This darts league is a bull's-eye for some in Windsor's blind community

A new darts league in Windsor, Ont., is bringing blind and partially sighted people together — offering both a sense of inclusion and joy.

"It gives all of us an opportunity to feel like we just belong," said organizer Peter Best, a longtime disability advocate who is blind. 

It started with a suggestion at the local Royal Canadian Legion Branch 255 months ago as they brainstormed possible activities for the local blind community, given that there aren't many available to them, Best explained.

"I said, 'Why don't we play darts?' And they said, 'Well wait a minute. You've got blind, visually impaired people throwing sharp objects around a crowded room?'" Best chuckled.

"I said, 'It sounds perfect.'"

'We do it very safely'

Best and fellow organizer Sharron Jarvis got the green light from the legion, which offered them complimentary use of the space, and started up the league back in February. 

While there is a blind darts team in the United Kingdom, Best says that to his knowledge, the Windsor league is the only blind dart group in Canada. 

The Windsor league has about nine players, and volunteer score keepers and guides who support the process.

A volunteer will line up players who need guidance at the regular line eight feet away from the dart board, make sure they're centred, facing the right direction, hand them the darts, and then make sure the area is clear before anyone throws the darts.

"We do it very safely... Nobody's been injured and everybody keeps coming back," Best said.

Best's cousin Gary Best has been volunteering as a guide since the league began. 

"I'll tell you, they have improved since the beginning and they're getting better," he said, also pointing out that they're using real darts, not plastic ones.

"They're starting to hit the board really good now."

Fills a need in the community

They also compete in different categories based on how much vision different players have: B1 for individuals who are totally blind, B2 for those with light perception and some shadows, and B3 for those with partial sight.

Carole Beaulieu, one of the players who is blind and plays in the B1 category, says the league is all about "having fun."

"I had never played darts before and I just thought that it would be a really nice social thing to do," she said.

Beaulieu says she enjoys connecting with other individuals who have the same type of life skills and experiences that she has — and that the league has really filled a need since the pandemic because there hasn't been much available in terms of community activities for blind and partially sighted people.

"We still have something to offer and we're enjoying it and the legion has been so welcoming, so we just feel as if we belong," she said.

It's exactly that feeling of "camaraderie" that motivated Sharron Jarvis to work with Peter Best to help organize the league. 

Jarvis is legally blind with partial sight, but can't see detailed objects.

"It's been a wonderful learning experience because we all have our coping mechanisms, and I've learned a lot through other people that have disabilities the same as I do, how to cope," she said. "And so that's been great."

Best says it's all about inclusion. 

"It also demonstrates that when you have a disability, you know, you can find a way to get things done," he said. 

The group wrapped up its season last week, but plans to start back up in the fall.