Blind athlete takes on Crazyman
After becoming legally blind in her teens, Petone woman Neelu Jennings has been trying to change the way society sees support for the disabled.
Jennings, 32, is establishing Limitless with Support, an organisation that seeks to create links between able-bodied and disabled people through common interests.
She will take on the Crazyman multisport race in Lower Hutt next month to prove disabled people can set big goals for themselves and to show that support does not have to come from charity.
Different partners will accompany her during each stage of the race which involves a 13 kilometre kayak leg, 28km mountain bike ride and 13km off-road run.
‘‘The reason these people are doing this with me is not because I’m disabled, but because they are passionate about running and mountain biking and kayaking. I feel so lucky to have such an amazing team to support me and to share their passion.
‘‘People with disabilities are stuck in this [cycle where] people are paid to do stuff with them.’’
She wanted disabled people to be able to establish relationships based on their interests.
"[A guide] told me I had the determination and passion [to make the mountain climb] and ... I realised I can do anything if I have the support." Neelu Jennings
Limitless with Support recently started organising sit volleyball games to help people connect.
Although sports were an easy way for people to relate, she said able-bodied and disabled people were capable of connecting over much more and hoped to expand the campaign to other areas.
At 16, Jennings was struck down by what doctors thought was a serious case of the flu.
She fell into a coma during which time her immune system attacked the protective covering on the nerves in the brain, leaving her with 30 per cent of her sight and a balance impairment.
She began thinking about the limitations current systems put on disabled people after meeting a mountaineering guide who encouraged her to climb Mt Aspiring.
‘‘He told me I had the determination and the passion [to make the climb] and it was after that I realised I can do anything if I have the support.’’
After climbing Mt Aspiring in 2010 she began pushing herself to see what else she could do.
She has since climbed Mt Kilimanjaro, skied the Tasman Glacier and became the first blind person to complete the Coast to Coast with support.