Qudsiya, 34 lives in the Washington, DC area and in the spring and summer, often on Thursday evenings, she rides to her heart’s content. How?

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Qudsiya sits on the back seat of a bicycle built for two, while the woman on the front seat, often Shira Gordon, 32 steers the bike and shares in the pedaling.

Shira also describes the sights for Naqui who has the thrill of feeling the rush of the air and the wonderful scents and sounds.

Qudsiya Naqui and Shira Gordon pair up on a tandem bicycle
Photo: wamu.org

The two have become friends as well as biking buddies.

Born with a retinal degenerative condition that grows worse with age, Qudsiya has never driven a car, and walks with a cane.

“I think the experience of losing one’s vision over time is that you learn how to enjoy things you loved in a different way,” Qudsiya told The Washington Post, “but you also discover new things that you come to love.”

Qudsiya heard of these bike rides from Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA) from co-founder Karla Gilbride, 38 who like Naqui is a public interest attorney.

Karla was born blind.

In addition to bike riding, MWABA offers other sports including basketball and running, providing a variety of activities meant to build body and spirit for the vision impaired.

As Qudsiya learned, nothing in life need stop us if we are determined to pursue our dreams and seek the assistance necessary to do it.

Editor's Note: To learn more, click here. To learn more about MWABA, click here.

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