HAMILTON, Ohio — Participating in sports while being legally blind can present challenges of its own. That’s why organizations are working together to create a dynamic experience for those with visual impairments.

Nicole Roark, 9, recently participated in a Imhoff School of Boxing adaptive sports clinic. This practice allows people with disabilities to participate in sports with independence, comfort and confidence.

The clinic is put together through a partnership with the Clovernook Center for the Blind, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the non-profit, May We Help.

Boxing, Roark said, is one of her favorite hobbies. 

“It just challenges my body to learn new things and have fun,” she said. 

One of the biggest challenges in boxing is hitting a moving target — and that's tough when you can't see it very well. Nicole has a cortical visual impairment — when the eyes are fine, but the pathways to the brain are compromised.

But Roark is up to the challenge.

“That I would just work hard to do [boxing] probably,” she said.

Dez Scruggs is the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired adaptive sports coordinator. He knows first-hand the importance of adaptive sports. He too has a visual impairment and he believes with each punch Roark is building confidence.

“Sometimes, when you’re visually impaired or handicapped, as people may say, you may feel alone, you may feel a sense of being left out,” said Scruggs. “But I think [adaptive] sports may give you that inclusive feeling.”

Through the clinic, the partners hope it will help children with impairments be able to enjoy themselves more and be more engaged.

For Roark, she said it's the perfect 1-2 punch of building self-confidence and improving her skills.

“I just like the way they take time to teach me,” she said. 

For more information about the adaptive sports clinic, click here.