Edge of Vision: A DeafBlind Climber’s Journey to Himlung Himal

In this upcoming talk, Caroline will share the story of her attempt to summit Himlung Himal — a remote 7,000-metre peak in Nepal — as part of her mission to become the first deafblind person to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Through vivid imagery and thoughtful reflection, she will take the audience into the world of high-altitude mountaineering with dual sensory loss, where every step, signal, and decision demands extraordinary awareness and trust. Caroline will describe what it’s like to climb with severely limited hearing and tunnel vision. Caroline will describe what it’s like to climb with severely limited hearing and tunnel vision. She will explain what it means to see and not see — to be legally blind while still able to see what she sees. With central vision intact but peripheral vision gone, she will unpack the daily uncertainty of trusting what she thinks she’s seen, and the mental and physical strategies she uses to navigate a world that can disappear with the slightest shift in angle. The talk will delve into how she adapts on the mountain, how she communicates through touch and movement with her team, and how she navigates risk in an environment that leaves no margin for error. The talk will also highlight the broader purpose behind the expedition: Caroline’s climb is part of a much larger vision to make the outdoors more inclusive. She will discuss her collaboration on a new haptic wearable designed to support deafblind navigation and communication, and share plans to trek to Poon Hill and Everest Base Camp with a group of deafblind Nepali locals — a rare opportunity to create connection, access, visibility and solidarity in a country with limited disability support. Audiences will leave with a renewed understanding of resilience, accessibility, and the role of creativity in overcoming barriers. This will be a story not just of summits, but of how we see, move, and connect when the usual senses shift — and how preparation, empathy, and determination can redefine what is possible.

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