Toyota makes the world see through the eyes of a Para alpine skiers
Ever thought of skiing through the mountains? Skiing as a sport is not everyone’s cup of tea. Now how about skiing while having a blindfold over your eyes? This might seem an impossible task. This Toyota Campaign will make you rethink your views.
Menna Fitzpatrick a Welsh alpine skier. She was born with congenital retinal folds. She has no vision in her left eye and limited vision in her right eye. She started skiing at the age of 5. #StartYourImpossible
The Approach: Toyota has started a SeeLikeMenna digital campaign. Menna’s Instagram account was created in collaboration with Toyota. A visual impairment filter was created with the help of the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London so that the world experiences what Paralympic athletes see while skiing.
The Instagram account has 53 posts till now with around 6000 followers. There are varied photographs and videos on the account. The videos give us a glimpse of how athletes with 3% vision ski at 100km/hr. Menna’s guide Jennifer can be seen speaking instructions to help her ski across the gates.
A further 360 video was created by Toyota with athletes like Marek Kubacka from Slovenia and Maciej Krezel from Poland. It shows how athletes are categorised by different levels of visual impairment – B1 (no light perception) B2 (1-3% vision) and B3 (4-10% vision).
The Impact: Part of Toyota’s “Start Your Impossible” initiative, this Campaign packs the right amount of inspiration. With thousands of followers and views across different platforms, the Campaign has received much adulation. This Campaign clearly shows how lucky we are as individuals. It also puts light on how people can grow out of their own physical limitations.
Menna Fitzpatrick has shown fans what it’s really like being a visually-impaired skier, by sharing a series of photos and videos on Instagram to mimic her view.
There are good days. And then there are awesome ones. Since I’m visually impaired, my guide Jen is always close by. Come with us and Toyota on our journey to the Paralympics! #seewhatisee #skiingvisuallyimpaired #StartYourImpossible
A post shared by Menna Fitzpatrick + Toyota (@seelikemenna) on
Winter never felt so good. #gold #silver #silver #bronze #Paralympics #wintergames #whatisee #skiingvisuallyimpaired #StartYourImpossible
A post shared by Menna Fitzpatrick + Toyota (@seelikemenna) on
Campaigns of the world salutes the pure courage that these athletes possess. We bow down to their indomitable spirit. We recognises how technology can help people increase their capabilities and succeed. We share Toyota’s vision of sharing empowering stories and helping people achieve their dreams.
