Vision of Adventure

Consistently inconsistent

In 2020 we managed to sneak in a few socially distanced courses in late summer and autumn between the lockdowns before everything was stopped again.

By spring 2021, some of our participants were feeling really isolated. Many felt particularly affected when the rest of the country seemed to be getting back to exercise and embracing activity like never before. Some of our visually impaired friends went to extraordinary lengths to get some exercise, with one lady even running with a 2m pole between herself and her guide!

The Together Fund

At this point we learned that funding was available from Sport England via Disability Rights UK to help with the additional costs involved in providing very small group activities and individual coaching to help Disabled people get back to activity.

Those adventures were amazing and felt special after the previous months’ deprivations. One of our participants said “It was an incredible feeling to be able to climb again and get a swim too. It felt like I was free again. You gave me freedom to achieve my goals and be active again.”

For those who still felt unable to travel the funding also enabled us to start a programme of remote activities. Our zoom strength and conditioning, yoga and indoor cycling sessions gave people a focus for regaining fitness and the chance to meet on zoom and socialise.

Our one-to-one coach mentoring scheme allowed our participants to have a remote meeting once a fortnight with a coach who is very experienced in helping visually impaired people manage their exercise programmes or even to start getting fit when they have no idea how.

The individual impact

Steph, who is sight impaired and 67 said “I have so appreciated Paddy’s coaching. During the lockdown I walked for miles on my own, but must have slowed down, as when social distancing was eased a bit, and friends could guide me again, I struggled to keep up with them.

My doctor had encouraged me to do some Cardio vascular  exercise, and I had tried running with my guide dog, but it did not work very well.

Paddy restored my confidence to move quicker, and to swim more. Having a program to follow gave more motivation, and seeing it working added to that.”

The amazing thing was that Covid made us think of new and different ways of achieving our objectives and the Together Funding enabled us to put our ideas into practice. The remote activity was so successful that we decided to continue it to keep people fit and connected through the winter when outdoor activity is much harder; more rounds of funding from the Together Fund have made that possible.

Winter is tricky for things like rock climbing and cycling. Still, many of our VI participants told us how much they would like to learn to swim and how difficult it is to find a way of learning as a blind adult.

Again assisted by the Together Fund we put on some intensive “Learn to Swim weekends”. These were residential courses where people had four pool sessions led by our experienced coach and assisted by one-to-one sighted guides. This is from one of our participants who felt swimming was out of her reach not only because she was VI but also as a South Asian woman.

“On your residential course not only did I meet like-minded and determined individuals who are on a similar journey to me, but sharing the time with them, the guides and Paddy made me feel determined and empowered. On your residential I overcame many personal barriers and learnt to swim, which I did not feel I could accomplish during my years with sight.”

For a new charity at the start of our journey the Covid pandemic could have finished us before we really got started. Thanks to help from funds such as the Together Fund we have weathered that particular storm and emerged stronger to carry on opening up the world of adventure for visually impaired adults.