Sighted guide
Encyclopedia
A sighted guide is a person who guides a person with blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...

 or vision impairment.

Paralympic Games

At the Paralympic Games
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...

 there are various classifications of athletes with a visual impairment.

Rules are according to the International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) and the International Paralympic Committee
International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nine sports...

 (IPC).

The sighted guides are such a close and essential part of the competition, that the athlete with a visual impairment and the guide are considered a team, and both athletes are medal candidates.

Winter

At the Winter Paralympics there are three classifications of athletes with a visual impairment:
  • B1 (no useful vision)
  • B2 (minimal useful vision)
  • B3 (some useful vision).

A sighted guide is required for B1 and B2, and optional for B3.

Nordic skiing
Paralympic nordic skiing
Paralympic Nordic skiing is a Winter Paralympics sport consisting of biathlon and cross-country skiing. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee....

:


The guide can lead, follow, or ski next to the athlete with a visual impairment. The guide assists with voice instruction only. No physical contact allowed.

Alpine skiing
Paralympic alpine skiing
Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. Paralympic alpine skiing is one of the sports in the Paralympic Winter Games...

:


The start must have an adequate space for the guide.
  • Combined
  • Downhill
  • Giant slalom
  • Slalom
  • Super-G

Summer

Athletics:
In athletics the sighted guides can win a medal.

Cycling: Pilot

Equestrian:

Football 5-a-side:

External links

  • Being a Sighted Guide, American Foundation for the Blind
    American Foundation for the Blind
    The American Foundation for the Blind is an American non-profit organization that expands possibilities for people with vision loss. AFB's priorities include broadening access to technology; elevating the quality of information and tools for the professionals who serve people with vision loss; and...

  • Sighted Guide Techniques, Braille Institute of America
    Braille Institute of America
    The Braille Institute of America is a non-profit organization based in Los Angeles providing services and coordinating events for the visually impaired. The organization produces over 5 million pages of Braille texts per year...

  • Video: Guide Running at United States Olympic Committee
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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