Saskatchewan-made TV show features the outdoor adventures of a blind man

Saskatoon’s Ron Walsh is preparing to unveil the second season of his TV show to the world, showcasing our province in a whole new way.

It features Walsh, who is completely blind due to a degenerative condition, going on various adventures with friends.

“I’m 64-years-old, I’m an outdoor person that went blind,” said Walsh. “I still love the outdoors. I canoe, backpack, cross country ski. When I started going blind, I became way more adventurous than when I was sighted. I’m probably in better shape now than when I used to drive.”

Walsh says the idea for a show came from an appearance on CTV News.

“For me this all came about on the Jeff Rogstad news at noon,” Walsh told CTV News. “I was looking for people to come canoeing and backpacking, looking for blind people, and Tony seen me on Jeff’s show and said I got an interesting story, and a few years went by and now we’re here.”

With the help of sighted guides like travel blogger Ashlyn George providing descriptions throughout the show, Walsh and his friends take on challenges like snowshoeing, cross country skiing, driving ATVs, and other outdoor adventures. It can be modified for radio or podcast, and it can be enjoyed without actually seeing it.

Show producer Anthony Towstego says creating a show that combines stunning Saskatchewan visuals while considering the use of descriptive language is an exciting challenge.

“Integrated described video is an art form in itself,” said Towstego. “It actually is the opposite of what we learn as filmmakers, because we’re all visual. So it’s a challenge for us, and we love it because it’s actually bringing out a whole new element of production that we haven’t done before.”

At the screening of two episodes for cast members and close friends, seeing their hard work come together in front of a real audience was a moment to remember.

“Tonight was incredible,” said George. “I had goosebumps up my arm so many times, there was so much hard work put into this show and it’s complicated on so many levels. It’s outdoors, it’s in the backcountry, in crazy weather, and of course Ron can’t see everything. So there’s many things that you have to think about.”

The show is funded in part by a grant from Creative Saskatchewan.

“We invested just over $230,000 and we estimate it will have about a million dollars of economic impact for the province,” said Erin Dean, CEO of Creative Saskatchewan. “So that’s just good news for Saskatchewan.”

Season two of Blind Adventures with Ron Walsh And Friends premieres July 17th on Accessible Media TV.