Tag Archives: blindness

July 6 to 8, Challenged America welcomed blind children from the San Diego Braille Institute

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It was a fantastic week for our volunteers, Challenged America welcomed blind children from the San Diego Braille Institute. the children learned to sail our specially designed Martin 16s under the supervision of our companion sailors. Great and sharp kids who had such a positive attitude and dreams of changing the world, really inspiring. Looking at their smiles when they sailed back to the docks, they enjoyed their time on the water. Who knows, we might see some of them in our racing or offshore program one of these days.

Dr Laura Interviews Challenged America Co Founder

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Friday, May 6, Dr Laura interviewed Urban Miyares, co Founder of Challenged America and founder of the Disabled Business persons Association

Listen to the interview:

Challenged America in the 2005 Transpac

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Overcoming their individual disabilities to complete the 2005 Transpac, a grueling, 2,225-mile yacht race from California to Hawaii, the six members of the Challenged America team arrived in Honolulu Sunday evening at 23:31:50 local time. They had raced their yacht, the B’Quest, to a ranking of fourth in its class.

B’Quest is the flagship of San Diego-based Challenged America, an organization founded by disabled Vietnam veterans to provide free sailing education and recreation rehabilitation programs to people with and without disabilities from around the world. A gift from a donor who wanted the vessel to be a part of this effort, the B’Quest has competed in many races, crewed by experienced sailors overcoming such obstacles as quadriplegia, paraplegia, neuromuscular disease, blindness and cancer.

For the 2005 Transpac, the crew worked directly with mechanical engineering students at San Diego State University (SDSU), who provided the sailors special seats and fittings for the race.

Sam Gloor, sailing coordinator for this year’s Challenged America crew, praised both the students and the National Science Foundation, which supported their efforts through the Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons with Disabilities program.

“The seats developed by the students at San Diego State performed flawlessly. Some of the crew simply could not have been effective without them,” said Gloor, who was a member of the Challenged America crew in an earlier Transpac.

Original article dated July 26, 2005

From The Helm

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Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and that 2011 will be everything you hope for it to be. We, here at Challenged America, are hoping for a BIG 2011. We have made some New Year’s resolutions:

First (and foremost) to put as many people with disabilities on the water as possible. Last year children with a variety of disabilities including autism, birth defects, blindness, hearing impaired came to Challenged America and experienced sailing for the first time. Adults with a variety of disabilities came and sailed in groups from Sharp Rehab, Braille Institute, City of San Diego Therapeutic Recreation Center. A group of disabled veterans from Sun Valley Adaptive Sports’ “Higher Ground” program came and experienced the joys and freedom of sailing for the first time. The Veterans Administration brought its Summer Sports Clinic to San Diego and we had the privilege of hosting the sailing venue. By our count, the special groups brought 177 children, veterans, and adults with disabilities to our docks in 2010. After adding our regular Thursday and Saturday Martin sailing to the mix, we probably added another 300 sailing experiences. Oh, and let’s not forget the Summer Beer Can races which averaged 6 to 8 people sailing once a week for the series of 10 weeks. And lastly, our own B’Quest II, sailed by both Dennis Conner and Lyle Lundberg throughout the year, took an estimated 21 sailors with disabilities racing on the big boat. Added together we can estimate in excess of 600 children, veterans and adults with disabilities sailing in 2010. Our goal for 2011 is to bring that number to 1,000 or more.

Secondly, it is my intent to bring the US Sailing Racing Rules of Sailing and the appropriate race committee signals to our monthly Martin 16 regattas, and to find the time to occasionally hold a clinic so that we can all continue our Rules education.

Thirdly is to involve as many of you as possible in our fundraising efforts, not just for special events but throughout the year since without fundraising we won’t have the money required to achieve these goals.

The last goal is simple: to see more of all of you here throughout 2011.

Fair Winds, Happy sailing and a very Happy 2011 to you all!

Carolyn Sherman

Program Director