Ron Peterson can identify nearly 40 native plants without ever seeing them, relying instead on how they feel, smell and sound as the wind moves through them. The retired Navy scientist and engineer lost most of his vision in 2019, and rather than step away from the outdoors, he turned toward it, eventually becoming a docent at the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach.
Peterson leads a nature walk called The Eye-Opening Experience Without Sight, a tour that introduces visitors to the estuary's native plants with an emphasis on touch, smell and sound rather than sight, according to PBS NewsHour. As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Peterson says his life’s purpose now is making more places accessible to blind people and others with disabilities.
The path to the estuary trail began abruptly. According to KPBS, Peterson went almost completely blind within a month of a 2019 Costco trip, after glaucoma took nearly all of his vision in both eyes. A separate account from Hadley, a nonprofit serving the blind and low-vision community, describes Peterson losing 95 percent of his eyesight over three months in 2018 due to glaucoma complications and surgical problems — the two accounts differ on the exact year and duration, but agree the loss was swift and severe.
From Navy Labs to a Life Rebuilt Around Service
Before vision loss redirected his path, Peterson worked nearly 40 years for the U.S. Navy as a civilian scientist in marine vehicle dynamics and human systems research and development, per the Union-Tribune's reporting. He retired from the Navy in 2014 and holds bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech, the paper reports.
At blindness centers, Peterson learned the fundamentals of adapting to life without sight — computer and phone use, cane navigation, street crossing and asking for help, according to the Union-Tribune. He has since spent what he estimates as hundreds to possibly a couple thousand hours investigating assistive technology for blind people, the paper notes.
He lives in Imperial Beach with his wife, Darcy, and his guide dog, Gidget.
Technology Built to Help People Walk Without Seeing
Much of Peterson's current work centers on navigation tools. He has spent four years working on Step Navigation, an app developed by Paul Ruvolo that helps blind people navigate both indoors and outdoors, with the University of San Diego using the technology to support navigation on its campus, according to the Union-Tribune's reporting.
Hadley also describes Peterson's broader role in assistive-tech development: he helps university students research and create smartphone apps that let people walk safely without sight, both indoors and out, according to Hadley. The same account notes Peterson works with wearable-device manufacturers, testing how intuitive their products are and feeding back what he learns.
Estuary Expands Access With Wayfinding Tech
The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve has been building out its own accessibility infrastructure. The reserve launched a NaviLens wayfinding and interpretation system, letting visitors use a free app for a self-guided tour along North McCoy Trail that provides audio directions and interpretive information, according to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. The reserve has also added trail-maintenance projects to improve access, sensory kits available for checkout at the Visitor Center, and a social narrative for neurodivergent visitors.
An accessibility event the reserve held in June drew 77 attendees, including blind, low-vision, deaf and neurodivergent community members, the reserve reports. A companion announcement from KPBS described the event as a celebration of improved accessibility and an ongoing commitment to expanding access to nature for all visitors. The reserve has said it plans to expand NaviLens further with additional interpretive content, including videos featuring American Sign Language interpretation.
Peterson's nature walk at the estuary is held monthly. The reserve's NaviLens system uses codes that phones can detect from a distance and offers audio information.
Expanding Access to Nature
Peterson's advocacy focuses on making outdoor spaces more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.
Peterson has said he hopes to expand accessibility technology beyond the estuary, to places like Torrey Pines and other county nature areas and parks, as well as Balboa Park, according to the Union-Tribune. Reflecting on how his vision loss redirected his life, Peterson told the paper, “I lost my vision and something really amazing happened.” He has also pointed to advice from his father that shaped his approach to the years since: “Just devote your life to helping others.”
