Visually impaired people face challenges, especially getting around unfamiliar spaces and navigating obstacles such as stairs or walls. But in Charlotte, two visually impaired individuals are overcoming all those obstacles, and more, to climb to new heights with the support of a volunteer and a friend.
Jonathan Faryadi entered Inner Peaks rock climbing center in South End with a friend on a recent evening.
“Over here, Eric. You can put your stuff, how about right here?” Faryadi said. "Bottom two, you’ve got a good cubie.”
Faryadi, 37, and Eric Strong, 43, wore matching T-shirts that said "limitless para athletes." Strong placed his hand on Faryadi's shoulder as they headed to a climbing wall.
“We're good right here,” Faryadi said.
Faryadi volunteers at least once a week to help Strong, who relies on Faryadi's cues to climb.
“Uh, where am I going?” Strong said as he scrambled up the wall.
“You’re going out, right-hand-first, to here,” Faryadi said.
“OK," Strong said.
"Then you’re going to bring your left hand in to where your right hand was. And then you’re going to go right-hand out one more through here. Then you go up,” Faryadi said.
"How are my feet?” Strong said.
"Feet are pretty good,” Faryadi replied.
Strong is visually impaired. He met Faryadi at a running store where Faryadi used to work. They’ve run marathons together using a hand-support tether. Faryadi has been climbing for eight years and has been helping Strong learn for about a year and a half.
“(It's) satisfying,” Faryadi said. “Satisfaction of seeing him work through routes, getting better. It’s fun watching people progress.”
"It’s a big responsibility guiding him. But inspiring knowing that he trusts you.”
As for what it’s like having Faryadi support, Strong says.
“It’s a blessing, honestly,” Strong said.
Strong was born with congenital glaucoma, a rare eye condition.
“I had a surgery that went wrong in like 2015,” Strong said. "So, it chopped my vision in half. And then it just, you know, kept degenerating.”
That hasn’t stopped him, though.
“I’m not letting my blindness deter me from anything,” Strong said. "It’s not going to stop me from doing anything I want to do.”
Another climber
Strong was joined by his friend Norman Fairley.
“Norman, you good?” Strong said.
The 42-year-old Fairley is also visually impaired and has never tried climbing before.
“Man, I’m excited,” Fairley said. “I don't like letting my vision stop me from doing something I know I can do, you know, if I put the effort into it.”
Fairley explained his vision to Faryadi as they headed to another wall.
“I can see, but it’s really blurry,” Fairley said.
“Do you need a guide to walk around the rooms?" Faryadi said.
“Nah, I can see to walk around,” Fairley said. “I can follow you, but you know, it’s blurry.”
Fairley was about to climb a 20-foot wall, strapped into a harness. Faryadi helped him get ready.
“Once you're hooked in, now you can unhook the piece from the mat,” Faryadi said.
“Ok,” Fairley said.
“So, step back a little bit,” Faryadi said.
“Alright,” Fairley said.
“So, that’s your landing zone,” Faryadi said.
Fairley climbed about five feet with an autobelay that gently lowers climbers.
“Alright, now just jump off and get a sense for falling,” Faryadi said. “Just jump off.”
“Oh, s**t,” Fairley said as he floated down.
“Once you’re a little higher, it will go 'woosh,'” Faryadi said.
“Ok, ok, cool,” Fairley said.
“Just so you feel it, you know, now go for it," Faryadi said. "Go all the way up.”
Nearby observing was 21-year-old Peyton Santo. He often sees Faryadi supporting Strong.
“Any little setback I have in life, I remember him and think like, 'Wow, he’s doing this incredibly difficult task, while being visually impaired,'” Santo said. “So anything in my life is so small compared to that, so I can get through it.”
Santo says he is pleased to see people like Faryadi helping their friends and neighbors.
“Everyone has time in their life when they’re down, and they can’t do it by themselves,” Santo said. “So, knowing there’s a community there behind you, pushing you forward is an amazing feeling.”
And he said that support can help people like Strong and Fairley keep pushing forward and reaching new heights.
