A visually impaired man in the Bronx is riding out of his comfort zone as he trains to participate in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour to raise awareness and funds for programs serving people with vision loss.
For the first time in roughly 30 years, Terrell Dobbins shared he is getting on a bike again.
“I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it. Once I actually took my first seat on the bike and got accustomed to the handles and the pedals, I felt more comfortable,” Dobbins said.
Dobbins shared he became visually impaired after being diagnosed with diabetes. He said he received the diagnosis when he was 19 years old, and started to lose his vision nearly 10 years later.
However, through the Lighthouse Guild, which is an organization that works in supporting individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired, Dobbins is training to be part of TD Five Boro Bike Tour next month.
“To feel the seat under you and just to realize, you know, it’s kind of a commitment, a trust fact that I have to go on between you and your pilot,” Dobbins said.
Dobbins will be training on Saturdays getting comfortable on a tandem bicycle with a partner. He will also ride on a tandem bike for the tour.
The Lighthouse Guild also exposes Dobbins and other people with vision loss to activities like archery, cycling, and blind baseball.
Riding in the TD Five Boro Bike Tour will help the organization raise money to continue these sports and other services.
“Lighthouse Guild has a charity team, Team See No Limits, where we will raise funds that will benefit both Lighthouse Guild and a foreseeable future foundation. Last year, we had 33 riders that consisted of sighted cyclists, as well as low vision and blind cyclists who all feel like nothing is impossible when we have proper support,” said Kiana Glanton, the development and special projects manager at the Lighthouse Guild.
While being able to participate in the tour and other sports, Dobbins hopes his story of determination and perseverance will inspire others.
“I would have to say is it’s empowering. It’s giving me the ability to rejoin the world in a sense that I thought I never could before,” he said. “Once I was developing my loss of vision, I thought things like riding on a bike and playing baseball, being athletic in general was something that wasn’t allowed for me anymore.”
If you would like to join team #SeeNoLimits, click here. If you would like to donate to the team, click here.
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