Hello MWABA,

See below for information about yoga, tandem biking, goalball, hiking, Achilles, and more!

Yoga

· Yoga is back on Saturday, April 26 at 11:45 AM at Circle Yoga in northwest D.C. Sign up here: RSVP for Yoga!

Tandem Biking

· Sign up by Tuesday night for our Thursday night ride from Eastern Market, and our Friday night ride from Bethesda: https://forms.gle/a3fC438hzv9aH8m89 Our April weekend ride will be a joint ride with WABITS (the Washington Area Bicyclists in Tandem Society) on Saturday, April 26th at Eastern Market. Join us for a captain training from 9-10 a.m. and/or the ride at 10.

Goalball

· Come to goalball on April 19th, from 10 AM to 1 PM, at 1480 Girard St. NW, DC.

· Youth Goalball: MWABA is hosting a series of Youth Goalball events. There is still time to sign up for our next practice which will be on Saturday, May 10. Please spread the word. At our May practice, we will go over throwing and defensive techniques and review game rules while playing practice games. We will also form teams for our first ever Youth Goalball Tournament which is scheduled for Saturday, June 7. All events will be from 10:00-1:00 at the Columbia Heights Community Center in Washington, DC. These events are open to blind and visually impaired youth ages 9-18 in DC, MD, and VA. Participants will have the opportunity to learn the game from adult players on the DC men’s and women’s goalball teams. This is a great opportunity for blind and visually impaired youth in the area to participate on a team in a fun and exciting sport designed for them. Please find more information at the sign-up link below. Sign-up here: https://forms.gle/to5TdYuTkFtzCnTH8

Hikes on April 27th and May 18th

· Our next hike is on Sunday, April 27th at Catoctin Mountain Park, which is about an hour from DC. We’ll meet at 8 a.m. at the Medical Center metro. Sign up here: kevin.andrews94

· SAVE THE DATE: MWABA is participating in the first-ever National Blind Bird-A-Thon on Sunday, May 18 from 9:00am-11:00am, sponsored by Birdability. The DC Bird Alliance will join us to identify bird species through song and sight, while enjoying a spring hike. Please sign up using this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvjnC69q9BjF-4xjzsXQRbYGjiBwujQwInf-mhygl2tRY-zg/viewform Also register for the national event using the link below to be in the running for an exciting prize drawing! Please indicate that you are registering as part of an already-organized group or team. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_7kC7U11jWgEuXgGmwz1dwA0s6bB5ycrpy4TnqMpn0Wu5yw/viewform Check out this FAQ to learn about birding and bird-a-thons: https://www.birdability.org/blind-birder-birdathon More information on location and a virtual birding orientation to follow. We can’t wait to get out there and enjoy local birdsong with you!

Achilles

· The Washington D.C. chapter of Achilles International transforms the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection. Whether your goal is to race a mile for the first time ever, go for a weekly walk or ride in the park with a new community of friends or to reach the podium at the Abbott World Marathon Majors, Achilles wants you to help you succeed and experience the joys of achievement.

· Meeting Info: Wednesdays, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM and Saturdays, 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM. Adaptive cycling equipment including handcycles, tandem bikes, and recumbent bikes is available thanks to support from Capital Bikeshare.

· Location: Starbucks at 325 7th St. NW, Washington, DC 20004

· Contact: For information on joining as an athlete with a disability or volunteering as a guide runner, please contact James Murphy at jmurphy, or go to the webpage at https://www.achillesinternational.org/washington-dc.

Additional Announcements

· The next virtual Abilities Dance performance is on April 26th. Abilities Dance Boston honors advocacy in Ballet/Modern showcase; Intersections series highlights identities of Black, disabled, and queer/trans artists. The tickets are on a sliding scale from $0 to $35. Buy your tickets here: https://ticketstripe.com/events/8439106739717398

· Are you blind from birth or from infancy? Are you curious about how your brain reorganized to hear, touch or remember better than your sighted friends? Come take part in a new behavioral and imaging (fMRI) study at Georgetown University Medical Center, and let’s learn together about how the brain can plastically change. The study takes two sessions of 90 minutes to complete in the fMRI scanner, and one more session outside the scanner. You will be compensated at a rate of $50 per hour of fMRI and $25 per hour of non-scanner experiment.
For more detail, contact Prof. Ella Striem-Amit (Preferably – by email:
SAMPLab_recruitment, Office phone 202-687-8329).

· Mary Flood is writing a book which will be called The Truth About Blindness and Visual Impairment. Mary is including sections in the book on the human eye itself, myths and truths about blindness/visual impairment/blind/visually impaired people, "Do’s and Don’ts" (etiquette and about not making assumptions), famous/well-known people who are/were blind/visually impaired, eye conditions and what causes them, the psychological and spiritual aspects of blindness/visual impairment and vision loss, and stories of not-so-famous people out in our communities who are blind or visually impaired. Mary is looking for help/input from MWABA members. You can share as much as you feel comfortable about your life as a blind/visually impaired person and your vision loss journey (this doesn’t necessarily mean you are losing or have lost your sight over time). She will share the sections on Myths and Truths and Do’s and Don’ts to see if there is anything anyone else wants to add to the lists. She’s asking for your stories by email to camflood1 ASAP.

· Check out information on the Apostle Islands Base Camp and Kayak Tour for people with disabilities in August. https://www.wildernessinquiry.org/itinerary/apostle-islands-base-camp-sea-kayak-tour/

Thanks and see you out there!

Metro Washington Association of Blind Athletes (MWABA)

Sports and fun for everyone! https://gomwaba.org