We are wrapping up Season One of Off The Beaten Path with the amazing Justin Bishop. Justin shares about his life and journey with his condition, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Justin's condition advanced rapidly, leading to his blindness at the age of 25. He also talked about his work with children on the autism spectrum, teaching them social and motor skills through sports like skateboarding.

Justin also talked about his professional career as a skateboarder. He is expecting his first child and plans to make this his last year as a contracted skateboarder. He is excited to return to skateboarding for fun, without the pressures of making a living from it.

We had such a deeply inspirational dialogue, that moves from blindness to the rigors of balancing sport, life and family.

More about Justin

Justin Bishop is a Professional skateboarder and adaptive athlete passionate about accessibility. He is blind in his left eye, only has peripheral shadows in his right eye. Justin was eight when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that came with a warning that he would go blind in middle age.

Undeterred, he picked up skateboarding at the age of 10. But by the time he turned 25, he could only see shadows and blurs. After a four-year break from skating to remaster all of his essential life skills, he was finally ready to get back on the board.

In 2019, he partnered with Zappos and Not Impossible Labs to develop a sound-based technology that uses speakers to create audio markers visually impaired skaters can use to navigate a skatepark.

Now in his mid-thirties, Justin is a professional skater with sponsors, has starred in commercials and documentaries, and advocates for the inclusion of visually impaired skateboarding in the Paralympics.

Connect with Justin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinthebishop

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justinthebishop

Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justinthebishop

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEi---3J7xAwm-tuMXg7Sqg

Thanks for listening! Off The Beaten Path is brought to you by Dave Epstein and Awarewolf Gear, makers of the All Terrain Cane and the Urban Xplorer. To purchase a cane or find out more visit https://awarewolfgear.com/awghome

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