Blind tennis anyone?

Believe it or not, I started playing blind tennis some time ago, and you know what? It is great, it is terrific, and I thank Alan Ma for having introduced it to us here in Toronto.

What exactly is blind tennis? Well, you use a junior tennis racket and you play with a soft ball that has bells in it. It is a sponge-like ball and bounces quite nicely. As the ball moves, the bells from within make noise so that a blind person can hear the ball as it approaches. It is fun and I just need to be able to judge when the ball is approaching, the distance between me and the net, and most important of all, hit the ball with a scoop-like motion so that it can float effortlessly over the net.

Alan is great! He has divided us into two specific groups. The first of which I am a member is for those of us who are either totally blind or have light perception. The second is for those with partial vision. I just have to remember to go out there and meet the ball, not wait for the ball to come to me. We play in the large basement of a Church.

Yes, that's blind tennis for you and Alan is hoping to train us well enough to play matches and eventually reach for the Olympics.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility expert, wishing you a terrific day and if you have any questions then please read the following.
The sport of blind tennis was started in the 80s by a Japanese inventor, a student at the time, Miyoshi Takei. His website is the following: www.hanno.jp/matsui/