Blind Sports Victoria has partnered with Waverley City Archers to conduct introductory archer sessions for blind and vision impaired people.
Vision impaired archery is the same as sighted archery and involves using a bow to shoot arrows at a target.
Participants are required to shoot 36 arrows over 4 rounds at a target 60cm in diameter over 30 metres.
The sport has gained official recognition by the International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) and the International Archery Federation (FITA) include blind archers in its World Championships
Vision impaired archers use regulation bows (recurve or compound) and arrows as their sighted counterparts. The necessary adaptions to allow you to compete are:
Foot locator: A board or other object placed across the shooting line enabling the archer to stand at the correct point
Tactile aiming device: Usually a tripod placed just in front of the shooting line with an adjustable extension that holds a small pad (maximum size 2 cm) positioned to touch the back of the archers hand at full draw.
Spotter: A person who helps the visually impaired archer to line-up the tactile aiming device with the target, calls results or arrow strikes (using clock-face orientation) and, between rounds, aids with adjustments.
Blackout mask: A mask or blindfold mandated by the IBSA and IPC tournaments to ensure all archers, regardless of visual acuity, compete on the same level.





