watch as legally blind surfer Pete Gustin hits the waves with Kalyn McMackin of FOX 5 San Diego in this piece explaning just how a guy with almost no eyesight charges the waves in San Diego
www.petegustin.com w
IG @RealPeteGustin
If you’d like to learn more about Pete, please watch the 26 minute documentary by Brooks Venters entitle “Finding A Way – The Story of the Blind Surfer”
[ Ссылка ]
Here’s a little more on Pete along with some FAQ’s
Pete was diagnosed at the age of 8 with macular degeneration. The disease would later be renamed as Stargadt's because it affected Pete so young and needed to be reclassified. Pete was born with perfect eyesight, but the genetic disorder began to eat away at his eyesight from the moment of his birth rendering him legally blind by the age of 8 and without any "functional" eyesight by his mid-30's.
Q: is Pete's eyesight completely black?
A: No. Pete sees a jumble of light and dark. There are no distinct shapes and this "non-functional" eyesight makes it impossible to process the information his eyes are sending to his brain. Clicking on the following episode will show you a number of visual examples of how Pete sees: [ Ссылка ]
Q: why does it look like he's looking at the camera?
A: The camera looks at Pete. He does not look at the camera unless he has been given a "mark" or is following a predetermined and pre-discussed route of the camera. Please refer to the start of this episode for more: [ Ссылка ]
Q: can Pete type?
A: yes. Pete has fingers. Pete can type. Pete also uses the dictate feature on his phone just like millions of Americans who like to dictate faster than they can type.
Q: How is Pete reading these comments?
A: Pete does not read comments. Pete does not "read" anything. Voice to text technology, also known as accessibility tech, makes it so that anything on a computer or phone screen can be read out loud to the person using the technology. for a lot more on this, please enjoy this episode: [ Ссылка ]
Q: How does Pete get around?
A: Pete gets around with the help of a cane, his guide dog Superdog and his friends. When you see him on camera, many routes have been pre-plotted for the ease of viewing. To see how Pete gets to his spot on the beach, please check out the 48 second mark of this video: [ Ссылка ]
Q: Why does Pete have eyes?
A: being blind does not mean that you don't have eyes. It just means that they don't' work
Q: So why is he looking at stuff when he talks?
A: Pete's ears work fine so he can hear where voices are coming from and looks in the direction of those voices.
Q: Why is Pete wearing sunglasses
A: Most blind people wear sunglasses because they make really poor eye contact and it’s a little off-putting to people in the sighted world to be looking at someone who isn’t really looking back. Also, since Pete’s eyes can’t regulate the amount of light coming into his pupils, direct exposure to bright sunlight can cause pretty un-fun headaches so he keeps the shades on to keep the unregulated and indistinct bright light out.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask in the comments. The Blind Surfer channel is always happy to help spread awareness and information about blindness and how it affects tens of millions of people worldwide.
