The Benefits of Staying Active in The Face of Adversity as Told By 16 Disabled Athletes

In the month leading up to the kick-off of the 2024 Paralympics in Paris, Navigating Blindness featured sixteen blind and low-vision athletes. These athletes shared their adventures and their thoughts about why it’s so important to give disabled children the opportunity to participate in a wide range of activities. Below you will meet the participants and read about how staying active helped them overcome adversity.

Kai Owens (Instagram)

Our very own Kai Owens who lost his sight at the age of ten to ABCA4 retinopathy and autoimmune retinopathy shared a short video of himself skimboarding at our local beach. For him, watersports relieves anxiety and helps him feel included with a great group of ‘beach’ friends he grew up with. (You can watch him skim by clicking here.)

Kai also shared three videos of himself from a brothers’ trip to the Oregon Coast. In one video, he is seen crossing a stream on a large fallen log by navigating with his white cane. (Click here to watch.) In another video, he’s carefully navigating across a beach filled with boulders. (Click here to watch.) In the last video, Cash and Kai are at the summit of God’s Thumb formation. When we asked if it was scary Kai said, “Yes, but the fresh air, elevation changes, sounds of the wind and waves, and being with Cash was great! I crushed it!” (Click here to watch.)

Early on our family discovered that brothers’ trips were a great way for the boys to bond while doing activities they love. Their first brothers’ trip was to Erik Weihenmayer’s NYC Summit! Speaking of Erik, we featured him, too!

Erik Weihenmayer (Instagram)

Erik Weihenmayer’s blindness was caused by juvenile retinoschisis, which affected his vision from birth and eventually caused him to go completely blind by his early teens.

With his friends and family’s encouragement and support, especially his late father Ed, Erik has made a point to live a beautifully adventurous life. He wrestled competitively through high school, graduated from college, taught middle school through his 20s, and eventually made the bold choice to carve a passionate path forward for himself in the mountains – changing many people’s perceptions of disabilities, by making possible what was considered impossible.

Today, Erik is one of the most accomplished athletes and speakers in the world, as well as the co-founder of No Barriers USA his proudest achievement No Barriers is a Colorado-based nonprofit that provides outdoor programming for kids, adults, and Veterans with seen and unseen challenges, as well as supports caregivers and others from underserved and underrepresented groups. (Click here to visit their website)

Erik’s advice for parents of blind and low-vision children, as well as for the kids themselves, is to build up their “rope teams” – the folks in life who can help you achieve your vision. Erik credits his family and friends as being core to the confidence and the accomplishments he has built and experienced in his life, and so he urges everyone of every ability to lean into their teams to overcome their barriers.

Erik’s teams helped him become the first blind person in history to climb Mount Everest, complete the Seven Summits, kayak all 277 miles of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and ascend Patagonia’s Torres del Paine, to name a few. They have also helped him share his story, and the stories of others, worldwide through thoughtful keynotes, best-selling books, popular podcasts, award-winning documentaries (Click here to access Vimeo’s website and Erik’s documentary film From My Window), and of course, the No Barriers USA framework.

Going it alone is not an option for Erik. Roping Up to dream, achieve, and celebrate together is the way forward. So, find your people and Keep Climbing!

Idojax Surf Charities (Instagram)

We also heard from Indojax Surf Charities. A wonderful program led by Jack Viorel of Indojax Surf School in Wrightsville Beach, NC. Our boys Cash (sighted) and Kai (blind) participated in their program a few years ago and had an incredible time. They both learned to surf during the camp and continue to enjoy the sport. The instructors had a lot of experience teaching kids with a wide range of disabilities and visual impairments and the parents had time to enjoy the beach and get to know one another. In the video we shared, one participant’s grandmother stated, “He believes in himself and that’s what’s important and that’s what he’s learned by coming out here to Indojax.” (You can watch the video by clicking here.)

Millie Sica (Instagram)

Millie was diagnosed with optic pathway glioma at the age of three. She shared her love for ballroom dancing. She says, “Dance is such a great sport — both mentally and physically. It helps build both endurance and muscle strength. It’s a confidence builder and reminds me that I can do anything!” (Click here to watch her perform a Latin dance with her instructor.)

Joe Rinaldi (Instagram)

Joe of Project Endure has Best’s Disease. He shared his love of fitness and how he helps others to find strength in struggle through coaching, community, and conversations. He shared his favorite quote by Christine Caine, “Sometimes when you’re in a dark place you think you’ve been buried but you’ve actually been planted.” (Click here to see his feature.)

Jared Maynard (Instagram)

Jared who is progressively losing his sight to Choroideremia (CHM) shared how a year ago he nearly died from a rare and deadly disease called HLH. He ended up on life support for five weeks and lost 40 pounds of muscle weight. Ultimately, he spent three and a half months in the hospital where he had to learn to eat, speak, walk, and breathe on his own again. One year later, he returned to powerlifting hitting lifetime personal records. Now he helps other people overcome barriers and discover their true power. (Click here to see his feature.)

Ellashae (Instagram)

Ellashae is a college student who lost her sight in 2020. She has developed a passion for goalball. The sport has given her a community and a purpose. She hopes to represent the USA at the next Paralympics. (Click here to see her feature.)

Isaac McBurney (Instagram)

Isaac is legally blind from retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). He recently kayaked the MR340 which is a 340-mile river race down the Missouri River. He wants others to know that blind and low-vision kids can do anything! He says, “I didn’t know that I could kayak, go hiking, or rock climbing as a blind person, but figured out that I can with encouragement and guidance, and that it’s actually pretty fun.” (Click here to see his feature.)

Benn Murray (Instagram)

Benn has progressive sight loss from Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and competed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He said, “My message to parents would be to get their kids involved in any kind of sport. The confidence and relationships it builds are incredible, and the benefits of exercise speak for themselves. There is no such thing as can’t!” (Click here for his feature.)

Raquel Alim (Instagram)

Raquel is progressively losing her sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and she shared a video of herself waterskiing! She says, “Being out on the water gives me a profound sense of freedom and exhilaration. It’s a safe and supportive environment, and I highly recommend it. Don’t let fear hold you back – embrace new challenges and find your own sense of freedom!” (Click here for her video.)

Terri Rupp (Instagram)

Terri has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and shared her love of running saying, “Running to me is a place where I can just be, where I find joy, clarity, and cleanse my head of all the busyness that screams for my attention. Running for me is also a place of community. Because I’m a blind runner, I get to run with a guide. This means the miles fly by while we run talking about everything and nothing.” She has passed her love of running to her children, too! (Click here for her feature.)

Ashton Dunford (Instagram)

Ashton is a blind middle school student who shared his love of running. We featured his recent track meet in which he and his guide ran a 1600-meter race followed by a 400-meter race. His mom, Hilda, said, “He wasn’t the fastest runner but he finished and didn’t give up! I’m so proud of him and can’t wait for all the track meets this season.” (Click here to watch the video.)

Hilda and I co-wrote a blog post several years ago that featured our favorite ways to keep our blind kids active. (Click here to read that post.)

Tony Taliani (Instagram)

Tony has Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and competes in powerlifting and strongman competitions. He loves imparting his passion for sports to his 18-month-old son, Luke. (Click here for his feature.)

Owen Cravens (Instagram)

Owen is a college student with Stargardt’s disease and will be representing Team USA in the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. Owen says he’s always willing to meet and talk with blind athletes and their families to help mentor them through the process of living and learning through their various eye conditions. (Click here for his feature.)

Yahya Pandor (Instagram)

Yahya is a blind runner with macular degeneration and is creating the world record of being the first fully blind person to run a marathon untethered. He shares, “For all the young people out there, being active helps your body stay strong, your mind stay sharp and it’s a lot of fun too.” For the parents out there he says, “Encouraging your kids to be active helps them build confidence and independence. Plus, it’s a great way to bond and enjoy time together.” (Click here for his feature.)

Paul Buono (Instagram)

Paul is fully sighted but we featured him because we are beginning to integrate more autoimmune content into our page. Paul was diagnosed with Lupus at the age of 28. Illness has caused a shift in his athletic focus. He’s no longer on the CrossFit Games podium, instead, he’s staying active by lifting weights, snowboarding, hiking, climbing, swimming, and riding his bike. Now he helps others to overcome health challenges, lose fat, and build muscle. (Click here for his feature.)

Tell us about you!

If you are a disabled athlete, please tell us a bit about yourself in the comments. We’d love to know how staying active has helped you to overcome adversity.

If you are a parent of a blind child, please share your wins or struggles with letting your child participate in sports and athletic adventures.

Thanks!