Overcoming obstacles or the blind leading the blind?

 In sharing university campus accommodation with blind and partially sighted athletes at the 2023 World Games, I learned of a most amazing game called goalball.

This comes amidst my contemplation of Martha Nussbaum’s “capabilities framework”, which suggests that instead of making everyone “the same” to achieve equality, we start with assessing the individual’s capabilities, and then decide on the resources needed to make that person function at their fullest (God-given) capacity.

Athletes arriving with guide dogs
and sighted supporters to help them
navigate unfamiliar terrain

Goalball is a very physical game. Players use their whole body to stop their opponents scoring goals stretched across the width of the pitch. Bells inside the 1.25kg ball allow players to “see” where the ball.

If you watched them ‘live’, as I did, you might notice the incredible way players catch and block the ball as it bounces and rolls. You might even forget that they are blind.

By embedding bells, the inventors of the game have helped the blind players “see” the ball, thus allowing the blind to “level up”.

I lie, you can tell they are not-seeing because they wear wraparound eyeshades and have to navigate around the court using tactiles on the floor.

The eyeshades are to ensure a level playing field so that the blind can play alongside those who are partially sighted.

The Canadian women warming up against
the Brazilian team who won the Bronze medal.

Just as much as the bells have levelled them up, the eyeshades have levelled the players down.

In any debate about disabilities, abilities and the responsibilities for those who must care for those with far fewer resources, it might be worthwhile revisiting Nussbaum’s thesis on the capabilities framework which, please note, is not without its critics.

For example, we need to debate and decide: Do we wish to level people up, by giving those less privileged with the wherewithal to compete on a more level playing field?

Or, do we prefer to level abilities down, by making everyone wear eyeshades, to make everyone “equal” and equally “unseeing” (or perhaps even “uncomplaining”) to enforce uniformity, and thus achieve a form of equality?

From watching goalball, I can see (in the physical sense at least), that there are advantages to both.

Note, however, that when the players leave the court, many are dependent on guide-dogs, a walking stick/cane or (partly) sighted supporters.

The best-behaved and most polite team!
Kept running into them returning from breakfast
as I walked to class.

 

Nevertheless, these players have shown me that physical blindness can be overcome with self-determination and a little bit of help, kindness, and understanding from others.

More disconcerting, I think, are spiritual and moral blindness. Do we level up, or do we level down?

Choose wisely. Or we risk the morally and spiritually blind leading us all.