters away. In Canada, the Blind fisherman and environmentalist Lawrence Gunther, shared with me how he set up his fishing boat by using very similar technologies and I adapted his design to my kayak.
I worked as an assistive technology trainer and specialist at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Unified School District for years. Therefore I am familiar with most of the assistive technology devices and programs (for example, GPS apps and talking compass) that I am planning to use. My assistive technology background also taught me how to figure out new technologies quickly, how to problem solve, troubleshoot and get detailed information about new technologies.
I grew up swimming, fishing and boating in Turkey. When I moved to the United States in 2006, I started kayaking and volunteering with Environmental Traveling Companions, an outdoor adventure organization for people with disabilities. I have been on many kayaking trips with ETC including a weeklong trip to Baja, Mexico in 2008 and Elba Italy in 2017. During these trips, I improved my paddling technique, learned about safety procedures, for example how to rescue myself if the kayak flips over, and how to load/unload and prepare the kayak before and after a trip. My experience with kayaking as well as sailing have taught me how to navigate on the water by using nonvisual techniques such as wind direction, sun, waves, currents, and sounds to determine to which direction the boat is moving. My assistive technology background and my passion for kayaking make me confident that I have the skills and experience to complete my project successfully.

How I Will Document My Journey?

From October to the end of May, I’ll be training 5-10 hours every week and from beginning of June to mid-July, I'll be training 20-25 hours weekly depending on the weather and water conditions. I’ll record my trainings and experience in two different ways.
First, I’ll produce video footage to document the whole process, from the very beginning to the end: (Setting up the kayak for the first time to crossing the Bosphorus solo.) In the first few videos, I will introduce the technology, equipment and gear I’ll be using such as the GPS app, talking compass, obstacle detection sensors, depth whisperer, hands-free kayak, etc. and I will show how I adapted them for this project. Each video in this series will be 10-12 minutes long and each video will cover one aspect of the technology and its special application.
The following videos will focus on my time on the water. I will produce at least one short video every week to show how I set up and launch the kayak, map the area, navigate between the waypoints, use the tech devices, and what kinds of orientation techniques I use on the water. I will narrate every step to make sure videos are accessible to other Blind people. Videos will be posted to my YouTube channel and Ahmet the Blind Captain which is the Facebook page I created for this project: Visit My FaceBook Page
Secondly I’ll write a diary about the whole process. This will cover my personal experiences, details about what could be improved, the feedback I receive, challenges I face, interesting events I encounter etc. I will make these notes available through social media and on my website.
With the help of volunteers I will videotape spectators’ reactions to my project in the United States and Turkey, using my crossing from Europe to Asia as an opportunity to document how my project changes people’s perceptions of the barriers between Blind and sighted people as well as the barriers between East and West. After I complete the project, I will work with a video editor to create a documentary using the video footage I took. The documentary will be ready at the Holman gala in December and I’ll also upload it to my YouTube channel. I hope that documenting the project through film and writing will help to share it with an audience of Blind and sighted people.

Who Is Helping Me With The Project?

When I cross the Bosphorus, I’ll be paddling solo with no assistance. During my training from time to time I’ll have a sighted kayaker with me in order to map the area I’ll be training. After the mapping is done, I’ll continue my trainings without assistance. Before I cross the Bosphorus I’ll have a local paddler accompany me for a while to master the currents and determine the best crossing points. Because the purpose of this project is to cross the Bosphorus solo, most of the time I’ll be training with no assistance.
However, many people are helping me with different aspects of the project such as designing and developing nonvisual guidance and obstacle avoidance systems, video documentation of my project, and training.

What Does Blindness Mean To Me?

Through my work with disability rights and advocacy organizations, I gained practice talking about blindness with diverse groups of Blind and sighted people. I have volunteered as a trainer for Environmental Traveling Companions, teaching sighted guides how to work with Blind people to facilitate outdoor adventures, and have also given many trainings about accessible education and technology, including speeches at ISFIT in Norway, the Polish Association of the Blind, and Six Dots Blind Association in Turkey. I also organize events to increase accessibility of art and educate the public about blindness, most recently an exhibit at San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum featuring the artwork and audio narratives of four of my Blind students.
As a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, I have frequent discussions with students, their families and classroom teachers about how blindness should and should not be perceived, and I work with my students to confront and overcome myths and misperceptions. Part of my job is to help other teachers understand how to work with Blind students. I usually start by letting them know that Blind students are just like any other student in their class and so as long as they have the same opportunities as their sighted peers, there is no reason why they shouldn’t be as successful as anyone else in the class.
I also help my students' parents overcome their fears about their children’s futures. I emphasize the importance of supporting their children's independence by letting them explore and learn just like their sighted peers. I explain them that there is no reason why Blind people shouldn't be able to have a fully independent life, choose the careers they want, be productive members of their communities, and pursue their dreams whatever they are.

How My Project Embodies The Spirit Of James Holman?

At a time when Blind people were supposed to have inactive, pitied, dependent lives, Holman had the courage to refuse to be dependent on charity of the others. Despite unfriendly conditions and unkind attitudes of society, he pursued his dreams of travelling the world. He never saw his blindness as an obstacle stopping him from what he wanted to do. With his passion for travel and perseverance, Holman inspired many people and changed their attitude towards blindness.
As a blind person to educate the public about blindness and as an educator to inspire my Blind students, I am trying to foster the same qualities Holman demonstrated: immense courage and passion, persistence, a curious and adventurous spirit, strength of purpose, and belief in one's self.
When my students found out I was applying for the Holman Prize, they asked who Holman was and immediately wanted to watch my video. “Wow, this is so cool!” one of my students said, and another chimed in, “You should do it no matter what.” These unexpectedly enthusiastic reactions from my ninth graders motivated me to succeed more than anything else.
As a Blind teacher of Blind students, I tell my students that being blind should never prevent them from achieving their goals, although they might need to deal with prejudices, discrimination, and an inaccessible physical and educational environment. I let them know that limits and barriers they encounter are not results of blindness itself; they are just products of prejudice and discrimination in society. Even worse, sometimes they are our own mind's products. I want my students to understand blindness as a characteristic of a person rather than a limitation. I hope that my journey will inspire others to follow their dreams with courage and passion.

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How Can You Support?

I will be training from August 2017 to July 2018 for my Project "Paddling From Europe To Asia." I am looking for people who can
paddle with me around San Francisco and Istanbul
teach me currents of the Bosphorous
help me with electronics, mechanics, and software/app development such as installation of Obstacle Detection and collision Avoidance Systems (ultrasonic and laser sensors), building arduino and Raspberry Pi devices, ETC
take photos and videos during my trainings and crossing the Bosphorous
help me with video editing and creating a short documentary about my project "Paddling From Europe To Asia"
Be one of my sponsors
Please contact me at ahmet@theblindcaptain.com if you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring.

Tech devices I'll use on the kayak

Fishing with me!

Fishing is one of my favorite activity. I do pier fishing around San Francisco Bay. During my training for "Paddling From Europe To Asia" I am hoping to get into kayak fishing as well.
I want my website, www.theblindcaptain.com to be a platform where blind and sighted fisherman can connect and go fishing together.
If you are a blind fisherman looking for a sighted fishing buddy or if you are a sighted fishing enthusiast who wants to volunteer please contact me at ahmet@theblindcaptain.com.

Sailing in San Francisco Bay

If you are looking for an accessible sailing program in San Francisco check out The Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS). BAADS seeks to make all aspects of sailing accessible. To fulfill this mission, they offer weekly dinghy sailing, keelboat sailing, and Veterans sailing out of South Beach Marina, adjacent to ATT Park.

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Paddling From Europe To Asia!