Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria

Vision Impaired Table Tennis and Group Activities in Frankston

Vision Impaired Table Tennis and Group Activities in Frankston

In Victoria there are 89,000 people with vision loss, which is predicted to rise to 138,000 by 2030 (Vision Australia, 2024). People with vision loss can easily become isolated and experience barriers to physical activity and social connections. We see the mental, physical and general wellbeing benefits of connecting people with vision loss with each ...

GOAL

$7,030

Australia > VIC > Metro
10/07/2024 > 30/06/2025

Field of Interest

  • Health/wellbeing and medical research
  • Social inclusion and justice

Target Population

  • People with a disability, illness or disease
  • People experiencing socio-economic disadvantage or vulnerability
Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria

Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria (BSRV) enhances the lives of people throughout Victoria who are blind or vision impaired through sport and recreation. Since our establishment in 1977 we have evolved into a small thriving charity, supporting more than 1200 members, across our programs and with our affiliated Blind sports.

BSRV offers over 20 fun, social, sport and recreation programs for blind or low vision children and adults, encouraging healthy, active lifestyles. Our group walks are very popular with just under 200 BSRV vision impaired participants engaged in the program across metropolitan Melbourne. The social nature of our programs, especially our group walk activities, supported by BSRV sighted guide volunteers, enable people with vision loss to engage in physical activity in a meaningful way, while also strengthening their social connections.

Frankston Vision Impaired Table Tennis Club is part of the Vision Impaired Table Tennis Association (VITTA), affiliated with BSRV. The Frankston Vision Impaired Table Tennis (VITT) club was established in May 2022, is volunteer led, and run by its members. It has a rich diversity of members from across Melbourne that come together to play weekly. Members range in age from 20 to 70+ play, and the sport is also accessible for members with limited mobility. VITT can be played socially and is also a fiercely competitive sport, with players from Frankston VITT club participating in tournaments interstate.

Project Summary

In Victoria there are 89,000 people with vision loss, which is predicted to rise to 138,000 by 2030 (Vision Australia, 2024). People with vision loss can easily become isolated and experience barriers to physical activity and social connections. We see the mental, physical and general wellbeing benefits of connecting people with vision loss with each other and engaging in social and recreational activities, with the support of volunteers as sighted guides.

Frankston Vision Impaired Table Tennis (VITT) club has many positive stories of how playing the game supports inclusion, a sense of community and increasing confidence and physical and mental wellbeing for their players. Blind Sports and Recreation Victoria (BSRV) and Frankston VITT club will partner together to ensure people with vision loss can keep playing the sport they love, be physically active, have fun and explore their local community. BSRV will organise two group walks for people with vision loss in Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula. We will offer support for participants to get to and from the walks, as well as offering BSRV volunteer sighted guides to participants when required.

We have screened volunteers available to offer support, trained in tactile and verbal description to make the walk more meaningful for people with vision loss. Group walks take place at a central location and are usually followed by a shared meal. BSRV will hold one walk along the foreshore at Frankston and another at the Briars in Mt Martha. We will invite BSRV group walk members, people in the Frankston VITT club, as well as promoting the walk through our networks at Vision Australia, State-wide Vision Resource Centre, and Guide Dogs Victoria.

Frankston VITT club hire a hall in Frankston and use specially designed and adapted Vision Impaired table tennis tables, paddles, and ball. The club will use funds from this grant to cover costs for venue hire for their weekly games and equipment such as bats, balls and gloves. BSRV and Frankston VITT will develop promotional materials to promote the group walks and the weekly VITT gatherings, as well as posting about our events on social media, in the BSRV newsletter, and across a range of digital and print media. VITT is played on a weekly basis in Frankston, Victoria. Across the different Victorian VITT clubs, there are about 60 members, and Frankston VITT would love to grow its members and have more vision impaired and blind players join their community.

Project Outcomes

BSRV and VITT will consider the project successful when at the end of our proposed time frame we will have engaged people from our local community with low vision and supported them to become more physically active, involved in their wider community, and have increased confidence to attend and participate in Vision Impaired Table tennis and BSRV group walks.

VITT will encourage their players to take on leadership roles within the club, building their confidence and spreading the word about VITT across the community. Currently there are approximately 50- 60 players in Victoria, so we would like to see the membership increase.

We will measure our success by taking note of attendance and keeping records of players and walk attendees.
Expected Outcomes are:
- Existing participants continuing to play with Frankston VITT club and 2 players taking on a leadership role within the club.
- VITT players feel a part of their local community, feel included by the club and enjoy playing with the club.
- Engage 5 new participants to VITT clubs.
- Engage 20 people with vision loss and 6 BSRV volunteers in our 2 BSRV group walks in the Frankston Mornington Peninsula area.
- Establish a promotions plan, making at least 10 social posts combined, for the BSRV group walks and promoting VITT across various media (e,g Vision Australia radio, websites, BSRV newsletters, and print media).

Budget Breakdown

TOTAL BUDGET: $7,030
FUNDING
Funding source Amount
Funding gap (unconfirmed) $7,030
EXPENSES
Expense item Amount
Venue Hire (Annual amount, weekly program) $3,360
Equipment (Bats/Balls/Gloves) $140
BSRV Project coordination (group walks and VITT promotion) $1,650
Project administration (responding to enquiries, promtion, adding new participants to programs) $550
Administrative costs $250
Travel costs $200
Marketing and promotion (flyer development, social posts, newsletter entries etc.) $880

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