A waterside conversation with Derek Flint about adaptive kayaking, accessibility, and the sense of freedom he finds on Vermont’s waterways.
LISTEN:
Derek Flint of West Topsham is a father of three, a lover of the outdoors, and almost completely blind. This summer, he and his family have been getting out in the water in kayaks as much as they can. Navigating boat launches can be difficult, but some places, like Green River Reservoir, have made them more accessible. In this story, Derek describes the sense of freedom he feels when he’s out on the water with his family.
TRANSCRIPT:
When I paddle, it’s funny ’cause I always pick on my family, I was like, “You guys did two miles on the water, I did five!” Because I’m always like, ping-ponging back and forth ’cause I can’t stay in a straight line very well.
But a lot of times when we’re navigating, you know, the family’s ahead or behind me, and they always tell me like, “We’re here!” and it reminds me of like playing Marco Polo.
My name is Derek Flint. I live in West Topsham, Vermont, and I enjoy hiking, walking, and I enjoy kayaking in the outdoors.
My disability is called congenital glaucoma, and I was born completely blind. I’ve had 35 surgeries to help correct my vision. And back in January, I actually lost the vision in my right eye to a bad infection. So, now I’m just about completely blind.
It’s been a long road, but definitely taking it day by day and working my way through life.
I haven’t really been kayaking very long. We’ve had the kayaks for about two years now, but we first started kayaking this year because we finally got all the kayaks together for the family. I got three kids and a wife and we all go out and enjoy each– you know, kayaking stuff.
Going to a new lake or pond is kind of nerve-racking because we’re unsure about the boat ramps and the accessibility part of it. They’re working on making a lot of these more boat ramps accessible for wheelchair people, and it makes it so much easier for blind people as well, because there’s less obstacles like rocks and debris in the way and stuff.
The one here at Green River, we’ve checked out now and it’s just so beautiful, you know, it’s got rollers where you roll the boats down, and a nice dock and stuff. This is one of the best ones in Vermont I’ve seen so far.
You know, it’s just like anything else, you go to a new place, you’re nervous and stuff, and once you get on the water and paddling, you’re good to go.
Being on a kayak, you know, like it’s a sense of freedom. I used to be able to drive and now, you know, I get a part of that back with kayaking. Because you know, you’re out in the middle of the water, you’re not going to run into anything, you know, the family helps you, and it’s safe.
I plan on going kayaking a lot more places, and I feel as though, you know, I’m going to have a kayak forever, and we’ll probably go out more and more every year.
This story was produced by Anna Van Dine for the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council. Anna Van Dine is an audio producer based in Vermont. A native of the Mad River Valley, Anna has worked as a reporter at Vermont Public and as an independent podcast producer. Her work documents the ways in which the past happens in the present.
