PHILADELPHIA-AREA ACTIVITIES
For information about any of these activities, please call (302) 836-5784 or e-mail: info@blindsports.org. If you have a proposal for a new activity, please contact us.
BEEP-BASEBALL (modified softball)
Who: ages 15 & up, co-ed, who can follow directions and function fairly independently
When: Sundays, 9:30am-1pm, April - July
Where: TBA
What: No experience needed. Open for recreational or competitive interests.
Players & Volunteers Needed: All beep-baseball teams need 6 or more VI players and at least 4 or 5 sighted members (plus subs). The sighted positions are: pitcher, catcher, & 2 spotters (field coaches).
JUDO (a Paralympic Martial Art sport)
Who: ages 9 & up, co-ed, who can follow directions and function fairly independently
When: TBD
Where: Overbrook School for the Blind Gym/wrestling room
What: No experience needed. Open for recreational or competitive interests. The training program is tailored to your needs/desires. Do you want to stay in shape, learn self-defense, or compete? Training partners of similar weight are encouraged.
WOMEN’S GOALBALL
Who: ages 15 & up, who can follow directions and function fairly independently
When: 2nd & 4th Saturdays of each month September - May, 1:00- 4:00pm.
Where: Overbrook School for the Blind Gym
What: No experience needed. Open for recreational or competitive interests.
MEN’S GOALBALL
Who: ages 15 & up, who can follow directions and function fairly independently
When: 2nd & 4th Saturdays of each month 10:00am- 1:00pm and 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of each month 6:00-8:00pm from September through May
Where: Overbrook School for the Blind Gym
What: No experience needed. Open for recreational or competitive interests.
YOUTH SPORTS
Who: ages 8-15 co-ed
When: 1st & 3rd Saturdays of each month October - May, 10:30am-12:30pm
Where: Overbrook School for the Blind Gym
What: Instruction in the basics of various sports including Goalball.
RUN-WALK CLUB
Who: ages 18+, co-ed
When: a mutually convenient time
Where: a mutually convenient place
What: We pair blind runners or walkers with similarly interested and skilled sighted guides. Some wish to participate in this program simply for fitness, others wish to train for competitive events including marathons.
SPECIAL/REGIONAL ACTIVITIES
Contact us for specific information about these special events that BSO annually hosts:
Mid-Atlantic Goalball Tournaments for teens and adults
When: typically a Saturday in November, January, & March
Where: Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, PA
Mid-Atlantic Youth Goalball Clinic & Tournament for ages 7-14
When: winter
Where: Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, PA
Mid-Atlantic Sports Weekend
for ages 7 - Adult
When: September or October
Where: Variety Club Camp in Worcester, PA
Beep Baseball Tournament
When: July
Where: Crow’s Woods Soccer Complex, Haddonfield, NJ
Family Bowling Parties
When: various times throughout the year
Where: various bowling alleys in suburban Philadelphia
PROGRAMS
NEW ACTIVITIES
If there is enough interest expressed by potential participants, if there is sufficient volunteer support, and if a facility can be obtained, new programs or activities may begin at any time. Please contact us if you are interested in participating in or supporting a new activity.
Blind sports & recreation activities are found around the world. Some of them have local, regional, national, and international competition. The Summer & Winter Paralympics are the highest level of competition for those athletes with physical disabilities. They are held every 4 years in the same facilities as the “able bodied Olympics”. Here is a partial list of activities in which a person who is blind or visually impaired can participate (if instruction & training are available):
Goalball, Swimming, Judo, Beep Baseball,
Athletics (Track & Field), Tandem Bike racing, Sailing, Rowing, Archery, Downhill Skiing, Cross Country Skiing, Biathlon,
Soccer (5-a-side), Horseshoes
ADVOCACY & EDUCATION
Representatives of BSO are available to come to your school, civic organization, or other group to present information about the benefits of participation in sports and physical activities for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Past presentations have included: elementary schools, Lions Clubs, ski clubs, IEP meetings, National Parents of Blind Children conventions, NFB Conventions, conferences of adapted physical educators, AERBVI conventions, sororities, and more. Contact us if you would like a representative to speak with your group. Presentations are tailored to your group’s needs and interests.
ACTIVITIES for TODDLERS & YOUNG CHILDREN
BSO does not offer programs for toddlers or young children; however, BSO recognizes the need for young children to be physically active and engaged in their world. BSO highly encourages parents to involve their children in local parent-tot swim classes, Gymboree, and other similar programs. Also, we encourage you to play with your child at home and outdoors - take your child to the playground; go for walks in the neighborhood; play catch with a ball that makes a sound; teach your child how to roll a ball, climb, swing, etc. Adapting household games can be easy. For example, if you have a ping-pong table, lift or remove the net and use a cat-ball (with bells) rather than a standard ping-pong ball. Rather than bounce the ball, roll it by hand or with a standard ping-pong paddle. Above all, have fun, keep fit, and don’t be afraid to try new things!
DELAWARE ACTIVITIES
These activities are offered through the Delaware Association for Blind Athletes (DABA). For more information about activities in Delaware, please call Patti (302) 999-8074. There are no on-going sports in Delaware, but there are several special events that happen throughout the year including:
Family Bowling
Deep Sea Fishing
Ice Skating
Rock Climbing
Roller Skating
Summer Picnic & Pool Party
Snow Tubing in the Poconos
Tubing on the Brandywine River