Sports can provide a huge positive for all. It can play to the strengths of so many neurodifferences but most importantly it can provide a safe space to grow in confidence.
Emily shares with us how Goalball gave her a sense of belonging…but also became much more than that and gave her an incredible community of people in her life.
It may sound ridiculous to some, but people registered with a severe visual impairment will not view themselves as disabled, blind, or not fully able. Sure, they can’t drive, but some able people won’t/can’t either. Some people with partial vision will use whatever they have and try to ‘pass’ for able people, even if it leads to awkward, even dangerous, moments to avoid using a white cane or accepting that they are, indeed, disabled. They may not travel at night due to night blindness. They may reject Personal Independence Payments. They may ride bikes in the centre of Cambridge because it’s more convenient.
This entirely non-medical, completely social form of myopia and inability to see themselves clearly is caused – in my view – by social stigma. I’ve said before that disabled means ‘doesn’t work’, so if you are smart, independent, and capable, why take on such a label? It’s depressing to accept and Jen Watton has previously written about the grieving process of sight loss.
Being disabled is hard enough without society’s view of us which places unintentional, invisible, but very real barriers to us getting by day-to-day. Why do people flinch away from a white cane? Why do people speak to the person standing beside a blind person, rather than the person themselves? Where is the sense in pointing and saying ‘there’ or not understanding that journeys will take longer for us.
It can be a lot to handle, especially if you view yourself as ‘alone’.
I used to know other visually impaired people, but we didn’t have much in common. They have additional cognitive needs, making communication difficult and we faced different challenges. I knew a younger girl, but I was in a mentorship position, so I felt more responsible. Now we have grown, I now know that I could learn a lot from her.
I bounced off all attempts to engage in visually impaired youth groups. As a partially sighted person, sometimes you should (rightfully) defer to the more sight-impaired people.
Though, you end up in this middle ground between too blind for able sports teams, but not blind enough for the blind community. I tried able sports and accepted that I would be rubbish and slow at them.
Once I had graduated from university, however, I made an effort to ‘get over myself’. I had enjoyed some visually impaired camps and I had the modest goal of taking up a sport that wouldn’t lead to me injuring myself or other people.
Goalball
The only local sports team that didn’t practice during nine-to-five working hours (thanks for assuming the visually impaired are unemployed) was the Cambridge Dons Goalball Club.
I had a distant memory of trying it out at 14 years old and feeling embarrassed as I was the only visually impaired person there and so the whole set up felt ‘for me’.We had to lie on the ground blindfolded as people stood over us and watched… it was too vulnerable for teenage me to bear.
But, since when are school tasters any good, really?
One goalball training session and I would see what the vibe was…
“It was the best thing I have ever done. I don’t even think I am exaggerating.”
The Cambridge Dons Goalball Club motivated me to become fitter, but also furnished with a supportive group both on and off the court. Good friends, but also mentors. I was able to ask what it was like to get a mortgage, view a house, apply for a job, go to an interview, ask for a raise, how to travel from point A to point B, which equipment worked best, what opportunities were out there for people like me, the list goes on.
The game is incredibly fun, but the community was a true gift. As people had done plenty of advice to share, most things didn’t feel insurmountable anymore. There’s a ‘you can do it’ attitude that I now take around with me.
The goalball team made me realise that there was nothing holding me back from independently travelling for work or a three-week holiday to Japan. I started using more and more tech to make my life easier and learned how to research ways to make my work more efficient.
Goalball is quite a tough, high-impact sport, but I recommend that disabled people give disabled sport a try – be it boccia, showdown, adapted tennis or football… It’s the people you meet there that matters… The muscle tone is just a plus.
Interested in finding out more about the Cambridge Dons?
The Cambridge Dons Goalball Club train on Saturdays at Cherry Hinton Leisure Centre.
The first three sessions are free, and they have subsidies for those who need them.
Contact Warren via Cambridge.dons@gmail.com to find out more.
What is goalball? Check out this video.
There’s more than just my story, here’s a short 3-min video about why Megan joined and what it did for her: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHg_IyCg8Ak
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