Standing on One Foot: Reflections on Sports and Recreation

By Kevan Worley

In the 1990’s and on into the first decade of the 21^st century, the National Federation of the Blind published a series of little booklets comprised of stories, observations, and essays from our members. We call these booklets kernel books. The purpose was to educate the public about the true nature of blindness. They provided what you might call “more than a kernel of truth” to refute some of the myths and misconceptions that people, both blind and sighted, hold about us. One of my favorites from the series is “Standing on One Foot.” Dr. Kenneth Jernigan, editor of this collection of short stories, began with an essay bearing the title of the book.

Over the past few years, the Federation has established a special interest division for people who are blind and interested in sports and recreation. What does this growing division of the Federation have to do with standing on one foot? Can blind people stand on one foot as easily as the sighted? The perspective offered by Dr. Jernigan may surprise you. Can we practice yoga, Thai Chi, compete in long distance running, swimming, biking, or wrestling? How do we enjoy adapted games like beat ball or goal ball? What are the barriers, which might keep us from maximizing health and wellness? What collective action might we take through this division of the Federation to achieve greater access to integration in athletics, and the more active leisure pursuits. What is the social conditioning which might inhibit our involvement in sports and recreation?

As the Colorado affiliate launches our new sports and rec division, the questions posed above and the one posed by Dr. Jernigan’s vignette may be interesting to contemplate. Is it more difficult for the blind to balance on one foot? Here is the link to the short essay.https://nfb.org/images/nfb/publications/books/kernel1/kern0602.htm. It is about seven regular Braille pages. Read. Discuss. Decide. And determine to jump in with both feet and live the life you want. Or, as Dr. Jernigan said “we should have faith in ourselves and keep both feet firmly on the ground, but we should also know that sometimes we will be found standing on one foot.”