Indian Record :Highest number of visually challenged full marathon runners

Highest number of visually challenged full marathon runners was achieved by covering a distance of 42.2kms accompanied by Guide Runners India team, under the guidance of Head Coach Dr.Bhumika Patel at Bengaluru Marathon on October 21, 2018 .

The record has been submitted to Limca book of Records

A Big applaud for the Guide Runners India team to make the impossible possible as they put their heart and soul for continuous support to the visually impaired athletes throughout their journey to success.

For Full Marathon: Bhumika for full and Venkat for half, to be a strong support for Sunitha. Praveen Shetty to support Mala. Bhadresh for full and Sudha for second half, a strong support for Renuka. Nandeesh to guide Kavya, Rahul and Abhishek to support Nandeesh till the finish line. Sachin and Shekhar for support for Ajay.

60 Days of Kindness Fitness Challenge

Jan 4th 2021 – March 4th 2021

(The workouts are recorded and can be repeated by anyone joining at beginner -Intermediate level)

Registrations are open! Contact info@guiderunnersindia.in or Bhumika 9845018103

Note: Guides can refer and send the videos for each day posted on https://www.facebook.com/guiderunnersindia OR alternately can also do a workout which goes with the focus of that day.

Refer to sample videos for visually impaired below.
Guides can refer to youtube 1 hr sessions for their own workout https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6FJyNZxy-5wcpdSyI_7_Aw


Global Inclusion Summit 2020 : Dec 5th

Live performances and stories of inspiration based on Guide Runners India team work with yoga runner girls trainings / Virtual run for community 1 & 2

Step1: CLICK here to Join the Facebook Group

Step 2: To Register submit the questionnaire below to info@guiderunnersindia.in

2020-12-05T11:00:00

  days

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until

Global Inclusion Summit 2020

GuideLines for Virtual Run For Community

2 Weeks before the Run:

  1. Complete exercise checks with your VI -GUIDE on Guide Website.
  2. If any red flags/issues please inform Team lead.

4-5 days Before the Run:

  1. Ensure you have received Virtual Run for Community 2 – Bib. Virtual Guides, please ensure your VI has got bib
  2. Take a print and write a slogan for your run

The day before:

  1. Drink fluids (water/juice) consistently- 1-2 extra cups total
  2. Eat healthy dinner with CARBS (roti/bread, rice, or daal)

Day of Run

  1. Wake up 1-2 hours before run, eat light breakfast
  2. Find a place at home to run that is about 1×1 meter or 2×2 meters, or find safe walkway or path in safe place within home property
    1. Floor/ground is even, good grip (not slippery)
    1. Shade with no direct sunlight
    1. Near open windows for good breeze
    1. OK if outside (in shady area), but not on sidewalk or in traffic area
  3. Even though you are at home, wear shoes for the run
  4. Can march or run in place, or alternate march/run
  5. If there is room to walk/run back and forth, then make sure there is guide/supervisor to watch
  6. Keep water nearby for drinking if needed
  7. Have place to sit nearby just in case. 

The Run/Walk

  1. Warm-Up Dynamic Stretches before session
  2. It is OK to walk for session
  3. It is OK to take a break or sit down during session if tired
  4. It is OK to take quick break to drink water if thirsty
  5. If there is pain, must stop!
  6. After session, stretch.
  7. After session, eat healthy foods with fruits/veggies.

Post run

  1. Guides Please post your run pics in FB group : Guides for VisuallyImpaired with #GuideRunnersIndia #VirtualRunFor Community #AthleteID https://www.facebook.com/groups/1854177928238559/?ref=bookmarks
  2.  VI please share your run pictures in your whatsapp group for visuallyimpaired by Guide Runners India or contact Angha 97570 53740

Virtual Run For Community

FIRST OF ITS KIND RUN FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED RUNNERS AND GUIDES

A tribute to COVID-19 Warriors, health workers and Emergency rescue teams

First edition on Sep 12th, 2020
Second editio -November 1st, 2020

Join virtually via zoom link for flagoff and warmup!
Participate alongside Erich Manser (VI)- World Record Holder for Iron Man, Niket Dalal (VI) Indian Record Holder for Ironman and Amarjeet Singh (VI): Ultra Marathoner, Neha Pawaskar (VI) holds several records in sports and many inspirational runners

A Time Based run: 30mins/60mins


Virtual Run for Community 1st edition(Sep 12th 2020)-Media Coverage & Participation:

Join Kindness Crew

Register here —> Link

(Note: If you have already have login Id for Guide website , you donot need to register again. 1 yr membership is Rs 200, waived off for vi and students, contributed to Kindness work)

Location Protocol trainings have started! Write to info@guiderunnersindia.in for clarifications on the registration and access.

Kindness Location trainings – Learning aids will help you with tools and techniques to do acts of kindness /Guide Running/Volunteering

Emergency Support Guide Certification Program

Course name: Virtual Emergency Support Guide to Visually Impaired

This is a part of a series of courses with certification in association with Mitra Jyothi institute for Blind and other leading institutes. This course will help you learn how to assist someone who is blind or visually impaired as phone buddy in emergency situation such as COVID19.

Three batches have been completed till September 2020. To learn about upcoming sessions, write to info@guiderunnersindia.in

Our Advisory Board includes illustrious volunteers and Institutions from India and Abroad.

OVERVIEW:

Guide/Buddy provide confidential, reliable support that helps individuals who are blind or visually impaired lead the complete, rich, joyful lives they want to live. Guides are matched one-to-one and assist with emergency support activities during COVID19 crisis such as keeping track of elderly visuallyimpaired who are stranded and alone. Guide/Buddy may also be matched as sighted guides for fitness or community activities, thereby opening new doors and opportunities.

Each guide/buddy is thoroughly interviewed, screened, undergoes a thorough background check, and is trained by our experienced GUIDES.

Examples of activities include:

Supporting the elderly VisuallyImpaired,Well Being Check, Serving as sighted guides for running, walking, and home workouts

More details will be provided by email on enrollment!

For recorded learning sessions, visit

Facebook Page: Click here

YouTube : Click here to view all sessions

Learning Session with Chaz Davis, VisuallyImpaired American record holder in FULL Marathon with PB of 2hr 15 mins for full marathon, Massachussets Association for the Blind, USA


Learning Session with Dr Eshwar Kapur, Elite Athlete, Sports Medicine Doctor on Wellbeing and Physical screening for Blind athlete

COVID19 Support for SpeciallyAbled

When COVID-19 hit India, we jumped into action to help them prepare for the challenges,even before the lockdown started in India. It is a special concern for Visually Impaired as they mostly rely on touch.

The ones with Visibility disorder from needy families are a diverse group, experiencing different hardships in accessing information on prevention and risk of infection.

Firstly we shared COVID-19 precautions as per WHO guidelines with them through audio messages with translations in different regional languages like Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada.  The guidelines was shared with the volunteers, who then communicated with the visually impaired in their respective languages either by phone or whatsapp.

We parallelly prepared a  list of Visuallyimpaired who were in city, or left for their villages / hometown to stay with parents. We also checked with blind Institute or NGOs about the measures they had taken at the premises and hostel facility. If there was any shortage, we helped fulfill the requirement for hand gloves, masks, and sanitizers with the help of donations. About 600 hand gloves, several masks, sanitizers were distributed prior to lockdown.

We soon realized that that there were quite a lot of visually impaired elderly left alone at home. This prompted us to start assigning phone buddy to each of them to keep track of how they were doing. The buddy would keep the phone numbers of neighbor, maid and local ward ration shop (government outlet) and other helpline numbers to support the visually impaired.

We soon started receiving calls for help from the needy families esp. Mumbai slums for groceries and medicines. The daily wage workers were out of cash and no means to buy essentials. Many times the free food distribution and ration was available but they were unaware of this information. So the buddy volunteer became a very critical part to reach the information or the essential items. Over the last three weeks we have supported at least 200 families to get their ration and essentials.

The Phone Buddy also encourage and motivate the visually impaired to take care of their health and fitness and improve immunity by explaining how to do simple home workouts. This keeps them happy and healthy in these difficult times.

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Kindness Matters !

It’s been over 5 year since Dr. Bhumika Patel started providing voluntary support to women and children esp. the Specially-Abled & Visually Impaired across 6 cities in India (Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad). We participate in several events as VI-Guides in Pinkathon, Bengaluru Marathon, Mumbai Marathon etc.

This is sustained as there is a large pool of trained volunteers and guides from IBM and other corporates like Congizant and fitness communities, available for voluntary work on need basis. The team works with individuals and also several Blind Institutions/schools across the country. We work further to strengthen the other soft and hard skills too. This helps in their overall development, providing them access to wider opportunities to grow, thus developing a more inclusive society.

When COVID-19 hit India, we jumped into action to help them prepare for the challenges,even before the lockdown started in India. It is a special concern for Visually Impaired as they mostly rely on touch.

For the training team of guides and regular training girls, we started with a list of Kindness TO DO’s to be done in addition to HomeWORKOUTS and own fitness! This was a big hit with many contributing their time and effort wholeheartedly.

There are Badges to be earned as recognition for the training and acts of Kindness!

Poster-kindness

 

Also See :

Phone Buddy with VisuallyImpaired for HomeWorkOut

Phone Buddy Guide for VisuallyImpaired: Home workouts

PHOTO-2020-buddy vi This is a special initiative to support the visually impaired athletes during the lockdown due to Covid-19.

The Phone Buddy encourage and motivate the visually impaired to take care of their health and fitness and improve immunity by explaining how to do simple home workouts. This keeps them happy and healthy in these difficult times.

We soon started receiving calls for help from the needy families esp. Mumbai slums for groceries and medicines. The daily wage workers were out of cash and no means to buy essentials. Many times the free food distribution and ration was available but they were unaware of this information. So the buddy volunteer became a very critical part to reach the information or the essential items.

Phone Buddy are of these types:

  • Buddy for Home workouts
  • Buddy for Elderly VisuallyImpaired (who are left alone in lockdown)
  • Buddy for information/education support (free courses/certifications)

Assessment Checklist is used to start working with visuallyimpaired. Please message Bhumika 9845018103 for the same.

For all the above exercise is important to build immunity!

Guide/Phone Buddy To do (Home workouts):

The visuallyImpaired have been training with us for many months now. We will assign a buddy to existing and new visuallyimpaired based on requests.

  • Get the contact number of Visually impaired(VI) from Bhumika or location lead.
  • Call the VI at a convenient time .
  • Confirm the language they are comfortable with(english, hindi etc) , then use the appropriate language chart below.
  • Find out the percentage blindness.
  • Check if they are doing fine in lockdown, any other assistance needed, please note and let the lead know to assign one more buddy.
  • Find out the current workouts they are doing. Make a note of one week’s workout if they are doing already.
  • As the workout intensity goes up, our rate of infection increases, so our goal is to do moderate exercises without causing too much exhaustion. Give rest days. You are not required to workout all 6 days. Example: 2 days of gentle strength workout + 2 days of yoga, breathing exercise, meditation is fine.
  • If Vi doesn’t have smart phone or whatsapp, just a verbal communication is enough. If they do have, you can ask for video or picture if they are fine.

To do these workout, the VI will need:

  • A sturdy chair or wall nearby for support, so they dont lose balance and fall
  • A yoga mat or bed sheet for post workout sitting stretches
  • Water bottle filled with your favorite fruit juice or lime juice with salt/sugar
  • Supportive shoes if you choose to use them in your workout
  • Light hand weights or two water bottles or cans of the same weight
  • Small to medium towel.

Note :If vi is partially blind, they can also read the charts we give them, we just have to read and clarify once. Give the chart on whatsapp.

If 100% then more support then they will need extra support or guidance.Ask if a family member is available else stick to simple to do workout close to wall or chair to hold.

 

Here are some tips to explain to you assigned VI ON THE CALL

1. If you are not currently exercising, start by walking one door to another door at home, for 20 mins, (for at least 2 weeks) to get used to exercise. You can do 2-3 times a week.

IF you are already exercising regularly and walking feels too easy, then you can start by jog-Walk method. Jog to nearest door and walk back..so on for 30 mins.You can do 2-3 times a week.

Guide Buddy Please note down current workout of VI in a week. We will use it to make customized plan.

Continue reading Phone Buddy Guide for VisuallyImpaired: Home workouts