Like many teenagers, Ashton Dunford loves cruising along on his skateboard. What’s more impressive is that the 13-year-old boy from Utah has been blind since birth. Far from letting this hold him back, he’s mastering tricks and working toward his goal of tackling the ramps at his local skatepark.
“Ashton’s grown up listening to the skateboard,” said mom Hilda Dunford, 34, talking about how her husband, Tyler, 39, grew up skateboarding and continues to this day.
“Just because your child’s blind doesn’t mean that their life is going to be sad, or it’s not going to be beautiful, or it’s not going to be full of incredible things that you’re going to watch them do,” she added.
The couple, who also have two daughters, describe how their middle child, Ashton, used to play around with his dad, sitting on the board and riding on his shoulders. When asked what he wanted for his 10th birthday, Ashton said he wanted his own skateboard because he wanted to skate “just like Dad.”
Unsure how to teach their son, Ashton’s parents reached out to some blind skateboarders they had seen on social media.
“They told us they use their white cane and just learn by skating with other skaters, listening to them describing the trick,” Dunford said.
Little by little, Ashton started to gain confidence; with his dad guiding his feet on the board by hand and giving directions. By using his white cane to check for obstacles and following his dad, Ashton is able to enjoy the thrill of skating safely near his home.
“It’s really fun,” Ashton said. “I feel free when I do it; I feel like I could do anything.”
And skateboarding isn’t all the active, adventurous teenager does; he has also been skiing, mountain biking, and rock climbing. From the age of 5, Ashton’s mom has taken him to the National Ability Center, a non-profit organization specializing in programs for kids with disabilities.
The teen’s goal is to be a computer programmer. “I’ve been getting really into coding the past couple of years,” he said.
Earlier this year Ashton was the only blind actor on the set of the film “If I Could Ride 2,” which is set to hit theaters this spring. In preparation for the role, he took acting lessons, memorized his lines, and learned to ride a horse.
“To be able to see your kids finding something they love that’s really hard but being able to overcome it and feeling successful at doing it is just so beautiful,” his proud mom said. “It was his first movie, first time on set, youngest actor, and everything, but he was able to show everyone there that he could do it, and he did it. I think everybody who was part of the cast and the crew learned from and was inspired by Ashton.”
Seeing their child grow into the confident, determined young man he is today has been the biggest blessing and life lesson for Dunford and her husband. Born with the rare disorder, septo-optic dysplasia, which left his optic nerves underdeveloped, baby Ashton faced all sorts of challenges.
When he was little, Dunford said, it was unimaginable that her son would do all the things he’s done. “I mean, he had to learn how to hold his head up first as a baby with physical therapy. He had to learn how to crawl with physical therapy,” she said. “I never thought, ‘Oh, he’s going to grow up and skateboard and ski and go rock climbing.’ But watching him do it just inspires me so much because I’ve seen how far he’s come.”
The day before his last birthday on Sept. 22, the family took Ashton to their local skate shop, Board of Provo, to get a new custom skateboard. There, Ashton joined the workers to assemble a brand-new setup for his birthday, carefully selecting the wheels, bearings, and trucks himself.
Dunford’s advice for other parents who find out their baby is blind: They’re going to be just fine.
“You will get to have a front-row seat watching them grow and overcome so many challenges,“ she said. ”It’s the most beautiful gift ... and you’re going to learn so much from them. I love being Ashton’s mom. Sometimes their life ends up being even greater and better than what you had planned.”
For his part, Ashton tells other blind children that if there’s something they really want to do in life, they can accomplish it: “If you just put in the work and try, you can do it. Over time if you keep doing it, it gets less and less scary to the point where you could do it for fun. You could just do it, and it’s not as scary as you think.”
