England Athletics sight loss awareness and guide running workshop launched
England Athletics is pleased to announce the launch of the Sight Loss and Guide Running Workshop for national rollout. The workshop has been written in conjunction with British Blind Sport and provides runners, leaders, coaches and volunteers with information and experience in off-track guide running for people with a visual impairment.
The workshops cover a number of areas including types of visual impairment (VI), behaviour and terminology and how to make running sessions VI friendly. The two hour workshop also includes a practical element where attendees get the chance to experience guiding and being guided by each other.
A number of successful pilot workshops have already been delivered and we are now looking for more opportunities to host these workshops. England Athletics staff have been trained to deliver the workshops and can be approached to discuss possible dates to deliver in your area.
Here is what previous attendees had to say about the workshop:
"I really enjoyed the workshop and now feel better informed as a guide. It’s also great that at my Running Club we now have this expertise to offer. Personally being guided with a blindfold made me appreciate how much trust visually impaired people have to place in us!" Mike
"I have run with my guide for over two years now. It was very much find our own way on how to do things so to actually go along to a workshop and gather other information and experiences was extremely useful." Keith
British Blind Sport is a registered charity and the leading voice in sport for the blind and partially sighted in the UK. The charity was set up in 1975 by visually impaired people, to enable them to have a controlling interest in various sports. Their website is www.britishblindsport.org.uk
England Athletics is committed to working as an integrated and inclusive organisation and increasing participation by the whole community. For more information on attending a Sight Loss Awareness and Guide Running workshop please contact your CCSO or Athletics Activator, or check out our events section when workshops start to be organised and uploaded. www.englandathletics.org/events
For more information, please contact:
Tamsin Fudge, England Athletics National Disability Manager (Community Participation)
Mobile: 07850 514936 or email tfudge@englandathletics.org
