What are some of the assistive technologies you are helping to develop?
I’ve been the guinea pig for a product called Brain Port. It’s a pretty amazing innovation that allows me to “see” with my tongue. I wear a pair of glasses that have a camera on them and the image is converted to a tactile plate that sits on my tongue. It does best with contrasts between light and dark, I’ve even done some rock climbing using it to gauge the texture of the rock and where a hold might be. It may soon have an interface with an iPhone to present a map along with directions by drawing a line that my tongue can feel: a straight line to move forward, a curved line to turn left or right. I love being involved in helping to test these technologies, and to go through the difficult and sometimes painful motions to help improve them so the technology can help others.
Who inspires you?
I’m inspired by so many people who come to the No Barriers Summit. Like the innovators who thrive on technologies to help people overcome whatever challenge stands before them. And also on the human spirit side: people like Kelly Perkins who had a full hart transplant and then went on to climb Kilimanjaro and El Capitan—she lives a more active life than 99% of the people on Earth. Or like Mark Goffeney who was born without arms, but can play the guitar with his toes. It’s just cool to see people pushing the envelope. And it inspires you to say “hey, I can push the envelope in my life, too.”
You helped guide a group of wounded veterans to the summit of Loboche in Nepal. What do you hope to accomplish with the Soldiers to the Summit?
Again, I don’t have any interest in helping a person just to stand on top of a mountain without it affecting their life in some way. I don’t want them to climb a mountain and then go back to the same life they left three months ago. They’ve got to come back with tools, again, that mindset. We developed curriculum to help these soldiers move forward. To discover how to become great team members again. To provide tools to transition back into the world again. We’re not really experts at doing that, but we’re becoming better and better as we do more events like this and these events will be organized through No Barriers. We will build on this program because it’s about finding that mindset. Maybe one big event a year or so, with little events leading up to it. Where soldiers who went through the last program become the mentors for the next program.
Ed’s Note: After this interview, Weihenmayer’s adventure race team, No Limits, came in second in the popular Expedition Impossible adventure race on ABC. They celebrated with the first place team, the Gypsies, at Lazy Dog in Boulder. Check out photos and details on that celebration.
EO assistant editor Cameron Martindell is a freelance adventure writer and photographer. Read his adventure blog at offyonder.com
