British Blind Sport

Who we are

British Blind Sport (BBS) is the only national sports disability charity specifically for blind and partially sighted children and adults across the UK. 

British Blind Sport was established in 1975 and since then we have enabled more than 100,000 visually impaired people to take part and have the same opportunities as sighted people to access and enjoy sport and recreational activities.

Over 2 million people in the UK are living with significant sight loss and by 2050 this number is expected to more than double to 4.1 million (RNIB 2015)

Our mission is to make a visible difference to the lives of people with sight loss through sport and help  them to achieve their potential by providing impairment-specific opportunities. 

At British Blind Sport, we know that sport serves as a powerful springboard towards greater opportunities, helping people lead more active and independent lives which is essential for improved physical health and well-being.

- Only 12% of visually impaired people regularly take part in sport.

- More than 62% of visually impaired people want to take part in more sport.

- Research shows that visually impaired people see transport, cost and lack of understanding as the major barriers to them participating in sport.

- There are more than 40,000 children living with significant sight loss in the UK.

- Despite having the same potential, children with sight loss have much poorer motor skills and are far less likely than their sighted peers to be physically active.

- 90% of those who lose their sight in youth won’t work for more than six months in their life and are likely to struggle financially throughout their life.

- Feelings of well-being are much lower amongst visually impaired people and they are more likely to    suffer from anxiety, depression and other stress disorders.

Sport enhances the lives of people with sight loss and creates passion, inspiration and excitement for a wide range of people regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or background

British Blind Sport supports children and adults with visual impairments (VI) to participate in activity at every level from grassroots all the way up to elite level at the Paralympic Games.

We are very proud that many young people who have participated in BBS events 20-30 years ago have gone on to become successful Paralympians and role models for future generations.

British Blind Sport reaches over 5000 people every year through our work and delivers over 80 events per annum that are focused on the needs of people with sight loss of all ages.

Playing sport and taking part in regular activity is proven to have positive and uplifting effects on physical fitness, mental health and social well-being through improving fitness, increasing confidence and raising self-esteem.

People with sight loss also benefit from improved spatial awareness, better orientation and increased communication and teamwork skills. Sport provides a valuable opportunity to socialise and meet other people which helps to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation.

“People with a visual impairment suffer from some of the highest rates of depression” Guide Dogs UK (2016)

British Blind Sport aims to support people with sight loss at every stage of their life – whether that is from their first steps as a baby, developing their motor skills through learning to play with a ball or trying out new sports at a multi-sports day, right through to projects for older people to increase levels of activity for better physical health and wellbeing.