This Ability: Adaptability in the UK
In our new age of inclusion, adaptability has become a priority for many - especially in sports. But how are sports changing to accommodate disabled people, and why does it matter? Zain Durrani talks to adaptable teams in the UK, to hear how they operate.
Nomaan Iqbal lost his vision two and a half years ago.
Meningitis. 'The neck breaker', as it's known in his native language of Urdu. He was put into a coma for five weeks - when he woke up, his vision was gone.
"Open my eyes! Open my eyes!", Nomaan recalls saying. His eyes were open already.
Before everything, Nomaan was an active man; trained plumber, taxi driver, and father of two kids. He was also extremely sporty, with football and cricket being a part of the plethora of sports he played.
Doctors said he would be a "vegetable" - his motor skills got taken out in the coma too. He was scared - scared he would lose his mind, his health, and his family.
Six months later, after countless sessions of rehabilitation and treatment, Nomaan decided enough was enough.
"Now or never" Nomaan told himself. He got up - he made a change.
"God is the most merciful, and he will never burden you with more than you can handle. That’s for anyone. You will only get how much you can handle. I just kept that in my head throughout my whole journey."
The passion for sport is what drove Nomaan to stay afloat.
That’s when he found it - Sheffield’s Royal Society of the Blind (SRSB).
The SRSB gave him hope - ‘enlightenment’, he called it.
Opportunities arose for Nomaan, like Tennis - The South Yorkshire Visual Impaired Tennis Club, of which he is now the captain of.
When he started, he thought “Okay, I’m not good at it now, but there’s potential in it. I can do sports again”
That’s all it was for him; The hope that he might return to what he once knew.
Those were the first steps, before it all began…
THE SHEFFIELD STRIKERS
The Strikers are a visually impaired baseball team, supported by the United Kingdom Blind Baseball Association, and operating out of the SRSB.
Relatively young, the team only started nine months ago. Jordan Hayles created it as a way to build a collective - a community - to help develop something positive.
Now 31, Jordan lost his vision a decade ago to a hereditary illness known as leber hereditary optic neuropathy. His eyesight began to deteriorate whilst he was completing his teaching degree at Huddersfield University.
“It’s a thing where I feel like you need to turn something negative into a positive and I feel like that was a perfect opportunity. I felt like we could do some good here.”
Jordan wanted to keep people competitive - wanted to keep people active after so many had lost their vision. He believed that, through teamwork, people who may be struggling might be able to find some comfortability with it all.
“I think it’s coming to terms with, ‘I am blind, but I can still do anything that anyone else can do - if not more’”, He stated.
“The belief of ‘I can’t’ shouldn’t come into anyone’s vocabulary. I think you just haven’t done it yet. I think that's the mindset; I think it’s a collective community and everyone should just try and help each other.”
Blind baseball became popular in Europe over 15 years ago, thanks to the Association Italian Baseball Played From Blind. The Lancashire Lions became the first team in the UK, introducing the sport to the nation in 2019. Since then, it has spread out across Britain, with teams in Manchester, Liverpool, and more.
It is a very audio driven sport; the Strikers rely mostly on clapping and noises to help carry out their games. The baseball that is used is very unique, being covered in holes and filled with ball bearings - used to help keep track of the ball.
The biggest difference is the inclusion of the ‘shade’ - a visor that completely blocks the vision of the player, keeping things equal on the field.
There’s also no pitcher; hitters must instead hold the ball in one hand and the bat in the other, aiming it into the field.
Similar to the classic game, the hitter hits the ball into the fielding area, where 5 fielders will be waiting; their aim is to catch that ball before the hitter makes it to second base.
To aid with direction, there are pointers at every base. Someone would point a runner on first where second is and on second where third is. As the runners approach the base, a beeper plays, getting faster the closer the players are to the base.
From first to second, however, there is a clapper. The clapper operates the same as the beeper, clapping the closer the runner gets to the base.
From third to home, there is no noise; it’s completely free running. Instead, players have a four foot invisible ‘gate’ that they have to get through to make it home. Missing this gate can mean missing out on runs - so it’s vital that players become perfect at free running.
"I've always had this vision - although I don't have vision anymore!"
“I don’t count myself disabled,” Nomaan said, “Cause we have the ability to do things without certain things, like vision. That’s an ability - not a disability”
Through the Strikers, Nomaan and Jordan had the opportunity to play blind baseball for Team GB in the first ever Blind Baseball European Championship in Italy last month, where they helped Great Britain win a bronze medal.
Nomaan had always had a dream of being something in sports. Something ‘big’, he said. Playing for Team GB has helped them get there; it’s made him feel fulfilled.
The Strikers, and frankly the SRSB as a whole, has been pushing him to be the best he can be. Pushing him to return to the world of sports that he loved so much. They’ve given him opportunities that were never available to him before.
“What more could I ask for?”
THE SHEFFIELD STEELKINGS
Baseball isn’t the only sport that is adapting to accommodate people with disabilities…
Established in 2014, and operating out of IceSheffield, the Sheffield Steelkings are the youngest team in the British Para Ice Hockey Association.
They use special-made sleds, shipped from Canada, to help their players get on the ice. Each sled can be adapted to the exact needs of the user.
Wayne Plummer, assistant coach, says that the sleds can be a hassle to get used to;
“Like riding a bike sitting down, with your legs in front of you”
THE STUMP
Holders for a user's stump can be removed or added, with straps and padding used for security and comfortability.
THE SEAT
The back of the seat can be extended, to accommodate people with spinal injuries.
For people who may be unable to push themselves, the sled also allows a handle to be attached to it, operating more like a wheelchair.
THE BLADES
The blades, which function exactly like the blades on skates, can be moved to accommodate a user's comfortability and experience with the sport.
Closer blades mean faster speed and better turning, but less balance - so for newer, less experienced users, that isn’t ideal.
ADAPTABILITY IN THE UK
According to statistics by SportEngland, 34.9% of people in England have a long standing disability or illness, with visual impairments being the most common. Disabled people are much less likely to engage in sporting or physical activity, with 47% of them believing that sport “isn’t for someone like them”.
Low awareness of these clubs is killing their reach; most disabled people are under the impression that spaces, like sport, aren’t fully accessible for them - that their specific needs won't be able to be met.
But adaptable sports understand that there isn’t really a ‘one size fits all’ approach to playing with disability! People have different levels of severity and experience. Whilst this has sometimes been a hindering factor, many sports find ways to make it work.
The Strikers, for instance, use the shade to ensure all players have limited vision, and allow some players to use a ‘tee’ when they bat, instead of just holding the ball, making things easier for people with movement disabilities.
That’s what's so great about adaptable sports! They move and change and adapt to accommodate disabilities, no matter the individual's experience with them.
We've been hearing ‘Sport for All’ for years now, and it finally feels like we’re living up to the phrase.
