Talking Vision is Vision Australia Radio’s flagship program, discussing the latest news and issues from a blindness and low vision perspective.
This week marks the official launch of the first of three books in the Big Visions series, Surfing in the Dark, featuring blind surfer, Paralympian, businessman and father Matt Formston.
Sam caught up with Matt along with his mum Lorraine to speak about the book, and what it’s meant to him to be part of the project.
After experiencing vision loss at age five, Matt was told he’d never learn to surf.
Now he’s a world champion, and he wants to spread the message to children who are blind or have low vision and their parents that vision loss doesn’t have to be a barrier to achieving their goals.
“Because we’re different and one of our parts doesn’t work it means we have to make other parts work better, and if we can showcase that to the world and focus on the positives I think that’s the way forward, and I think this book series is a great way to start that conversation,” Matt said.
One of the most important things for Matt growing up was never being told by his family “no you can’t do that’, and mum Lorraine was adamant that this would be the attitude all the way through.
“My feeling is that you as a parent can feel what’s right and give the right as much opportunity to experience as much as they can. Don’t intimidate them by being too protective, just keep opening the fences until they can get out into the wider world,” Lorraine said.
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