On March 29th, the Beijing HongDanDan Education and Cultural Exchange Center (北京红丹丹视障文化服务中心) held an event to mark the publishing of its new guidebook, which gives advice on how to assist blind people in carrying out physical activities. A seminar was also held on the same topic. Sports enthusiasts with visual impairments, volunteers, fitness experts and representatives of the supporting institutions were all present.
The HongDanDan Center has been organizing sporting activities for blind people and assisting them in taking part in sporting events since 2009. Summarizing its experiences and lessons, the Center edited a guidebook on the assisting physical activities for blind people, the first one in China. The guidebook consists of four parts. The first part teaches basic knowledge and common sense regarding visual impairments; the following three parts are divided by different kinds of sport, with added suggestions about the particularities of blind people doing these sports. It also includes information ranging from how to build trust with blind athletes to how many volunteers are needed to assist the athletes.
By holding the seminar and releasing the guidebook, the HongDanDan Center hopes to attract attention and thus grant blind people more equal opportunities to exercise. By setting the standard for assistance to blind people in the guidebook, the Center also seeks to make its mission a bit easier.
