Guide Dogs - Donna's Story
Donna Anderson loves kitesurfing and if she wasn't visually impaired she would be
joining her husband Stephen and his friends in the Irish Sea kitesurf crossing in
2009. She is very thankful however that when she is not tandem kitesurfing with
her husband, she is able to enjoy the freedom of being able to get out and about
with some degree of independence, thanks to the help of her trusty guide dog, Lara.
Donna's retinas didn't fully develop in the womb and so she has never been able
to see more than about 2% of what the rest of us can see in normal daylight. As
her vision further deteriorates over the years, her reliance on her guide dog becomes
ever more important.
Guide Dogs wants a world in which all blind and partially-sighted people enjoy the
same rights, opportunities and responsibilities as everyone else. Their mission
is to provide guide dogs and other mobility services that increase the independence
and dignity of blind and partially-sighted people. They campaign for improved rehabilitation
services and unhindered access for all blind and partially-sighted people.
Once someone has lost their sight, a guide dog can give back a degree of freedom
that often feels little short of miraculous. Most guide dog owners will tell you
that when it comes to mobility aids, these highly-trained and sensitive animals
are second to none. They have been expertly breeding and training guide dogs now
for over seventy years and have provided thousands of dogs to blind and partially-sighted
people of all ages and from all walks of life.
By crossing the Irish Sea by kite and board, we hope to raise funds for Guide Dogs
so that more people in Northern Ireland like Donna can benefit from the life-changing
benefits that a guide dog can provide.