Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) is partnering with Washington State Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) to offer a kayaking and paddleboarding event to adult students through their Orientation and Training Center (OTC), located in Seattle’s Columbia City neighborhood. OTC provides students, who come from throughout the state of Washington, comprehensive and intensive training in the adaptive skills of blindness to adults interested in employment.
OTC events encourage students to participate in and help organize recreational and community activities called Challenge Activities, which provides opportunities to explore a variety of recreational activities, build self-esteem, interact with the public and gain greater self-esteem. OTC Challenge Activities take place throughout the year and provides activities such as bicycle riding, water skiing, museum visits and community volunteering.
NWABA’s participation in this Challenge Activity will offer students the ability to learn to kayak and paddleboard wearing eyeshades with the help of NWABA team members and volunteers. NWABA’s mission is to provide life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activity to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. In partnering with the OTC, NWABA will be able to provide an opportunity for adults to learn something new or re-engage with activities that they already know and love. For some students, this will be their first time participating in an event like this. NWABA hopes to instill confidence and independence while fostering community engagement. The athletes that join our events not only get to participate in fun sports and recreation events, but they also learn new skills and connect with other people in the community that may have similar life experiences. NWABA strives to create a safe space to empower people and break down barriers to participating in recreational activities.
This water sports event will be held on Wednesday, August 17, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at West Green Lake, 5900 West Green Lake Way N, Seattle, WA 98103.
About NWABA:
The mission of Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) is to provide life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activity to individuals who are blind and visually impaired. A group of students who were visually impaired formed the association in 2007 to ensure that people who are blind were participating in sports and physical activity. Today, NWABA is a rapidly expanding 501(c)(3) charitable organization that provides more than 1,900 children, youth, adults and military veterans with visual impairments tailored programming which improves self-confidence and self-esteem, promotes independence, creates an inclusive community of supporters, and builds the skills necessary to succeed in all areas of