Athletes with a vision impairment

A disability resource developed by

TYPES OF VISION IMPAIRMENTS:

Types of vision impairments:
The most common conditions of vision
impairment are:

TUNNEL VISION OR LOSS OF LIGHT PERCEPTION

PERIPHERAL VISION The athlete can only see light.
The athlete can focus on an object but
not the features around it. E.g. While TOTAL BLINDNESS
looking straight ahead, the person The athlete sees nothing.
cannot see anything on the ground
in front of them. While watching for
hazards on the ground, they risk
colliding with anyone or anything in
front of them. They may see a step, but
cannot judge how high or deep it is. General tips for officials and
They cannot accurately judge height, age managers:
depth, distance or speed.
Ask the athlete what they can see and
adjust the activity to their needs.
LOSS OF CENTRAL VISION
Speak clearly and normally there is
The athlete can see only a dark area at
no need to raise your voice.
the centre of vision and loses the ability to
Dont be embarrassed to use words
focus. This means that although the athlete
such as look and see.
can see objects on the periphery, objects
When handing a piece of equipment,
that can be seen are not clear.
such as a discus, to a person with
BLURRED VISION a vision impairment, speak before
Objects are blurred. doing so.
TIPS FOR PARTICIPATION athlete. The exchange must take place
without hindering other athletes, and
IN LITTLE ATHLETICS EVENTS: must occur only on a straight. The
Tips for participation in little athletics events officials should be made aware if any
guide changes will occur.
In laned events, an athlete with a guide
SPRINTS: needs to be allocated two lanes.
Sprints
Allow the use of a guide runner, if
required.
Ensure that the starter is audible. MIDDLE DISTANCE:
Athletes with visual impairments
can start the same way as the other
Middle Distance
athletes; they can be allowed to crouch Similar to sprints. A guide runner may
or block start. be used.
The wearing of spikes is OK.
Avoid allocating the inside lane,
particularly if there is a lip on the track.
The outside lanes also have a gentler
curve. RACE WALKING:
Brightly coloured witches hats can be Race Walking
placed on the track to help guide the
runners. Similar to sprints. A guide walker
may be used.

GUIDELINES FOR GUIDE RUNNERS

guidelines for guide runners
HURDLES:
The method of guidance is the choice of
the athlete. They may choose an elbow
Hurdles
lead, a tether or to run free. (NOTE: for Some caution is obviously required
safety reasons, the tether should not be here.
tied, fixed or wrapped to one or both If an athlete with a vision impairment
individuals). believes that they can participate in
The athlete can receive verbal hurdles, allow them to try. Introduce
instruction from the guide. the event with lower and/or modified
At no time may a guide pull an athlete foam hurdles. A guide could run with
or propel the athlete forward by the athlete in a vacant lane.
pushing.
At no time should the guide and the
athlete be more than 0.5m apart.
HIGH JUMP:
Anyone may act as a guide, regardless
of age or sex. They do not have to be in
High Jump
the same age group as the athlete that
they are guiding. Allow the athlete to touch the bar
For races further than 400m, two guides before commencing their jump, so as
may be used, but only one exchange of to distinguish the height of the bar.
guides should be permitted for each Hang a bright ribbon over the bar to
 assist low vision athletes to sight the bar. of their run up, they should arrive at the
A caller may be used to assist with desired take off point, knowing when to
the athletes approach and timing of jump, without having to visually locate
their jump. The caller usually claps to the take off mat/board.
guide the vision-impaired athlete and
positions him/herself so that his/her
hands are at the position and height
that the athlete will cross the bar. The KEEPING ATHLETES STRAIGHT ON
caller steps away at the point when keeping athletes straight on the
THE RUNWAY
it is necessary to avoid impeding the
athlete.
runway
A guide can be used to assist in
Athletes who are totally blind or who
positioning the athlete on the runway.
have a severe vision impairment will
Beginners can practice without a cross
have the most difficulty in negotiating
bar, then with a flexible bar until they
the runway. Athletes with a less severe
are proficient with whatever style they
vision impairment will have little
intend to use.
difficulty keeping straight on the runway
as the pit is sufficiently large and of
contrasting colour to its surroundings.
They will therefore be able to aim for it
visually. Their main difficulty will be in
LONG JUMP/TRIPLE JUMP: sighting the point of take off.
Long Jump/Triple Jump
The most common method of guiding
Athletes with a vision impairment use an athlete down the runway is by sound
the same facilities as everyone else. (either voice or hand clapping). With
Place big, bright witches hats next to the sound guidance, the caller stands
long or triple jump take off mat/board either at the take-off point or beyond
to assist the athlete to sight the take off the athletes expected landing point in
point. the pit. If at any stage of the run up, it
Callers may be used to assist the appears that the athlete will miss the
athlete to negotiate their way down the pit, the caller must call ABORT and
runway and signal them when to take the athlete re-starts the attempt.
off. A guide can be used to assist in
positioning the athlete on the runway.
There is no requirement that the caller
Consider allowing athletes with very
should use any particular words or
low vision or no vision to use a 1m
sounds. However the coded number
square take off area.
system enables small directional
When teaching an athlete with a vision
corrections to be made without
impairment the run up, ask them to
confusion. It is based on the track lane
stand on the take off point and run
numbers. It assumes that the athlete is
away from the pit, counting the number
in lane 4. While the athlete is running
of running strides. They may begin with
straight, the caller repeats the word
only 3 or 5 strides, gradually working
four; ie. 4-4-4-4-4-4. If the athlete
to the full run up as they become more
moves to the right of the centre, the
confident. If the athlete counts the
caller shouts, 5 or if to the left of
same number of strides towards the pit,
centre, the caller shouts 3. The caller
having placed a marker at the beginning
continues to shout 5 or 3 until the
 athlete has made the correction, and Turbojavs (javelin)
then resumes calling 4. If the athlete Pay particular awareness to the safety
does not correct sufficiently, the caller of the athlete, officials, other athletes
must call ABORT. and spectators.
Athletes with a vision impairment can
learn to glide/rotate in the shot put,
It is important that before the athlete rotate in the discus, and run up in the
begins to run in, the caller ensures javelin.
that the athlete is aware of the correct
direction of the pit. This is done by
asking the athlete to place both hands
together and point to the direction of
the pit. If the athletes perception of the Safety Considerations:
direction is not correct, the caller asks
the athlete to point farther to the left Be aware of potential risks such as
or right, as the case may be. It is most stairs, gutters, drains, slippery surfaces,
important that the athelte is then asked protrusions, equipment lying on the
ot re-align his/her feet with the new ground, etc.
direction, even if the change is quite Ensure that activity areas and
small. If the feet ore not re-aligned, the thoroughfares are uncluttered and free
athlete will inevitably still commence in of unnecessary equipment.
the direction to which he/she originally Familiarity is important, so try to locate
pointed. necessary equipment in the same place
each time.
A bad track surface can lead to balance
problems. Try to provide a visually
impaired athlete with a lane that has
the best surface (often the outside
THROWS:
Throws lanes). Outside lanes also provide a
gentler curve and avoid the possible
risk of the athlete stepping on the inner
There are no special rules in the lip of the track, if one exists.
throwing events for people with a
vision impairment.
Take the athlete into the circle or onto
the runway.
Place the throwing implement in their
hand, if required.
Orient the athlete in the circle or on the
runway, but leave the circle or runway
before the throw begins. The Little Athletics Association of NSW
Verbal instructions may help the athlete acknowledges the valuable contributions of the
during the throw. following individuals and organsations in the
Escort the athlete out of the circle or preparation of this resource.
off the runway after a throw has been
John Simon
completed.
Blind Sporting Association of NSW
In the learning stages, teach with
alternative equipment e.g, bean bags NSW Sport & Recreation
or softballs (shot put); hoops (discus);