No bridge too far for young conquerors

For many people, the thought of scaling the Sydney Harbour Bridge is frightening enough – but imagine climbing it blind. Remarkably, that’s exactly what three Sydney teenagers did last Thursday.

All three boys have impaired vision of varying degrees, and embarked on the Bridge Climb as part of the Guide Dogs NSW Citiwise camp for kids, which teaches youths to navigate through the busy city environment.

“I have never been driven over the Harbour Bridge in a car before, so it was pretty cool to be able to climb it,” said fifteen-year-old Moris Sawa of Bossley Park, who has no vision at all.

“The most interesting part was hearing about the view and how high it was – 134 metres!”

The boys said that it was a huge accomplishment to be able to do the climb, because it was something that they hadn’t considered that people with disabilities could do.

Although there were some parts they found tricky, for the most part they sailed up and down the climb with their Guide Dog Instructors.

The instructors also arranged for the teenagers to complete a race from the Sydney CBD to Manly Beach using different modes of public transport, aiming to build the boys’ confidence and independence in travelling alone.

In addition, the boys were taken to Manly Ocean World, the National Maritime Museum, and attempted tandem bike riding during their week in the city.

More than 150 vision-impaired people have climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge since 2003.