A guiding hand: Santa Barbara non-profit helps people with vision issues

TO LISTEN or Read original article: KCLU | By Lance Orozco  Published October 5, 2023 at 5:01 PM PDT

Blind Fitness teams volunteers with those who have impaired vision for everything from running to kayaking. A big fundraiser is set for Saturday.

It’s a beautiful, warm morning at Santa Barbara’s East Beach. Brian Walters and Daniel Brose are preparing to go for a run. The two men walk from the beach to the sidewalk.

Seeing the two men run looks pretty normal at first, until you notice Brose has a little tether, connecting him to Walters. The tether helps keep him on track, because he is blind.

Walters is a volunteer, and Brose is a client in a unique Santa Barbara based non-profit to help people with vision loss.

"Blind Fitness is a 501-C3 non-profit, and our mission is to empower people who are blind, or have low vision to be active through sports, and recreation, and physical activity, while also educating the public about their abilities," said  

Brianna Pettit, the founder, and Executive Director of Blind Fitness. It offers activities like hiking, running, surfing, cycling, and kayaking to people with vision issues.

"This all came about during the pandemic, where I, for my own mental health, needed that ability to get outside. Just being able to bring that to other people brings me joy," said Pettit.
 
Brose said Blind Fitness allows him to take part in activities like running, and kayaking that the 41-year-old man hasn’t been able to do for years.

He had a eye disease similar to retinitis pigmentosa, which started at birth, and is a genetic condition. It began with him having night blindness, and led to him being legally diagnosed as blind at the age of 24.
 
His running guide, Brian Walters, talked about how he became one of the program’s volunteers.
"I have glaucoma, and I'm at risk of becoming severely visually impaired. I've lost about half the field of vision in my right eye. My left eye is virtually unaffected," said Walters.

But, between the two eyes, he has nearly 20/20 distance vision. He looks at helping others as paying it forward, knowing that someday he might be the one needing help.

Walters is 62, but is the picture of fitness. He actually serves as a guide in marathons, running with others who are blind or vision impaired. 

Bob Burnham is another Blind Fitness program participant. He’s a client, but is also very involved in helping others as the non-profit's president.

"I've been totally blind since birth...I am 72...I have had a wonderful life, with a supportive family, friends, really a life of success," said Burnham.

He has been married for 40 years, and worked for Santa Barbara's Metropolitan Transit District for 32 years, mostly as a radio dispatcher.

He said he like taking part in the Blind Fitness programs, but also likes to encourage others to take part.

One of his favorite things to do is to walk on Santa Barbara’s beaches. While most of us see the surf, the sand, and the sun, Burnham says he enjoys being here using other senses, like smell, and sounds.

Blind Fitness is only about two years old, but news about the non-profit has spread quickly. It’s working with more than 60 people. Those involved with the program say while the activity is important, just as vital is the new community that’s developed connecting people who are blind, and sight impaired.

The organization is holding a big fundraiser on Saturday, October 7. It's a benefit concert at Santa Barbara's Trinity Episcopal Church. It begins at 2 p.m. A donation of $20 to help Blind Fitness is suggested.

---