By Margaret Maccoll
How many blind people in Noosa are riding bicycles, kayaking, rock wall climbing and even driving cars?
If you said none you’d be wrong.
A group of local vision impaired and blind people are changing public expectations of how blind people should behave and led by Darryl Munck are “getting out of the house” and “enjoying the outdoors”.
About six months ago and having struggled with depression Darryl became aware that he wasn’t alone, that depression was a condition not uncommon amongst vision-impaired people, and research backed that up.
A British study published in the American Academy of Ophthalmology found people with visual impairment were more likely to experience problems performing activities which in turn leads to depression.
It sparked in Darryl the idea to broaden his experiences and help people in his situation to do the same.
“I thought how do we get to everyone,” he said.
So he went online. A Meet Ups website – Vision impaired Sunny Coasters, family, friends, supporters was established and within a few months a group formed who have since been exploring activities, including driving.
“I had an idea to get vision impaired people accepted in the community,” Darryl said.
“A lot of people don’t come across a blind person their whole life.”
“I got on to the small businesses and said how do you feel about a group of vision-impaired people coming along.”
Darryl’ request has met with positive responses from local businesses and generally a single query.
“Most just say how can we do it,” he said.
Over the past few months Darryl and his group have been road testing various activities.
“The first thing we did was double kayak with Kayak Noosa,” he said.
“Then I went to Abseil Noosa.
“They were prepared to give us a go.
“They also wanted to know, how can we do this?
“Then I contacted Roadcraft Driver Training Centre and they said how can we do this.”
After trying it himself Darryl is working on getting a group together for a Vision Impaired (VIP) driving experience.
“It was fantastic,” he said.
“It’s a normal car. A driving instructor sits beside you. He has dual controls. You’re on a track, not on a public road. He says a little bit left, a little bit right, slow down now, you’re coming to a hill.
“It’s like driving off into blackness.”
After some driving around the track they tried the short fast run.
“It’s done in a safe, controlled environment,” he said.
“We got up to 80-90km then slammed on the brakes. You could feel it skidding.
“It gets the adrenalin flowing – you’re doing something different. It’s not in our comfort zone.
“The instructor said he felt so good after it. It gave him a big kick to see the smiles on our faces.”
I caught up with five members of the group on Noosa River foreshore as they were about to give Nauticycles Noosa a try.
They walked along the Noosa River foreshore with their white canes to guide them and someone to provide direction. Each was slightly apprehensive but determined to take to the river solo on the cycle-powered boats.
On this occasion it was Nauticycles Noosa owner Marc Van der Vegt who initiated the experience.
Marc had seen Darryl and his tandem-bicycle co-rider Phil stopping off at Sandbar coffee shop on Gympie Terrace and offered them a Nauticycle ride.
“I thought this would be such a safe way for Darryl to have a go being in control of the bike for a change,” Marc said.
“Darryl came back a few weeks later and took me up on the offer, He loved it so much we thought we should offer this to some other people that Darryl knows in the same situation.
“My interest in this is to give the cyclists an experience they will remember with a great sense of freedom.”
Once at Nauticycles the group folded their canes away and with a little guidance climbed on the bikes and rode off on the river.
Each one was accompanied by a spotter who rode alongside to call out directions.
Darryl and the group have a wider ambition to bring blind tourism to Noosa.
“There’s a hundred thousand of us in Australia and international companies organise holidays for vision impaired people,” he said.
“Noosa has so much to offer.”
Former councillor Russell Green is working with Darryl and the group as they explore tourist opportunities in Noosa. Russell now director of RG Strategic provides clients with expertise to navigate toward achieving their goals
“There’s potentially a good opportunity to provide tourist opportunities that are delivered in a different way,” he said.
Russell said to cater to the niche market it was a matter of determining how others needed to experience an activity.
Working though the challenges that arise, whether it’s accommodating mobility needs or using more auditory services were steps in the process.
For Darryl living with vision impairment has been a lifelong experience.
He grew up in a family with vision impairment. His mother, brother and sister were vision impaired and he was born with a hereditary illness, retinitis pigmentosa. When he was a boy he had tunnel vision which he describes as like looking through a pin hole. His reduced vision didn’t prevent him having a regular childhood.
“You just ran into a lot more things than other kids,” he said.
Darryl’s condition is progressive and for the past 15 years he has been totally blind.
It has meant he is frequently dependent on others, something that can be difficult to accept and requires a lot of trust.
“I have to give over total trust,” he said. “But I have to feel safe. If I don’t trust someone I’ll say no.”
For Darryl and many vision impaired people the dependence and difficulties result in them avoiding contact and getting stuck at home on their own and can put them on a path of mental health issues such as depression.
It happened to Darryl but with the help of mental health service STEPS Group Australia he now regards himself as a person in recovery.
He said STEPS had helped support and empower him to be more involved in the community and now Darryl is helping others.
“I feel like I’m helping people, helping others to get out there and hopefully not go down the road I went down,” he said.
Having accomplished a range of tasks to date they are searching for more adventures as they embrace life in their own way.
“We just try things that blind people aren’t supposed to – just enjoy the outdoors.”
On Tuesday 10 April a group of VIPs will be getting behind the wheel, some for the very first time, to embark on a driving experience at the Roadcraft Driver Training Centre.
