Team Sports

              This fast-paced game we all know and love can be easily adapted to include the visually impaired. Instead of a traditional hard rubber hockey puck, this puck is bigger and made of metal. This allows the puck to make noise and glide more slowly. An athlete with the lowest amount of vision plays defense or goalie. The nets are 3 feet high in order to keep the puck low to the ice. Teams must complete one previous pass before they can score in the attacking half. This gives the defense and goalie extra opportunities to track the puck. If you have a visually impaired child/adult or know someone that would be interested in the sport, I would highly recommend checking out New York Metro Blind Hockey, Washington Wheelers Blind Hockey Club, Hartford Braillers Blind Hockey Club, New York Nightshade Hockey for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey, Pittsburgh Blind Hockey, St. Louis Blues Blind Hockey and Denver Blind Hockey. Playing with the St. Louis Blues Blind Hockey Club gave me confidence while making new friends. This sport is governed in the US by USA Hockey. In the United States, currently there are two major annual events. The Blind Hockey Summit takes place in the fall and The Blind Hockey Festival takes place in the spring.

            Another sport that is easily adapted is the game of baseball. In order to remain fair, all of the players are blindfolded, except for the pitcher and catcher. Spotters are the companions who help the players when needed. The ball beeps so the players can hear it coming toward them. Once the bat connects with the ball, one of the bases buzz and the player who hit the ball runs toward the sound. Interestingly, there are only two bases first and third. It is also noted that there is no throwing involved. If the batter reaches a base before the outfielder can get to the ball, a run is scored. To help the batter concentrate, people watching the game are encouraged not to cheer until the ball is hit. Playing this game myself, I have made a lot of friends.

Individual sports with Help from A guide

            Skiing is mainly geared toward the sighted, but with a little adaptability, the visually impaired can participate as well. Going up in a ski lift and coming down at fast speeds may send a chill down your spine, but never fear. There are guides to keep you safe. My experience as a beginner involves holding onto the waist of the skier, positioning my feet between their skis and getting a feel for their movements. Another method is holding onto a pole with the guide next to you helping to steer.  Instead of Alpine skiing, blind people usually opt for Cross Country skiing. This involves slightly smaller slopes and is more tactile. They can select the level of difficulty by choosing flat or hilly trails based on how fit and experienced they are.

            Tandem is a sport both for the sighted world and the blind. It is just like a regular bike, but instead of one seat, there are two. The person riding in front, called the captain does the peddling and steering. The visually impaired person rides in back as the stoker. Instead of his/her handle bars moving, they are connected to the seat in front so they can just focus on peddling. I have been fortunate enough to participate in a group called Tandem Adventurers started by The Delta Gamma Center for Children with Visual Impairments.

Although we would always start out as a group, people were encouraged to ride their best weather it was 5 miles or 20 miles

              Running can also be adapted with equipment such as a tether or sighted guide. Events such as the 100-meter dash is made so instead of one lane, there are two lanes, one for the visually impaired athlete and one for the person who is guiding. My older brother had played football in high school and track gave me a sport to attend while in school. This help boost my confidence. I ran a 5k to help raise money for an event that the Delta Gamma Center organizes every year called The Run for Sight. I ran this event with my Dad and received a medal in my age group. As I started to enjoy running, I was introduced to this group called Achilles International, which allowed me to explore new opportunities.   This group can be joined for recreational or competitive running. For training purposes, we meet twice a week, weather permitting. I have participated in this for 2 years and absolutely love the friendships I have made. Although these are the few sports that I have participated in, there are many more. To learn about any of these  in grater detail or even branch out and get acquainted with new ones, visit this link:

https://www.usaba.org.

            The sighted world may look at this and say, “What are the blind doing playing sports? That sounds crazy! They can get themselves hurt!” Others may simply say, “Wow! I never realized that the blind could do that!” It maybe hard for a sighted person to admit to the fact the blind can definitely do something as simple as playing sports. Although the visually impaired cannot drive a car, they are capable of having fun!