Norcross: It occurs to me you have some you have some sight in your everyday life, but you’re going to be competing against people who are blind, totally blind. For example, if you were 200 ft away and you can read sign, I would have to be 20 ft away to read it. It is a form of juvenile macular degeneration, and with contact lenses in, my visual acuity is still only 20 over 200, which is the legal limit. Miller: I have a condition called Stargardt’s disease. Norcross: Can you talk about your visual impairment? What is it that compromises your sight? And soccer is probably one of favorite that I played recreationally when I was younger. Miller: It is relatable in some ways, like the defense of the game is similar to goalkeeping in soccer, where you’re kind of jumping in front of the ball and trying to block it with your body. How do you compare this sport to other things that you’ve done? Norcross: You played a lot of sports as a kid. Miller: I come from an athletic background and I like playing challenging sports, of which it most definitely is, and I appreciate the physicality of it, and the team sport concept isn’t very common for visually impaired athletes. Norcross: Had you heard of goalball before you got to college? Miller: Yes, that was the primary reason why I applied there and went there.
Norcross: Did you go to Western Michigan because they were extra accommodating to visually impaired students? And so I did and I’ve been playing ever since. So there were a lot of other people there like me who were visually impaired, and I had some friends who said, hey, you’re athletic, you should try this. Miller: I grew up playing sports and when I went to college as an undergraduate at Western Michigan University, that school was best known in-state for having accommodations for people with visual impairments. First of all, what got you into this sport? Norcross: It’s great to have you, and we’ll talk about how this game is played. Asya Miller, welcome to Think Out Loud.Īsya Miller: Thank you Geoff, I appreciate you having me. She lives in the Portland area and she will participate in her sixth Paralympic games this year. Asya Miller is part of the American goalball team. It’ll be a part of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo later this summer. That’s the sport for the blind and visually impaired known as goalball. Now, imagine doing it without the benefit of sight. Imagine someone hurling a three pound ball in your direction and it’s your job to keep it from going into a goal that’s 30 ft wide. Geoff Norcross: This is Think Out Loud on OPB.
This transcript was created by a computer and edited by a volunteer.
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