Partially sighted Ballymena mum mastering judo encourages others to try something new this year

Collette, who is partially sighted and works as a counsellor, said: “My

family have been involved in several different marital arts for quite some time

now and I had sat in on and watched my fair share of the kids’ judo classes.

But I always thought sport was never for me.

“I hated PE at school as I struggled to keep up due to my visual impairment.

Throw in the reflexes of a sedated, elderly sloth and you have a typical PE

lesson for me.”

But that all changed for Collette last April.

"My family suggested I come along to their Kung Fu classes and, ever the one not to turn down a challenge I thought why not? I gave it a go, had an absolute ball and started to seriously reconsider my ideas around what sport is and how I could access it and take part.”

Collette said her job means she is sitting still at a desk all day long and not using much physical energy.

“For a person who is visually impaired it can be difficult to find ways to exercise. For example, I could go out for a run – and in fact had taken part in the Belfast City Marathon earlier in the year as part of a relay

team – but I need to have someone with me for safety, which isn’t always

possible or convenient.

“I knew about the VI (visually impaired) Judo group in Coleraine for a while so

I thought I’d make contact and ask if they had any spaces for a newbie. I had

absolutely no idea what to expect. Needless to say all my fears and anxieties

were totally unfounded. I was met with a gentle, incredibly welcoming group of

people.

“Everyone is an equal and no one person is ‘better’ than the other. There is no

time where you are made to feel like you are a burden on anyone or holding

anyone back from their training due to your disability.

“When a person lives with sight loss they can often find their movements are

extremely cautious as we are constantly aware of the possibility of bumping in

to something or falling and getting hurt. Judo allows you a wonderful freedom

of movement of your own body. You know you can move around the mats

freely, that if you do fall you will do so safely.”

After a while it was suggested Collette take part her first competition in

England.

"It was literally my first ever time doing anything remotely competitive

since the dreaded school sports days. Much to my surprise, I won Silver in

my category!

“The judo community is like a big family and I was fielding congratulatory

messages left, right and centre.”

Late 2022 held a number of other exciting events and opportunities for Collette,

including training with the Para-Potential squad, and attending the NI Judo

Federation’s Adaptive Judo Festival in Londonderry.

"This was a really fun morning bringing together judo players with a range of disabilities.

“In November I was also honoured and delighted to win the Coleraine Sports

Council’s Sportsperson with a Disability Award 2022. The awards ceremony

evening was a wonderful opportunity to bring attention to VI judo and all the

hard work that is put in to it by coaches, players, supporters and families.

“Being able to go to judo class and being able to fully participate with a few

small adjustments, but most importantly understanding and knowledgeable

coaches is just such a wonderful experience. I now also train with a

mainstream club based in Ballymoney, who have welcomed several other

visually impaired members.

“We hope that 2023 will be just as much fun and will bring lots of opportunities

our way to compete, practice and develop new skills and friendships. I can

only encourage you to step out of your comfort zone this year and see where it

takes you.”

Robert Shilliday, director for sight loss support charity RNIB, added: “Blind and partially sighted people are twice as likely to be inactive than

people without sight loss. We want to change this.

“We know there are plenty of activities out there that people with sight

loss could partake in, and that activity providers want to be inclusive. Often

small, simple tweaks are all that’s needed to make opportunities accessible.

“We have recently published ‘See Sport Differently’ toolkits, alongside British

Blind Sport, to support sight loss organisations and sports clubs in helping

blind and partially sighted people to be active.

“To access the toolkits, simply email [email protected] or search

‘See Sport Differently toolkits’.”

If you are blind, partially sighted, or have experienced sight loss and would

like to explore various ways to keep active or try something new, call the RNIB

Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email [email protected].

Or visit rnib.org.uk/Take-On-250 for more information on RNIB’s

‘Take on 250’ challenge this January to help you get started.