How a visually impaired teen who hated gym finally found a sport she loves

The worst of it was the balls thrown in her face by other kids who knew she wouldn't see them in time to make a catch.

The bullying in gym class was taking its toll on Emily Kinnear, a 13-year-old visually impaired girl from Cole Harbour, N.S., even as her mother encouraged her to be strong.

"We spent a lot of time with her crying, and me emailing the school and the principal and the teachers trying to get it straightened out," says Shanna Kinnear.

But Emily Kinnear no longer dreads all ball sports. A few months ago, she joined a goalball team for youth aged eight to 14 at the George Dixon Centre in Halifax.

'We're equally matched'

The sport has a twist that makes all the difference to Kinnear. Players are blindfolded and the only way to know where the ball is headed is to listen to the sound of a bell installed inside.

"Coming here, we're all blindfolded and we're equally matched, when at school I cannot see a ball coming for me," she says.

The sport is played on a volleyball-sized court and is a combination of bowling, basketball and soccer. There are two teams of three players. The goal is to score on the opponent's net by rolling a ball across the court, while the other team attempts to block it.

Kinnear was born premature and with retinopathy of prematurity, an eye disease involving the retina. She also has glaucoma and nystagmus, an involuntary and rapid movement of the eye. An object the average person can see at 12 metres, she can see at no more than two.

The teen practises goalball twice a week and her coach, Peter Parsons, has noticed improvement.

"Emily, when she first started, she was a little was more shy," he says. "Now I see her confidence grow a lot and she continues to get better at goalball and also the social aspect."

Kinnear is making friends with her teammates. They are all visually impaired, which makes it easy for them to relate to each other. Next month, they will all head to Ottawa for the Eastern Canadian Goalball Championship.

"It's more about the experience and to get out there and have fun, meet some other kids with visual impairments from Ontario," says Parsons.

Shanna Kinnear says it's something she never expected her daughter would be able to do.

"Seeing her doing this and going to Ottawa is just a dream come true," she says.

Emily Kinnear is just happy to make new friends and find something she likes that allows her to fit in with others on the court.

"It makes me feel happy and finally equally to everybody else who is playing," she says.