Mathew's story
"Guide Dogs has been integral to my life, from helping me to independently attend school, to moving to Newcastle to study and work where I constantly have to catch public transport."
Twenty-three-year-old Matthew has a lifestyle that most people his age would envy. Working out of a recording studio in his Newcastle home, Matthew composes and produces music and sound effects for film, television and radio. He is also the lead singer in a four-piece band that recently recorded its first EP.
With the amount of travel required to get to gigs and around town, Matthew's Guide Dog Stamford, and a talking GPS phone have been invaluable. "Having a Guide Dog is something else. He enables me to do so much more than I could with a cane, such as carry music gear and move confidently to new places."
Guide Dogs NSW/ACT has been helping Matthew to travel independently and safely since he was four, after surgery failed to correct the blindness he was born with in both eyes. When the organisation launched its first GPS training module three years ago, Matthew was one of the first clients to adopt the new technology.