Athletes for Hope & Foundation Fighting Blindness Partner for the Athletic Community
May 5, 2023
Athletes for Hope (AFH), a U.S. non-profit that assists athletes of all levels with advocacy work and the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the world’s leading organization committed to finding treatments and cures for blinding retinal diseases have announced a strategic partnership that will drive awareness for blinding diseases throughout the athletic community. The collaboration will produce custom content featuring blind athletes focused through the lens of mental health in alliance with AFH’s Whole Being Athlete Program.
Annual data from Prevent Blindness shows that more than 25,000 people seek treatment for sports-related eye injuries each year that can lead to visual impairment or blindness and this can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear when participating in sports. However, there are thousands of blind or visually impaired athletes around the world who are affected by a blinding disease either from birth or at some point in their life, which can’t be prevented or cured by wearing protective goggles. To ensure these athletes have equal opportunities to pursue their sporting passion, the Foundation Fighting Blindness and AFH believe it is critical to educate on the spectrum of blindness.
Coinciding with Mental Health Awareness Month in the US, which kicked off earlier this week, the Foundation has joined AFH’s Whole Being Athlete Program. Established in May 2021, the program was created with the goal of amplifying the unique platforms of athletes of all backgrounds to break the stigma surrounding mental health through four core pillars: education, storytelling, convening, and advocacy. The program was centered around the belief that “as public figures and role models for adults and youth all over the world, athletes are in a unique position to change the way mental health is perceived in and out of sports by sharing their stories, spreading awareness and helping save lives.”
"Mental health is at the forefront of everything we do at Athletes for Hope, and we are honored to partner with Foundation Fighting Blindness to amplify the mental health stories of visually impaired athletes," said Jason Belinkie, chief executive officer at AFH. "Along with Foundation Fighting Blindness' expertise and their inspirational network, we are proud to help raise awareness on an important topic that the sports community may not be familiar with."
Throughout this month, both entities will coproduce content that will showcase visually impaired athletes and their personal stories of what “life has been like through the changing lens of their own eyes.” A common thread between these athletes is that staying mentally healthy and balanced plays a significant role in their personal journey of vision loss.
These custom storytelling pieces intend to drive awareness of blinding diseases and the impact this has on athletes. One such story is a Foundation Beacon Story featuring Isaac Jean-Paul who was diagnosed with X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) at the age of two and is now a Paralympian, winning bronze in the long jump in the 2020 Games and breaking the high jump world record three times. Jean-Paul recently became an AFH Whole Being Athlete Ambassador due to his passion for raising awareness for athlete mental health, particularly through the lens of disability.