Association of Blind Athletes of New Jersey

 The Association of Blind Athletes of New Jersey is a non-profit organization that is ran in accordance with the United States Association of Blind Athletes to help individuals competitively compete in Paralympic sporting events. They've been around helping those who may be blind or suffers from visual challenges participate in a variety of sports on the world, national, state, and recreational level since 1977. They feature various programs, those of which including Goalball, Beep Baseball, Track and Field, Judo, and even Skiing. With Goalball, it takes attributes from various sports, those of which including soccer, hockey, and dodgeball which ultimately creates this fast-paced game where it is played in two 12-minute halves, which at the end of the game whoever has the most goals wins. Beep Baseball is a version that accommodates to those with visual impairments, where the sport uses audio cues and special equipment to help alert and guide platers to act. There are six innings in a game and it features a pitcher, batter, and catcher who are on the same team but the pitcher and catcher have unimpaired vision. Six defensive players will then spread into the field, each blind or visually impaired. Th pitcher will say "ready" and then they will call out "ball" or "pitch" before throwing. When the ball is hit into fair territory, the base closest to the ball will alert the batter in which direction to run via a buzzing sound. During this, the fielders at the same time will follow the beeping sound from the ball. A batter scores if they reach and touch the base before the ball is collected. If the fielders though get to the ball first, then the batter is out. With Track and Field, the athletes with visual impairments run with a sighted guide who matches them step by step. The guide will call out any kind of obstacles and keeps the athlete informed about how much further they have. In Judo, blind athletes use the same rules as sighted athletes, with a few exceptions. Blind competitors start the round by holding  each other's jackets, and the referee will use audible signals to indicate when the competitors are reaching the edge of the mat. In Judo, blind and visual athletes can compete at the same level, the only difference though is the blind can grab the judo uniform of their opponent before the referee starts the match. Lastly, in Skiing for the people who are blind or visually impaired use a guide who will lead the way . Very similar to Track and Field, the guide will describe surroundings and provides verbal instructions. 

From researching their Facebook page, in the case that I had a family member who was blind or visually impaired, if they wanted to get involved they have their email attached right at in their intro segment. They also tend to use a form to help grasp an understanding of the individual that wants to get involved, asking questions such as "While playing games, do you feel the sighted students were fair to you?" and "Do you play sports with other visually impaired persons?" I believe that this group would be a great help for individuals looking to get into sports who may suffer from visual impairments. They've gone ahead in the past and even hosted a beginners clinic for those who want to get involved but may not know how to. They've had many successful stories, for instance one of their members, Tyler Cashman "went to South Africa to compete in the World Championship of Blind Gold and placed 2nd in his division" (Facebook, 2023). These types of success stories not only show a great image on how helpful these individuals are, but also help those who want to get involved feel invited and welcomed. The group seems active in keeping up with all their members and making sure they are all doing fine which makes the group seem more like a family.

Although, there isn't much information about the organization their selves, from scrolling throughout their Facebook page it really helps show you how dedicated these individuals are. You get the sense of they want to help people who may not feel included, feel included finally while fully supporting them in their future adventures. The group almost doesn't come off as a group, but more so a friendship. If I knew individuals who may be blind or suffer from visual impairments, I would certainly show them this group if they were looking to get into sports or back into sports for man reasons. Those being from the amount of programs that they offer, the supportive environment they created, and that they seem to actually care about making people feel included. With all of these factors, you get a fabulous group who you couldn't go wrong with choosing to be a part of. On top of being associated with the United States Association of Blind Athletes, it can lead to the possibility of going further into the sports for those of who want to be involved in a more competitive manner. Ultimately, the Association of Blind Athletes of New Jersey offers many programs for those looking to get into or back into sports and can even set the stage and help push individuals in chasing their dream of playing in a further competitive manner.