‘It takes some courage’: This is how the blind and wheelchair users conquer mountains

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Susanne Gasser (46) beats everyone else with her speed as she climbs the Uetliberg in Zurich. He is accompanied by a dog named Malia, a walking stick, and a GPS app that reads where to go. Gasser has been blind since he was 8 years old. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t go for a walk. “I love exercising outside and spending time in the fresh air with my dog ​​and other people,” the woman from Glarus said.

Wheelchair user David Perren (37) accompanies Gasser on his way from Uetliberg to Buchenegg. The two share a love of hiking. “When I first went for a walk with Susanne, I thought she was now walking into the abyss,” Perren says. But Gasser knows exactly what he’s doing: “It takes some courage,” he says. “But 95 percent of the time I can find my way myself, or someone will come along who can help me.”

With a walking stick and a wheelchair in the mountains

The curious glances of passersby show that no one expected to meet the two of them on the hiking trail. Still, meeting “normal people” is positive, as Gasser jokes. “They enjoy it when I go for a walk, and they like it when I have the opportunity to take a break at a restaurant and enjoy a beautiful view,” adds Perren.

Thanks to Procap and the SwitzerlandMobility organization, such encounters should become the norm. Their website lists 81 hiking trails accessible for people with disabilities. Among other things, an audio guide explaining the area is planned for the blind. “Ensuring that people with disabilities have the same opportunities as everyone else in their spare time and in sports is one of our organisation’s main concerns,” says Sonja Wenger, communications officer at Procap.

Gasser walks very agile thanks to the MyWay Pro app, among other features. He knows where to go next, using GPS and voice texts. Warnings draw attention to dangers such as steep slopes. If it deviates, the application corrects it by showing the direction.

Gasser never leaves his dog alone on his tours. “I doubt that a completely blind person could walk this distance alone without a dog,” Gasser explains. GPS is only accurate to about +/- 15 metres. “But as soon as I move, any place can be dangerous for me,” he adds. “It always takes some courage,” says Gasser, who loves challenges.

small part of something big

Accessible hiking trails are also very important to David Perren. He grew up in Zermatt VS and loves hiking since childhood. He has been living in a wheelchair since he was 22 years old after a car accident.

He knows many places in his hometown that he cannot reach today. “I have a little girl and it would be great if I could show her these places in a few years. That’s not possible anymore,” says Perren. Barrier-free hiking trails are a similarly beautiful experience. You have time to see what nature has to offer, she says excitedly.

Perren hasn’t had any problems with barrier-free hiking trails so far. The biggest hurdle is still accessibility. “There are many restaurants that don’t have the right infrastructure,” he explains. That’s why hiking trails are supplemented with information such as accessible toilets, slopes, and barrier-free travel options. Things that are not obstacles for people with disabilities, but require time and plenty of planning for people with disabilities.

It is also seen that such a trip requires a lot of organization, on the return journey home after the joint trip. That’s why David Perren needs to contact SBB one hour in advance to let him know which train he wants to take. It’s a decision that non-disabled people often make spontaneously.

Difficulty of application

Although hiking is the most popular leisure activity for Swiss people, accessible routes were only developed in 2013. The project has been managed by Procap Switzerland in collaboration with SwitzerlandMobility since 2019. So far, only a few routes have been added each year because the initial climb and documentation cost alone is over CHF 5,000 per route, according to Wenger. “However, the project is currently gaining momentum. Porsche Schweiz AG has been supporting the expansion of barrier-free walking trails for two years now,” he adds.

David Perren agrees. According to him, one person is needed to run the project. It is mostly the environment in which people with disabilities or self-impact are present. Wenger says it is difficult to understand the hesitations about the practice: “After all, we’re talking about 22 percent of the population. However, it took decades for us to reach the point where we are today in terms of the participation of people with disabilities. It shouldn’t take this long again for those affected to have the same chances and opportunities in life.”

Source : Blick