An Activity For All!

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                                            Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

Do you have a family or friend that wants to feel included and play on a local sports team but cannot find one that accepts individuals with a hearing or visual impairment? Well, you found the right place! A lot of sports only account for physical disabilities such as amputees, paralyzed people, and more. There are tons of sports that, with a hearing or visual impairment, you cannot, or it is very difficult, to participate in. In the Paralympics, there are several sports that are able to be played by these types of individuals, such as goalball, rowing, and swimming for visual impairments and track events for those with hearing impairments. There are several ways that these sports make it easier and more accessible for the athletes to feel comfortable and safe while participating in the sport. For example, people with hearing impairments who compete in track events are not able to hear the gun fire that marks the signal to go, so, instead they use a lighter so that they are able to see when it is time to take off from the ground (Swinbourne, 2012).

There are ample amounts of sports and events out there that are pretty common such as soccer, running, or swimming. Are you looking for something different? Something out of the ordinary but still works those muscles and lets you have fun all at the same time with teammates? What if I told you that you can participate in sporting events while having a visual impairment. Joining the Blind Sports Organization is the place for you! 



So, what is the Blinds Sports Organization you ask? Dr. Mae Davidow, a blind teacher at a public school in 1974 wanted something more for her students and other adults to be able to participate in with their impairments (Blind Sports Organization, 2018).

Getting Started!

By going to the website, blindsports.org and hitting the "Get Involved" tab, you are able to go to their membership section and click "Join" in order to become a member and have the best time of your life making lifelong friends while also working out! Memberships range from $8 to $50 depending on what part you would like to take on within this organization. But, most people who want to participate and be considered an athlete, the membership is $8 and must be renewed each year. To be considered an athlete, you must have a certain class of visual impairments which is to be checked off in the application.

What does it include?

The Blind Sports Organization includes several sports that athletes can participate in such as beep-baseball, judo, men/women's goalball, youth sports, a run-walk club, and others! These activities are included in the Philadelphia, PA area.

Who to contact?

For more information about the listed activities, call (302) 836-5784 or email info@blindsports.org.



References

Blind Sports Organization. blindsportsorg. (n.d.). Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.blindsports.org/

Swinbourne, C. (2012, September 6). The Paralympic Games is a missed opportunity for deaf athletes | Charlie Swinbourne. The Guardian. Retrieved April 16, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/06/paralympic-games-deaf-athletes

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