Oct 24, 2026 · 20 min · 10 segments
Blind Australian of the Year Megan McLoughlin joined Aaron Bryans on ABC Sport’s Summer Grandstand to discuss the challenges of competing as a blind elite athlete.
Aaron BryansHost
And also in those classes, even though it is a disabled class, there's quite a broad terminology for it.
And essentially, if you don't need a handler, you're kind of competing against people who have fused ankles or maybe missing an arm.
And what's happened internationally with the FEI is legally blindness or visually impaired riders, we sort of, because we don't appear to have a physical disability, as per the paperwork goes, they don't see that there's any impact on our ability to do a dressage course.
Even though when we go into a 20 by 60 metre arena, there's 12 letters around the arena that I can't see.
So we are deemed as the least impacted in relation to being disabled, which you sort of find funny because they don't let me drive a car.
But I've met people that are cyclists with better eyesight than me and are graded lower.
So sort of this opportunity is to really speak for those other blind athletes out there.
We haven't had a rider since Sue Ellen for 25 years, 26 years, because it isn't such an even playing field.
And we're enabled with different commanders and callers at letters, but we're only allowed four.
And now I use my two children who are 11 and 10 to stand at two letters because my horse loves them.
And I also know they won't let me down because they also want to be fed at night.
And also in those classes, even though it is a disabled class, there's quite a broad terminology for it.
And essentially, if you don't need a handler, you're kind of competing against people who have fused ankles or maybe missing an arm.
And what's happened internationally with the FEI is legally blindness or visually impaired riders, we sort of, because we don't appear to have a physical disability, as per the paperwork goes, they don't see that there's any impact on our ability to do a dressage course.
Even though when we go into a 20 by 60 metre arena, there's 12 letters around the arena that I can't see.
So we are deemed as the least impacted in relation to being disabled, which you sort of find funny because they don't let me drive a car.
But I've met people that are cyclists with better eyesight than me and are graded lower.
So sort of this opportunity is to really speak for those other blind athletes out there.
We haven't had a rider since Sue Ellen for 25 years, 26 years, because it isn't such an even playing field.
And we're enabled with different commanders and callers at letters, but we're only allowed four.
And now I use my two children who are 11 and 10 to stand at two letters because my horse loves them.
And I also know they won't let me down because they also want to be fed at night.
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