Blinded Veterans Share Why They Love Riding with Waymo in Phoenix
“It's very stressful losing your vision,” said Teresa Galgano, director of member relations for the Blinded Veterans Association (BVA), the only congressionally chartered veteran service organization representing the unique needs of blind and low-vision veterans. “Whether you wake up and you're completely blind, or you lose it over a period of years, there's a lot of anxiety, there's depression, and it's a dark journey.”
For veterans like Teresa who are blind or low-vision, BVA’s supportive and empowering community represents a turning point in their lives, helping them break through to a new way of living, connecting, and getting around independently.
“The Blinded Veterans Association has helped me to get my life back,” shared Dallas-based BVA member Sheldon McKinney. He was part of a small group of active BVA members who traveled to Phoenix to experience the city ahead of BVA’s 2025 Annual Convention there next year.
Portrait of Sheldon McKinney wearing a blue BVA polo shirt, standing in front of a brick wall holding a framed photograph of his younger self.
BVA chose Phoenix as the destination for its convention because of the city’s wealth of accessible recreation and transportation amenities, such as Ability360 and Waymo’s autonomous ride-hailing service, Waymo One.
Ability360 is a nonprofit offering accessible event space, fitness centers, and other support services to people with disabilities. The organization also works closely with several of Waymo’s other nonprofit community partners in Phoenix.
“It is completely accessible for any disability that you have,” Teresa described. “It's a gym, they have meeting spaces, and it was designed to help build communities, to bring people in and have small groups of people in different areas.”
For years, Waymo has partnered with the Blinded Veterans Association through its Accessibility Network to solicit feedback on accessible audio, haptic, and hands-free features and tools into its technology and app.
An iPhone screen shows the Waymo app open, with a view reading “find my car” and an arrow pointing up and toward the left. Below the arrow, there are three buttons: start walk, honk horn, and play melody.
“Waymo was at the forefront of our decision to choose Phoenix as a destination…they really helped put Phoenix on the map for us,” said Donald Overton, executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association. “What we see out here is a cultural sensitivity to persons with disabilities, obviously on the transportation side with the Waymo leading the way.”
Don, who is a battle-blinded veteran, wants BVA’s partnership with Waymo to be part of the organization’s journey toward embracing new technologies that can equip and empower BVA members for the road ahead.
“Transportation is critically important not just in the quality of life and being able to be out and integrate back into society, but things like access to healthcare for us veterans,” said Don.
Transportation is critically important not just in the quality of life and being able to be out and integrate back into society, but things like access to healthcare for us veterans.Donald Overton, executive director of the Blinded Veterans Association
For veterans with blindness and vision loss, losing the ability to drive and go places independently can be one of the biggest and most difficult changes to adapt to.
“It was a big shock because I was used to going places on my own,” shared Sheldon, who, after losing his vision, suddenly had to depend on other people for rides in a place without access to public transportation. “My wife would take me places. My daughter would take me places, but I felt that I was putting a burden on them every time I needed to go somewhere.”
Teresa said that veterans with guide dogs can face challenges using ride-hailing services.
“The biggest downside is service denial,” explained Teresa, who said that drivers sometimes drive past her instead of picking her up when they see her guide dog. Sometimes, if she texts them about her dog, they cancel her ride before picking her up.
Portrait of Teresa Galgano wearing a teal BVA polo, kneeling next to her guide dog, Donald, who is wearing a harness and American-flag printed bow tie.
“At one point that happened four times in a row,” Teresa said, adding that there are some days when she just chooses to stay home rather than facing yet another string of service denials by rideshare drivers.
“Originally when I started losing my sight, I did not leave my room for six months,” shared Rob Sanchas, a BVA member from Rhode Island. “One day I was listening to something and it dawned on me what I was doing, and I was like, ‘This is not the way I want to live. I can't go on like this.’”
Then, Rob did what he thought was going to be the hardest thing in his life: he reached out and asked for help. Since getting connected with BVA and other service organizations, Rob said he has gone from being housebound to embracing new experiences and an active lifestyle.
“Before losing my sight, I never rowed, never did yoga, never surfed,” Rob said. “These are things that I learned to do.”
Rob and his guide dog, Kent, jogging on a red sandy trail in Papago Park, Phoenix, with desert brush and large hills in the background.
He has also now run 21 marathons and counting. On his recent visit to Phoenix, Rob took his first autonomous ride with Waymo.
“Waymo is going above and beyond, not just to create an autonomous vehicle, but one that is there to help you, talk to you, tell you what you want to know, and keep you informed,” shared Rob, describing Waymo’s audio cues narrating the ongoing journey.
For Don, who faced anxiety and panic attacks navigating public transportation, riding with Waymo represented a newfound sense of security and autonomy.
“The moment you get in, you come to the realization that, ‘This is my vehicle, this is my safe space right now, and I can dedicate and focus on whatever the next experience for myself is going to be,’” Don shared. “I'm able to hail a vehicle and the vehicle comes and it's a no-judgment zone.”
Teresa said she enjoyed not having to negotiate with another human over every detail of her ride.
“When I was in the Waymo, I realized I was alone in a car again, and it brought a tear to my eye,” she shared. “It was so exciting to have that feeling of independence; just to be alone in a car again.”
Teresa and her guide dog, Donald, stepping out of a Waymo vehicle onto the sidewalk.
Sheldon said he loved how Waymo made him feel like he was controlling his own journey.
“When I got in a Waymo yesterday for the first time by myself, I felt like I was driving again,” he described. “It was just amazing to be in a car for the first time by yourself with no other person in there.”
Sheldon said he has hope for the future of blind veterans.
“My mission is to spread the word to veterans and non-veterans, to family members, caregivers, that their life is not over, that they can make it in the world, and they can be independent,” Sheldon said, adding that BVA is here to help. “We're sharing that information with you, resources, and mentors. Whatever you need, we'll try to get it for you to help you navigate this journey that we all are on.”
From left to right: Teresa, Rob, and Sheldon hike with their guide dogs, walking away from the camera toward red sand hills in Papago Park, Phoenix.
Don said that experiencing the way Waymo has been embraced in Phoenix makes him excited for the BVA’s 80th anniversary Annual Convention in Phoenix next year.
“The future's bright,” Don said. “It's going to be a tremendous celebration here in Phoenix with Waymo as our lead partner.”
Don said he sees the milestone as an opportunity to transform and evolve.
“We inherited a tremendous responsibility, and we want to ensure that this association has another 80 years,” Don said. “We're looking to modernize this association and move into a way that again, not only empowers our members, their families and caregivers, but the communities around them.”
