About Us
Blind Sports SA is the peak body in South Australia for sport for people living with blindness or low vision.
OUR PURPOSE
Our Mission
BSSA will work to engage with the estimated fifteen thousand South Australians who are living with blindness or low vision, and offer them accessible opportunities to participate in sport, recreation and general fitness.
BSSA will work with our members and key stakeholders to support and ensure that programs are delivered at the highest standard possible.
ENRICHMENT THROUGH SPORT
Our Vision
To promote inclusion and to enrich the lives of South Australians who are living with blindness or low vision (BLV) through participation in sport.
Core Focus Areas of BSSA
BSSA wishes to help all South Australians who are blind or have low vision, to participate in sport and recreation, regardless of their stage of life or their level of engagement. The organization understands that there is a spectrum of needs within the community and can work with individual participants according to their needs. While sight loss occurs at all stages of life, the following is an outline of the support that BSSA hopes to provide at various life stages.
BLV Children
BLV Young People
BLV Older Adults
Clubs & Members
BLV Children
BLV children may need assistance in developing the gross motor skills, base level fitness and personal confidence to be able to take part in sport and recreation.
BSSA supports a “Gym Club” fitness session, delivered weekly, in term time, for students at the SA School and Services for the Vision Impaired (SASSVI). This program allows young BLV students to gain skills and to exercise amongst their peers, in a program delivered by coaches experienced in working with BLV children. It is hoped that the program will equip students with the skills and confidence to go on to participate in sport and recreation as they get older.
Providing guided running opportunities, facilitated by an experienced guide runner is another way young people are able to experience exercise in a safe environment.
BLV Young People
BLV young people are more likely to be looking for opportunities to participate in sport with their peers, for social interaction, fun and fitness through to state and national level competition. In SA there is a small but active cohort of young BLV people who are participating in multiple BLV sports. BSSA aims to play a coordinating role to ensure that all of these sports work together to allow these talented athletes to participate in as many sports as they would like to and to try to minimize significant timing clashes which have previously caused these participants to have to chose between sports.
BSSA aims to increase the awareness of BLV sport within the community, to increase the number of South Australians participating in sport and recreation. BSSA is doing this by developing relationships with key stakeholders in the BLV community who are able to promote the opportunities that are available. We hope that this will increase the number of young people participating.
BLV Older Adults
Vision loss may affect adults for the first time in later life, through accidents, degenerative conditions or for other age-related reasons.
It is quite likely that these adults have had no previous contact with the BLV community and therefore have no awareness of opportunities available to them to participate in sport and recreation.
Being able to participate again in sport will have significant physical and mental health benefits for people who have lost sight in later life. BSSA is working with the various blindness agencies to promote sport opportunities to this older cohort.
Clubs & Members
BLV sport in SA operates across a wide range of structures and levels. BSSA aims to work with all of the sports and associations to help them to reach high levels of governance and operation.
Each sport is played under modified rules to ensure the safety and enjoyment of BLV participants, who have a range of sight classifications or sight loss conditions.
Clubs may require a small registration fee for ongoing participants.
Some sports provide the opportunity for state and national representation.
Higher levels of competition will require participants to hold a recognized sight classification certificate.
The BLV sports on this website offer opportunities for male and female participants, and most offer opportunities for juniors and seniors, through a range of competition levels.
Want to know more?
Contact us to find your nearest club!