LIFESTYLE AUTHOR
Alexie Rendon
A DEEP DIVE ON THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED n Take a firsthand look into the athleticism and
talent that has carried TSBVI student-athletes to numerous victories.
N
ot many sports require complete silence. Tennis players prefer it, but for them, it’s more about formality. For goalball players, silence is a matter of a win or loss. The arena falls silent as six blindfolded players make their way to their positions. The sound of a dense set of jingle bells flows through the arena as the ball is hurled across in an attempt to score a point. Goalball is one of the many sports offered at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). The school serves children with vision loss from kindergarten to the 12th grade, with the addition of an exit program after graduation. The campus operates just as any other school would. While
JANUARY 2022
instruction is tailored to meet the needs of children who have low vision, their vision impairment does not, in any way, hinder their ability to participate in extracurricular activities such as sports, band or theater. Rather, this allows the school to think outside of the box when considering inclusivity. “For our kids with complete vision loss, it’s helpful for us to use a tactile map of the field, track (and whatever else), so they can get a better understanding of the layout,” says Tammy Reed, a goalball coach and co-athletic director at TSBVI. “We also use hand-under-hand (technique) to show the kids certain movements. In the beginning stages of learning new movements, it’s helpful for them to have someone physically move or demonstrate their hand
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or arm placement to grasp proper form.” In addition, audio cues largely play a role in the success of blind athletes, in any sport. While all coaches at TSBVI are certified through the United States Association of Blind Athletes, the heart of the sport and the love to compete is really what brings students and staff together. The coaches do everything they can to continuously improve and adapt their coaching to best lead their athletes. While the school offers multiple extracurricular opportunities such as cheer, wrestling, track swim,
