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VI Sports Associations

Resources compiled by Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com
Updated June 27, 2022

Several great sports organizations provide information and resources specific to persons who are blind or visually impaired. If you are aware of additional resources that you feel should be listed here, please let me know so I can add them.

Adaptive Sports Association

Provides outdoor programs for people with all disabilities, including blindness, low vision, and deafblindness. Offers a summer program that includes activities such as rafting; flatwater, canoeing, and kayaking; and overnight camping. The winter program includes skiing, snowboarding, and a variety of "sit-ski" instruction.

American Association of Adapted Sports Programs

The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs, Inc. works in partnership with education agencies in the U.S. to establish programs, policies, procedures, and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities; provides services to Local Education Agencies, State High School Associations and State departments of Education in extracurricular adapted athletics for physically disabled children attending grades 1-12; and improves student well-being while positively influencing total student development.

American Blind Bowlers Association

Holds tournaments for bowlers with visual impairments across the United States. Publishes The Blind Bowler, which includes articles submitted by members and information about tournament events and standings, and supplies guide rails for bowling lanes.

American Blind Golfers Association

Promotes golf for people with visual impairments and holds a national championship.

American Blind Skiing Foundation

The American Blind Skiing Foundation is a non-profit totally volunteer organization that provides persons who are blind with opportunities to build confidence and independence through skiing.

Beep Kickball Association

The Beep Kickball Association mission is to enrich the lives of all people who are visually impaired through participation in sports. It is currently being played in over 80 summer camps and schools for the blind across the nation. The association challenges you to start a team in your city!

Blind Judo Foundation

Promotes judo for people who are blind or have low vision by identifying head instructors and their dojos interested in working with people who are blind or visually impaired and offers professional development activities, information, and educational resources for coaches on how to work with visually impaired students. Provides funding to students for training.

Blind Outdoor Leisure Development

Offers skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating, and many summer activities such as hiking and rock climbing for people with disabilities. Hosts daily adaptive ski and snowboard programs and camps for people with any physical or cognitive disabilities.

Blind Sailing International

Offers a description and history of blind sailing and information about recreational and competitive sailing for people who are blind or visually impaired, adaptive equipment, and international racing rules.

Camp Abilities

Runs developmental sports camps with sports and recreation activities adapted and modified for children with blindness, visual impairments, or deafblindness, such as aquatics, track and field, goalball, gymnastics, tandem biking, beep baseball, Power Showdown, bocce, horseback riding, bowling, dancing, rollerblading, fishing, rowing, and rock climbing. The original camp was in Brockport, New York and additional camps have been patterned after it in different states.

Disabled Sports USA

Disabled Sports USA provides adaptive sports opportunities for people with disabilities to develop independence, confidence, and fitness through sports.

Foundation for the Junior Blind

The Foundation for the Junior Blind provides recreational services for children who are blind or visually impaired.

International Blind Golf Association

The International Blind Golf Association provides a way for persons who are blind or visually impaired, with the assistance of coaches/guides, to enjoy the friendship and exercise the game of golf provides. Each year four or five national open championships take place and every two years the World Blind Golf Championships are held.

International Blind Sports Federation

International organization with affiliates in five continents that develops and promotes sports for people who are blind or visually impaired. Organizes competitive events, develops and finalizes rules and conditions for individual sports, and raises awareness of the participation of people with visual impairments in sports. Holds World Championship Games every four years. Provides descriptions of adapted sports, including rules and regulations, and a calendar of upcoming competitions.

National Beep Baseball Association

The National Beep Baseball Association's facilitates and provides the adaptive version of America's favorite pastime for persons who are blind or have low vision. Learn more on the association's website about the game, rules, teams, equipment, and history.

National Camps for Blind Children/National Camps for the Blind

Offers free summer and winter camps in the United States and Canada for children and adults who are legally blind. Summer camps are open to people from 9 to 9=65 years of age and offer a variety of activities, including horseback riding, waterskiing, swimming, hiking, rappelling, canoeing, backpacking, archery, go-carts, beep baseball, and talent night. Winter camps are designed to give individuals ages 14-30 with visual impairments the opportunity to participate in winter activities, including skiing, sleighing, snowmobiling, and tubing.

Ski for Light

Conducts a week-long event in which adults who are blind or mobility impaired are taught the basics of cross-country skiing by pairing them with an experienced, sighted, cross-country skier who acts as ski instructor. Events are offered in areas across the United States by regional affiliates as well as in Canada and Japan.

United States Association of Blind Athletes

The United States Association of Blind Athletes is a Colorado-based organization that provides life-enriching sports opportunities for every individual with a visual impairment. A member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, USABA provides athletic opportunities in various sports including, but not limited to track and field, Nordic and alpine skiing, biathlon, judo, wrestling, swimming, tandem cycling, powerlifting, and goalball.

US Blind Tandem Cycling Connection

Promotes participation of individuals who are visually impaired or blind in the sport of tandem cycling.

United States Paralympics Committee

Division of the US Olympic Committee responsible for selecting and managing the US teams that compete in the Paralympic Games. Provides information on game rules and schedules, and general resources for competitors.

USA Swimming Disability Committee

Encourages people with disabilities to participate in the sport of swimming as a division of USA Swimming, the national governing body for the sport of swimming in the United States. Maintains a resource section of information on its website.

Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports

Offers access to and instruction in sports and recreational opportunities, including alpine skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, canoeing, sailing, cycling, hiking, rock climbing, tennis, horseback riding, and more, for people with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities.

Additional Resources...

Glenn Hamilton is a bowling coach working on an outreach campaign about bowling for people who are blind. He is trying to spread the word about how bowling is a great sport for people who are blind as it requires few adaptations making it easy for students to play with their sighted friends.

History of vi