Blind Fitness and Wayfinder Unite for the Third Year at the Santa Barbara Half Marathon & 5K10/30/2025 Santa Barbara, CA - (October 30, 3035) - Blind Fitness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals who are blind or have low vision through adaptive fitness, outdoor recreation, community advocacy and connection, is proud to announce its continued participation in the Santa Barbara Half Marathon & 5K, thanks to the generous collaboration and support of Run Local event producer David Monaco and the Santa Barbara Runners Association. Now in their third year of collaboration, Blind Fitness and Wayfinder Family Services once again unite at the Santa Barbara Half Marathon & 5K as one inclusive team of blind and low vision runners, walkers, and sighted guides. Their ongoing partnership exemplifies the spirit of inclusion and community, showcasing the power of teamwork, perseverance, and the shared joy of movement. “Running side by side, our athletes and guides embody the true spirit of connection,” said Tania Isaac-Dutton, Executive Director of Blind Fitness. “Thanks to the support of David Monaco, Run Local and the Santa Barbara Runners Association, we’re able to continue building a more inclusive fitness community where everyone, regardless of visual ability, can participate fully and confidently.” Run Local and the Santa Barbara Runners Association have long been champions of accessible and inclusive athletic events. Their partnership with Blind Fitness ensures that all participants can safely experience the excitement of race day along Santa Barbara’s scenic waterfront while celebrating the power of unity through movement. The collaboration between all the organizations - Blind Fitness, Wayfinder Family Services, Run Local and the Santa Barbara Running Association - continues to expand the reach of adaptive fitness opportunities, inspiring the broader community to recognize the importance of inclusion in sport and beyond. This collaboration highlights the power of partnerships in making fitness accessible for all and reflects a shared commitment to creating a world where everyone, regardless of ability, can participate fully. Community members are encouraged to cheer on Team Blind Fitness x Wayfinder and witness firsthand the strength, camaraderie, and heart that drive this inspiring collaboration.
Get Involved Interested in supporting our mission or volunteering as a sighted guide? Join our community of inclusive athletes and changemakers! 👉 Visit www.blindfitness.org or email [email protected] to learn more. About Blind Fitness
Blind Fitness is a nonprofit organization based in Santa Barbara, CA, dedicated to promoting health, wellness, and inclusion for individuals who are blind or have low vision. Through guided fitness programs, community partnerships, and advocacy, Blind Fitness empowers participants to lead active, confident, and connected lives. Learn more at www.blindfitness.org. About Wayfinder Family Services Wayfinder Family Services is a nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that children, youth, and adults facing visual impairments, disabilities, or life challenges can achieve their greatest potential. Learn more at www.wayfinderfamily.org About Run Local Run Local is a California-based event production company that inspires movement, connection, and community through running. With a mission to create inclusive and memorable race experiences, Run Local produces signature events across the state that celebrate local culture, promote wellness, and support charitable causes. Learn more at www.runlocalevents.com About The Santa Barbara Runners Association Founded in 1948, the Santa Barbara Runners Association (SBRA) fosters the local running community through competitive, recreational, and charitable events. The SBRA organizes races, training programs, and youth initiatives that promote health, fitness, and camaraderie among runners of all ages and abilities. Learn more at www.sbrunning.org Media Contact: Tania Isaac-Dutton, Executive Director Blind Fitness [email protected] (805) 697- 2244 www.blindfitness.org
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 For me, as a blind person, concerts are a uniquely accessible form of entertainment. The sound and energy of a live show are experiences that don’t depend on sight. So, I was excited when I heard Paul McCartney was coming to the Santa Barbara Bowl. Unfortunately, that excitement turned to frustration when I tried to buy tickets on the AXS website. I waited in the virtual queue like everyone else. When it was my turn, however, my screen reader — the software I rely on to navigate the internet — was unable to read the ticket selection page. I tried both of the standard screen readers, Jaws and NVDA, without any success. Because I couldn’t select a seat myself, I had to ask a friend for help. By the time they could look at the page, the tickets were sold out. Adding to my frustration is a message on the AXS website that reads: “Ensuring a Fair Fan Experience.” This message is hard to reconcile with my experience. An inaccessible website doesn’t feel fair, and it effectively excludes visually impaired customers. The situation didn’t improve when I tried to resolve it. I received a call back from an AXS agent, but the call ended abruptly after I asked for permission to record it. As a customer trying to spend $600 on a ticket, the experience was disheartening. The internet should be accessible to everyone, but this experience highlights how digital barriers can still prevent people with disabilities from participating fully. Companies that provide public services, like ticket vendors, have a responsibility to make their websites accessible. This is a matter of equal access and inclusion. While I missed out on this concert, I hope sharing my story encourages companies to prioritize digital accessibility so that everyone has the same opportunity to enjoy live events. By Lucas Nadolskis, S.B. Posted in The Independent, Thursday September 25, 2025 | 3:21 pm Click here to read the original article: www.independent.com/2025/09/25/at-a-loss-for-a-mccartney-ticket/
Dan Broz has been hit by cars 7 times while crossing the street. - Interview by Juliet Lemar, KSBY News  For Dan Broz, a simple walk across the street becomes a life-or-death gamble. The blind Santa Barbara resident says he has been hit seven times by cars, three times in Santa Barbara, while trying to navigate the city's streets. "It's a game of will the driver stop and pay attention or not," said Broz while crossing the street. And the anxiety of navigating busy streets keeps Broz from going out. "So I stay inside a lot more often than most people," Broz said. Broz is one of over 9,000 visually impaired people in Santa Barbara County, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data. When he does venture out, ADA-compliant crosswalks with auditory signals are essential for safe travels. "Especially if it's beeping on both sides, because then that's an auditory tether to the other side. So I can tell there's a crosswalk here, and the crosswalk on that side is all the way over there, and I know where that is," Broz said. To get an idea of how many crosswalks "talk back", KSBY looked at a two-mile stretch from Milpas Street to the Harbor along Cabrillo Boulevard and tested 13 crosswalks. With the exception of Garden Street and Cabrillo Boulevard, none of the crosswalks on the route had auditory signaling, even the ones with braille. Former sustainable transportation planner Heather Deutsch says crosswalks are only one piece of accessibility infrastructure that needs attention. "So if we look down the sidewalk here, you can see that, although there is a clear five-foot sidewalk width, it isn't free of obstructions. And sometimes that's something the city needs to focus on. But it's also something that we as a society need to think about," Deutsch said. Many times, sidewalks are blocked or obstructed by parked cars, signs, or broken pavement, and these obstacles can be prevent people with visual impairments from getting where they need to go. The city is working on safer streets through Project Vision Zero. One recent upgrade is a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Los Positas and Stanley Drive. Transportation planner Jessica Grant says signal upgrades like this improve safety and serve people with different mobility needs. To activate the auditory feedback and buzzing on the crosswalk button, you must hold the button down for a few seconds to trigger the automated voice. Broz says these improvements help, but adds that safety is everyone's responsibility. "It just takes a half a second of attention to make sure someone who's blind or visually impaired isn't crossing, or any with any kind of disability that makes crossing the street more challenging," Broz said. Watch the Interview with Dan Broz, by Juliet Lemar: www.instagram.com/reel/DOw66cYgHJB/?igsh=ZGUzMzM3NWJiOQ%3D%3D
 Read original article by David Powdrell here: https://www.edhat.com/news/surfing-without-sight-at-santa-claus-lane/  August 20, 2025- On a recent Saturday morning at Santa Claus Lane Beach, I had the privilege of photographing something extraordinary—blind or visually impaired surfers riding the waves. Organized by the nonprofit Blind Fitness in collaboration with Surf Happens and WayFinder, the event brought children and adults together to experience the ocean in a way most of us can barely imagine.  Surfing is challenging enough with sight, but these athletes rely on touch, sound, balance, and trust. Volunteers guided them into position, coaches cheered encouragement, and then, with determination and joy, they launched into the surf. The result was pure inspiration.  As I stood behind the camera, I kept thinking: what if the rest of us tried surfing blind? Close your eyes the next time you paddle out. You’ll hear the rhythm of the waves differently, feel the board shift beneath your feet, and sense the ocean’s pull in a more primal way. That’s what these surfers do every time—they transform what most would call a limitation into a celebration of courage.  The beach that morning wasn’t just filled with surfboards and splashes. It was filled with laughter, resilience, and proof that adventure belongs to everyone.     
Original Publication: 9/16/2024  I am so grateful to have been able to participate in my first Surf Clinic with Blind Fitness this year, as a bout with Covid forced me to cancel my joining our first Surf Clinic a year ago.
Santa Claus Lane Beach was a great spot to host the clinic; the waves were well-formed and powerful, and the weather was a perfect, sunny day. One of the more challenging tasks for me was walking from the parking lot to the beach through a rugged and “unblind-friendly” path; it was uneven, with humps, dips, jutting rocks, and extremely narrow in places, requiring that I walk closely and directly behind my guide, and he helped me exactly and carefully where to step. A particular treacherous area was navigating the railroad crossing, stepping over the rails and either onto the ties or the dirt between them, and I am fascinated how the tracks have been constructed along this stretch so close to the ocean. If this is a popular surfing beach, I am somewhat surprised that a safer and more accessible path has not been created. That said, all the preliminaries were well-planned, and the tents were in place upon the arrival of us participants and volunteers. I was captivated by how much detail goes into preparing us to hit the water, let alone atop surf boards, and how quickly I had forgotten how SAND invades EVERYTHING! I already was aware of the challenge maneuvering my arms and legs into a wet-suit, but it’s actually a fun challenge, and I received lots of help and encouragement from volunteers on the surf team. Before we hit the water, Chris from Surf Happens gave us a talk about embracing nature, the ocean and its waves, and our bodies as we interact with water, wind, sun and sand, and I am so impressed by him, and his entire team, and how knowledgeable they are of wave formation, angles, size, shape and overall flow according to the type and size of a specific beach. They were so patient and helpful to me, and to all of us participants. When it came to my turn to hit the water and surf for the first time, I was gun-shy about climbing onto the board, and chose to lie down both times and not stand, as my balance now has lessened than in my younger days. With the movement of the water, I did not feel comfortable riding on it, either lying down, or propping myself up on my knees, it felt really awkward. The volunteers did a great job holding and guiding the surf-board, so the discomfort really was on me. I was humbled to hear that there were some stud surfers standing up on their boards, out there on the water, WAY MORE advanced than I probably will ever be. Regarding balance, I even discovered this when body-surfing, as I used to be more sure-footed walking along the sea-bottom and dodging waves when paddling out to catch another wave in. Since body-surfing is probably my favorite participatory sport, I dove into the water and waves literally head-long. I had the most fun body-surfing as I have had in probably 40 years, as the waves were bigger and more powerful, and I again got to embrace the ocean and feel its might, enjoying the ride of a wave; hearing a wave breaking directly ahead of me, then ducking under to dodge it as it rolled over me was thrilling! I felt so liberated going out onto the water again, with a new realization how powerful the ocean and its waves are. The real high-point of my day had nothing to do with surfing, body-surfing or the ocean, but the chance I got to meet and talk with Frankie for the first time. I took the opportunity to encourage him, tell him how capable he is and will be to adapt to his sight loss, and so proud I am of him for his growth and ability to adjust and regrip his life since I first met him in our Braille Institute Men’s Support Group probably more than a year ago. I look at Frankie and realize how much more he has suffered than I have, and with all the blessings and opportunities I have been given through my entire life, I am called to pass those blessings and opportunities forward as much as I can to a brother like Frankie. In summary, the surf clinic was a blast, and I’m so grateful I was healthy this year and able to attend and participate. I deeply appreciate the hard work all our volunteers put in to enable the entire surf clinic to run so smoothly,--to the Goleta/Santa Barbara Lions Clubs and Kyle’s Kitchen for providing our lunch, Surf Happens, . . and any other partners or organizations I inadvertently have omitted. Respectfully, Bob Burnham, Blind Fitness Board Chair/President Original Publication: 5/13/2024  I have long been an advocate for social justice. As a female of mixed ethnicities I have been able to view and experience the world from the outskirts. Despite the “two strikes against me”, I know I am privileged in other ways. I am a passionate ally for Ableism. Ableism, per the Center for Disability Rights, is defined as a set of beliefs or practices that devalue and discriminate against people with physical, intellectual, or psychiatric disabilities and often rests on the assumption that disabled people need to be ‘fixed’ in one form or the other.
From the beginning of my career as a yoga instructor, I worked with elders, the ill and various abled individuals. As part of this journey, I was invited to join a team of teachers in providing an accessible yoga class affiliated with an established community rehabilitation center. One of the teachers was Brianna Pettit, founder and executive director of Blind Fitness. During one of the classes that she guided, we were invited to experience it wearing a nightshade (blind fold), from beginning to end. I accepted and in doing so assumed the role as a student and someone who needed assistance. This is my experience: I was guided into the room and to a chair. Mindfully I moved into my seat, determined to get my bearings and fully understand where I was and what I was with. Chair, check. Feet on the floor, check. The yoga props available to me and where they were located, check check. Various voices in the room and what direction they were coming from, check. When class began, I zoned in on Brianna’s voice like sonar. As the class progressed, I felt my body awareness deepen: I was less connected with the world and more connected within on every level. As a result, many of my movements were slow and intentional. When class neared the end, we were given the option of moving down to the ground for a restorative pose. I decided to get down on the floor and accepted it as a challenge. I had to trust my team mate with my sense of safety. I felt cared for as I was assisted down and into a restorative pose, for I didn’t exactly know where my bolster and yoga blocks were due to the transition. Once I was laying down in a reclined butterfly pose, my team mate covered me and very gently tucked a blanket around my ankles and feet, creating a cocoon. As I lay there, entrusting her and allowing myself to be vulnerable, I cried. They were not fears of feeling inept, but of feeling respected and loved. The experience was tenderizing, humbling and heart opening. When one of our human senses is reduced, there is a tendency for one or more of our other senses to increase. This was true for me when it came to my hearing and sense of receiving touch. When my teammate mindfully enfolded my feet and ankles, I was very aware of her hand motions and how they registered such respect and thoughtfulness. As I rested, I went deeper into my physical and emotional body. Moved to tears, my insight reached a new level of compassion and appreciation. I realized how much I rely on my vision for balance, bearings and bronze. Mind you this was a space I was familiar with, with someone I knew and doing a form of exercise I know like the back of my hand. I wondered, “What about individuals who are not familiar with a space, the movements, instructions or people??" Though I felt shy of confidence and certainty, I felt more intimately connected within myself and my colleague. As the tears gathered behind my nightshade, I began to fully comprehend the gift given to everyone who assists another individual. In order to receive support, you have to offer your trust and a percentage of your self autonomy. When you offer assistance, you are greatly entrusted. It is a truly reciprocal relationship. I have always considered it an honor when any yoga student or client has entrusted me, but I now recognized how precious a gift it can be. Let me be clear, the gift of one’s trust is not recognized as a “hand-up”; they are not less than me. However, as a fellow human, we need to value what it means to trust one another. It is like giving someone a piece of your heart; we all have a heart we are afraid it can be broken. This experience gave me greater insight and appreciation, not merely of the difference in physical abilities, but of the intricately that connects us all; our humanity. By Tania Isaac, Executive Director Original publication: 6/9/2023
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As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the state of California. Donations to Blind Fitness are tax deductible
EIN Number: 87-2740782 | IRS Determination Letter
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the state of California. Donations to Blind Fitness are tax deductible
EIN Number: 87-2740782 | IRS Determination Letter
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