First Ever Deaf Women Led Tour in Costa Rica!
Hello, I’m Ronise! Where am I? I’m currently in beautiful Costa Rica! What does Costa Rica mean? Rich Coast. Whoa, it’s full of plants and animals like elephants, alligators, sloths, and butterflies! So many different things to see here. That’s why it’s rich in everything. Can’t forget the gold too!
Anyways, I’m here with HOT. We’re excited to let you know that we’ve had three historical significant moments on this tour so far. It’s our very first time having a group tour in Costa Rica! It’s also the very first time we’ve had two deaf women lead a tour 100% all the way!
It’s Carolina and me. The two of us support each other! [Photo of Carolina and I] We also have our very first wheelchair user who can access everything! It’s fantastic. Cheers to having all three firsts!
Which deaf schools [are] currently on tour with us? Rocky Mountain Deaf School (RMDS), a deaf school in Colorado, and MSAD, known as Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. We have twenty people altogether and we’re enjoying our adventures.
What have we done thus far? We’ve seen volcanoes, hot springs with geysers, gone on night hikes to see various animals like frogs, insects, crabs, and more with a flashlight. Hmm, what else have we done? We’ve touched waterfalls, been to the beach, and visited some historical sites to learn about the history in Costa Rica. It’s a first for both Carolina and me to explore Costa Rica! Thank you.
Earlier this month, we recently hit three major milestones for Hands On Travel while we were in Costa Rica!
We were thrilled that Ronise and Carolina from LESCO Tours were our guides for our very first deaf-women led tour as we touched Costa Rica for the very first time! Both of them led Rocky Mountain Deaf School (RMDS) and Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD) students and staff all over Costa Rica.
All of us went sightseeing, interacted with deaf individuals and local Costa Rican youths at a local deaf center, traveled to wildlife refuges, toured through rainforests and went ziplining, and even visited the beach to learn how to surf in the ocean!
Stay tuned for a future post showcasing images and videos of our time in Costa Rica.
We’re also excited to share that we had our first ever deaf high school student who’s a wheelchair user join us on this tour! We’re beyond grateful for everyone who helped us make this trip accessible. One place we stayed at took the time to build an accessible ramp that allowed our student gain access to the inside quicker. We’re also appreciative of Sky Adventures for being so accommodating to us and allowing our student to join on the fun with his peers!
