Visual impairment can affect anyone, at any age, at any time. For some people, a congenital condition can appear at birth, for others a reduction in eyesight can happen gradually over time, due to illness, a disease such as macular degeneration or glaucoma, or a traumatizing accident.
Fortunately, vision loss need not be debilitating due to new assistive technology for the vision impaired. In fact, those deemed legally blind can do nearly anything a sighted person can, including participation in sports and even reading text.
Legally Blind Athletes
Take James Magana, for instance. A wrestler on Monrovia High School's varsity team, he has managed to rise to the top of his sport even though he is plagued by a congenital disease that affected his eyesight from birth. Although Magana can see vague shapes and colors, he is considered legally blind. But he hasn't allowed that handicap to dictate what he can and cannot do. As his father reminded him, it does not take perfect vision to wrestle.
Magana is not alone in his quest to overcome the obstacles visual impairment erects. Asya Miller also deals with low vision due to Stargardt's disease, yet she doesn't allow that fact to keep her from competing in goalball as a U.S. Paralympics. Although her competitors often try to fool her with a soft, low noise throw, Miller uses her sense of hearing to determine who is throwing the ball and where it is headed. In fact, she is so good at sports Miller has managed to amass more than 79 medals in the past decade.
There are numerous blind and visually impaired athletes who excel in nearly any sport, including downhill skiing, judo, wrestling, track and field, cycling, power lifting, and much more. Every four years, these talented individuals are offered an opportunity to compete in the Paralympics Games.
What's Missing?
Even with such accomplishments under their belts, athletes such as Magana and Miller still miss out on activities like reading. Thanks to special software and electronic magnifiers , it is now possible for anyone declared legally blind to enjoy the same books, newspapers, and internet sites anyone else can.
It was back in 2006 that ABiSee introduced its first low vision reading aid. Zoom-Ex, an OCR scanner that translates written text into the spoken word at lightning speeds, is their premier vision assistive device for computer users. Since that time, the company has been dedicated to continually developing new products for the visually impaired and upgrading the technology used in their core vision aids. Subsequent products, such as the Zoom-Twix aimed at students with its ability to read and save textbooks and at the same time view and save magnified images of the white board, have greatly enhanced the chances to succeed at school and in life for anyone suffering from vision loss.
If you or someone you know is currently struggling with a complete or gradual loss of vision, it is important to stay positive and retain a can-do attitude. Remember athletes like Magana and Miller who have not allowed a vision handicap to get in their way. And take heart that there are many very effective visual aid items that help the blind overcome their disability.
