Greetings from Birmingham, Alabama! I learned of this forum from writer Henry Kisor, who wrote one of my favorite books ("Zephyr: Tracking a Dream Across America"). I'm 68, became high partial legally blind in 2003, and had to get hearing aids for a moderately severe hearing loss - in 2005. I consider myself inconvenienced rather than handicapped; I've simply had to learn to compensate. I wish I could ride Amtrak at least once a year, but simply can't afford to go that much. In 2004, a friend had the money and we both had the time, and we were on Amtrak about 10,000 miles that year! once to NOLA and once to the San Francisco area and Seattle and Chicago. I wrote a poem about an event that happened to us on the Zephyr. I got home a few days ago from the Hearing Loss Assn. of America's national convention which was in Providence, RI - and went RT on Amtrak! Had some good things happen on the train this time - and, regrettably, some bad ones.