"Freedom" - Robert, Santa Cruz. Glide Demo Participant
Meet our pioneers and discover the Glide experience in their own words.
We've given over 4,000 Glide demos around the world since 2024, putting early prototypes of Glide into the hands of the blind and low vision community. These live experiences, conversations, and tests have shaped every version of the device since.
What follows is just a sample of their experiences, in their own words—drawn from thousands of hours with prototypes still in active development.
“I felt more confident using Glide than I have ever felt while using a cane. I was in awe from the experience, so much so that I broke down in tears of joy afterward.”
Marva Petrequin
“I am so grateful and honored that I got to have the Glidance team visit our home.
It has taken me a few days to actually “process” the experience to try to put into words.
My wife Deborah and I live on almost 2-1/2 acres, and we have two horses. I have not been out to visit horses or been able to go out and feed/groom/massage them since I lost my sight without Deborah guiding me. The driveway out is not direct and is a little rough. So, we put Glide through its paces and gave it a real world test. It did GREAT!
I first attended a Demo Day in early December 2024, and the progress that has been made on the development since is phenomenal. I am convinced that as the software continues to develop it will just get better and better.
I don’t know if I should name mine Joy or Freedom, because I know it will give me both in SPADES!
In Their Words
“It was an extremely emotional experience getting to use Glide for the first time. I can’t wait for the next updates, and I can’t wait to receive mine when it’s released. I have not been this excited about a product since I learned how to use Apple VoiceOver. Glide is awesome! Glide is going to help bring my dreams of being independent again a reality. Thank you!”
"I had my first Glide demo at the Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind. The pathway we walked with Glide would have challenged my cane skills with its twists, turns, trippers, bushes, and overhanging tree limbs, not to mention other Gliders to circumvent.
However, Glide made it easy. The device almost felt alive as it swerved, paused, stopped, and followed my button pushes. I nearly reached down to praise the Glide and caress its ears! In addition, the Glidance team’s education on some of the best approaches for a few confounding situations made complete sense to me.
I was so excited by the hope this wonderful mobility tool gives me that I was literally shaking when my too-brief demo time ended. I don’t think I've been so excited since I was about to receive my first Guide Dog!"
“I am a Teacher of the Blind and O&M Specialist who is deaf-blind. Not only was I checking the tool out for myself, but I was looking at the possibilities for my students and others I know.
The device was easy to push ahead of me, and the instructor provided clear directions for the tasks he wanted me to try. The haptic feedback was easy to interpret, and I was able to follow the device. I walked along a park path with turns, navigated through a crowd, and learned how to maneuver Glidance when it stops, indicating an obstacle a place where it could not move.
The words that come to mind for me are: life changing and exciting. Combined with mapping tools and imagination, Glidance can get a person moving!”
“I was born blind and have been a cane user all my life. I have traveled to over 10 countries, have been an expat, I’m a pretty advanced cane user, and I’m pretty comfortable using it in places I’ve never been to before.
Despite all this, Glide’s current capability of holding lines and avoiding obstacles would give me the possibility to go out more, explore more, walk more, and spend less mental energy walking and more mental energy connecting and engaging with the people and environment around me.”
“When I first lost my sight 18 years ago, I was handed a cane. I was very nervous and apprehensive for many months. The same when I moved to a guide dog.
Within a few seconds of following the Glide device, I felt comfortable and confident. It felt so smooth, and I could walk naturally. I’m always tense when walking with my guide dog.
I will definitely be purchasing this product as I feel it will give me my life back and allow me to explore further.”
“When I first tried Glide I wasn’t sure how useful the demo would be. After all, it’s a totally brand new type of device, and I only had five minutes to start to get to know it.
Imagine my surprise, then, when after the first 15-20 seconds, I felt that I already knew how to use it and felt more or less completely confident walking with it. In that demo, I didn’t do anything that I couldn’t do with my cane, but everything that I did do just felt that little bit easier.
After those first 5 minutes, I knew I’d made the right decision in becoming a Founding Glider, and I’ve been eagerly waiting for mine to arrive ever since. Happy Gliding, everyone. Let’s go!”
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