British Columbia Blind Sports and Recreation Association

News and Content

Insight - The Newsletter for the Membership of BC Blind Sports Winter 2005-2006 Issue

Table of Contents

Get Out and Have Fun!
President's Message
2006-2007 Membership Dues
Sport BC President's Awards
Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
26th Annual “Run for Light”
Goalball
Lawn Bowls
2006 ALACD Youth Exchange
Advocates for Sight Impaired Consumers (ASIC)
Sports WEBSITES Sites Not accessible
2006 Calendar of Events
“Cruising for Charity”
BCBSRA Membership Form

The Winter 2005-06 issue is also available as an Adobe pdf. To download a pdf copy, click here.

President's Message
Sport for persons with a disability in Canada suffered a great loss shortly after Christmas with the passing of former BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association president Gerry York.

Mrs. York, founder and long time president of BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association passed away on Boxing Day 2005. From the beginning, when BC Blind Sports operated out of Gerry’s home, until her retirement in the late 90’s, Mrs. York provided the leadership that enabled blind sports to reach the level it is at today. Her legacy extends far beyond British Columbia to national and international blind sports programs. We will all miss Gerry York and the memory of Gerry will survive in all she has left behind. Watch for our special issue dedicated to Gerry York. Thanks Gerry, we’ll miss you!

2006 promises to be another eventful and challenging year. The Board will be holding strategic planning sessions in April as our current plan is coming to a close. This is an opportunity for BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association to look at the past and plan for the future. It is also an opportunity for our members to make suggestions for the improvement of our organization. Your input is important. If you have ideas for programs and policies of our organization, please contact our staff by telephone, email or letter. BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association is anxious to improve the services it offers to current members and to attract new members.

At the Canadian Blind Sports Association (CBSA) strategic planning session last year, the national organization confirmed their heavy involvement in Goalball, the sport for which they receive funding from the federal government. This does not mean that other sports such as Lawn Bowls are no longer a concern to CBSA. CBSA will continue to represent and program for Canadian bowlers on the national and international scene.

In addition, BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association will continue to do everything possible to ensure that Bowls remains a strong sport and that BC members will not miss opportunities for national and international competitions. If you have questions or concerns regarding schedules for the upcoming year please contact one of our program staff (Mike or Susan) at the provincial office. Information from other sources can sometimes be misleading.

Goodluck in your 2006 season, I hope all your training and competitions are everything you hope they will be.

2006-2007 Membership Dues
It’s that exciting time of year when a lot of our athletes are gearing up for new seasons while others are practicing in anticipation of championship games. Perhaps this is the year you will sign up for the walking program or try dragon boating. Perhaps you are looking forward to resuming your favourite sport and seeing your teammates and meeting new ones. Whatever your motivation, BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association welcomes you as we kick off a new membership year as of April 1, 2006. Be sure to pay or renew your membership dues to ensure your participation in all the excitement our programs have to offer.

Membership fees:

Athletes: $15.00 per year
Supporting members (sport guides, volunteers, etc.) $5.00

Membership forms are enclosed with this newsletter. To request additional copies, or if you require assistance filling out the form, please call Susan or Kristy at 604-325-8638.

Sport BC President's Awards

BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association has selected Frank Reynolds as our 2006 recipient of the Sport BC President’s Award. BC Blind Sports President, Doug Stoutley, will be presenting Frank with the award on March 8 at the Sport BC Athlete of the Year Awards. Frank has served as treasurer on the BC Blind Sports Board of Directors for eight years (1998 – 2005). Frank is a high performance coach working with athletes who are blind and deaf/blind. BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association thanks Frank for playing such a key role in moving the financial planning and management of our organization to the next level.

Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

BC Blind Sports congratulates Courtney Knight on being inducted to the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame.
Courtney Knight was the first visually-impaired athlete to win a B.C. high school track and field championship, placing first in the discus in 1995. With less than 10 per cent typical vision, her participation with a sighted Team B.C. at the Canadian Junior Championships and Western Canada Games were also firsts. Knight is currently ranked No. 2 in the world in the pentathlon, discus and shot put and is the Canadian record holder in seven individual Paralympic disciplines. She is a three-time Paralympian, winning silver medals in Atlanta and Sydney. Knight was the Sport B.C. disabled athlete of the year in 1995 and was B.C. Athletics' female disabled athlete from 1996 to 2003. For other inductees visit the Burnaby Sports Hall of Fame website at:
http://www.burnabysportshalloffame.ca/


26th Annual “Run for Light”
In anticipation of warmer weather, BC Blind Sports has started planning the 26th Annual “Run for Light”. Whether as a participant or as a volunteer, we invite you to join us at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park on May 26, 2006. Gather a group of friends and family to run, walk or wheel the 4.3km course along the Seawall to raise awareness of BC Blind Sports programs. All registered participants receive glow-in-the-dark t-shirts and lightsticks and are eligible for the post-run prize draw. Check our website or call us for more details. See you on May 26!

Goalball
Goalball is in full swing right now with nationals just down the road. Practices are taking place throughout BC. For more information about times and locations of the practices contact Mike at the Blind Sports office. March will be a busy month for goalball! BC Blind Sports is pleased to be sending both their youth and senior teams to the Alberta Sports and Recreation Association for the Blind (ASRAB) Invitational in Calgary at the beginning of March. This will be an excellent opportunity for the senior men’s team to hone their skills against players from other provinces as they prepare for the Canadian Blind Sports Association (CBSA) National Goalball Championships. The 2006 National Goalball Championships will also take place in Calgary, Alberta, from March 24-26, 2006. BC is always looking for new players to join their team. If you do not wish to participate but would still like to help out, we are always in need of volunteers. If you are interested in playing or volunteering please call Susan or Mike at BC Blind Sports at (604) 325 8638.

Lawn Bowls
In memory of Bob Giesbrecht

Bob Giesbrecht passed away November 20, 2005. Bob was an athlete with BC Blind Sports for many years. Bob Giesbrecht was an executive committee member and also served as a volunteer on the administration side at the provincial and national level. We will miss you Bob!

2006 Lawn Bowls
Bowlers line up your directors and get ready for a new season. The first annual regional pairs tournament is set to take place around the third week of May in Nanaimo. Details will be announced later. The second regional pairs match will take place June 2, 2006 in Richmond. For more information on this event contact Susan or Mike at BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association at 604-325-8638. There will be no BC Disability Games this year but we will be hosting a Provincial Competition. Details on the competition are to be announced.
Scotland is hosting an invitational Quadrum of 4 countries this year July 14-28. For more information on this event contact Mike or Susan at BC Blind Sports. We look forward to having another great season and good luck to all participants.

2006 ALACD Youth Exchange
The Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (ALACD) is pleased to announce that they have applied to be a part of the YMCA Youth Exchanges Canada program. This program will bring together 50 young people from across Canada to Ottawa for the experience of a lifetime. The YMCA Youth Exchanges Canada program is funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage. The event, which is also in partnership with premiere sponsor, Pfizer Canada Inc., the sixth annual ALACD Youth Exchange will be held in Ottawa at Carleton University from June 27th to July 3rd, 2006.

ALACD encourages young Canadians between the ages of 14 and 17 as of June 1st, 2006, to sign up immediately by contacting Nadia or Susan. Space is limited and preference is given to those who have a disability. You can download the registration forms from the website at www.ala.ca or call Susan at BC Blind Sports.
Events such as this would not be possible without committed volunteers. Applications for Chaperones are being solicited. Chaperones are responsible for the safety and well-being of participants during travel portions of the event. Contact Nadia or Susan immediately if you wish to be a chaperone. For more information, please visit www.ala.ca.

The ALACD is a national, non-profit organization formed in 1989. It has 20 national partners and works in every province and territory to promote healthy and active living for Canadians with disabilities.
For more information on the 2006 Youth Exchange or the Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability, contact Nadia Smith at 1-800- 71-0663, email at nadia@ala.ca , or log on at www.ala.ca.

In BC, you may contact Susan Flanagan at BCBSRA office, Community Development Representative at 604-325-8638.

Advocates for Sight Impaired Consumers (ASIC)
BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association interacts with various blindness and disability-related organizations in order to share relevant information with our members.

Currently ASIC is working towards making taxi services more accessible through the introduction of a speech output of essential information displayed on the taxi meter. For more information and/or your suggestions visit:
http://www.asic.bc.cx/releases/TaxiAccessibility.shtml

They continue to lobby BC Hydro and Terasen Gas for alternate format billing statements in addition to ensuring their websites are W3C compliant to enable and promote on-line review of statements. They anticipate making announcements in this regard in the near future.

The nominations Committee of Advocates for Sight Impaired Consumers is accepting nominations to fill as many as 9 positions as voting directors-at-large on the ASIC board for the coming year. ASIC’s policies regarding nominations, duties, time commitments and expectations are clearly defined under the "Nominations call..." link on their home page, located at: www.asic.bc.cx

We look forward to presenting a slate of enthusiastic volunteers who will carry on the excellent work of the organization at their annual general meeting scheduled for Monday, March 27, 2006. Further details regarding the AGM will be posted to their web site.

Lastly, ASIC's collaboration with accessible pedestrian signal manufacturers has resulted in cutting-edge technology in the area of APS devices. You can obtain a complete understanding and on-line demo of Polara's Navigator II APS device by visiting:
http://www.asic.bc.cx/releases/NavigatorIIOverview.shtml
For more details about ASIC visit www.asic.bc.cx or call Susan at the BC Blind Sports office.

Sports Websites Sites Not accessible
BC Blind Sports and Recreation Association thought this message from the American Foundation for the Blind might be of interest to all you sports fans accessing sports websites.

Days before Super Bowl XL, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) was reporting that sporting web sites are not high scorers in the game of accessibility. After evaluating NFL.com, ESPN.com, and SI.com, AFB found that all three sites are extremely cluttered and have design problems that prevent screen reader users from easily navigating the pages.

Rather than focusing on every unlabeled graphic or link on the web sites, AFB looked at the sites' overall accessibility, and the ease and efficiency with which information could be found and analyzed by screen reader users.

With a few changes in web page design—like properly labeling forms when building web interfaces and providing descriptive alt-text for graphics—it is possible to make web sites accessible, so that football fans with vision loss will not be left out of the action. To read the full article please visit http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=42&TopicID=242.

2006 Calendar of Events
March 10-11
ASRAB Invitational Goalball Tournament
Calgary, AB

March 10 -19
Torino 2006 Paralympic Games
Torino, Italy

March 11-19
CBC Coverage of the Torino 2006 Paralympic Games
Visit: cbc.ca/paralympics

March 24-26
National Goalball Championships
Calgary, AB

April 7-9
CAN-AM SWAD Meet
London, ON

April 26-30
Défi Sportif (Goalball and Tandem Cycling)
Montreal, QC

May 12-14
Canadian High School Goalball Tournament
Brantford, ON

May 26
26th “Annual Run for Light”
Lumbermans Arch, Stanley Park
Vancouver, BC

June 3-4
Alcan Dragon Boat Regatta
Vancouver, BC

June 13 (Amendment to newsletter)
Lawn Bowls Second Regional Pairs Match
Richmond, BC

CORRECTION: Please note that the Lawn Bowls Second Regional Pairs Match in Richmond, BC will take place on June 13 2006, not on June 2 as stated in the BCBSRA Winter 2005-06 Insight Newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact BC Blind Sports. Thank you.

June 16-18
Alcan Dragon Boat Festival
Vancouver, BC

June 26-July 2
World Goalball Championships
North Carolina, USA

June 29-July 3
IBSA Judo World Championships
France

June 30- July 1
NAUH/SWAD Provincial Championships
Montreal, QC

July 1-2
Cycling Road Nationals
Quebec City, QC

July 7-9
Cycling Track Nationals
Bromont, QC

July 6-9
Athletics Nationals
London, ON

July 14-28
Lawn Bowls Quadrum of 4 Countries
Scotland

July 27-30
BC Summer Games (Tandem Cycling)
Kamloops, BC

July 31-Aug 2
Western Canadian Blind Golf Championships
Saskatoon, SK

Aug 8-12
SWAD CAN-AM US & Canadian Trials for World Championships
San Antonio, TX, USA

Aug 18-20
Victoria Dragon Boat Festival
Victoria, BC

Sept. 2-12
World Athletics Championships
Aasen, Netherlands

Sept. 16-17
Kelowna Dragon Boat Festival
Kelowna, BC

Sept. 17-21
2006 Canadian Open (Golf)
Ste-Marguerite-Estérel, QC

Nov 27-Dec 9
IPC Swimming World Championships
Durban, RSA

“Cruising for Charity”

For every cabin sold based on double occupancy and minimum 8 cabins in the group, Avion Travel will donate $80.00 to BC Blind Sports. Matching Avion Travel, Carnival Cruise lines will contribute $80.00.

MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE
7 DAY CRUISE aboard the “CARNIVAL ELATIOON”
DEPARTING AUGUST 20, 2006

RATES
CABIN PRICE
Inside $723.00 CAD
Ocean View $903.00 CAD

Presented by Avion Cruise and Tours
Phone: 604-278-2511
info@avioncruise.com
www.cruisingforcharity.org


BCBSRA Membership Form

For a printable copy of the membership form, please click here.

The Winter 2005-2006 issue is also available as an Adobe pdf. To download a pdf copy, click here.

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