How can I help BSO?
Direct Donations (money or equipment) 
United Way Donor Choice
EScrip
Acme Receipts
Volunteer

Please look at the details after BSO's Overview for details...

BSO OVERVIEW

Q. Who is BSO?
A. BSO is Blind Sports Organization, a 501(c)(3), non-profit, community-service organization. It has been in existence since 1974 and was known as Pennsylvania Association for Blind Athletes (PABA).

Q. What is BSO’s mission?
A. BSO will provide, promote, and advocate for sports, recreation, and fitness opportunities for blind and visually impaired.

Q. Why should I invest in BSO?
A. BSO cares about the blind and visually impaired. Your contributions will benefit blind and visually impaired in your community and the surrounding area.

Q. Why are sports, recreation, and fitness important?
A. Most people take participation in such activities for granted. They seem like fun. However, these activities are very important. They build skills that are important for life including: health, body awareness, team work, dedication, leadership, followership, independence, self-esteem, etc. Blind and visually impaired who have participated in sports have a drastically higher rate of employment than those who have not.

Q. What are BSO’s plans for now?
A. Throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, BSO will continue and expand programs, educate the public, increase communication, develop a staff, and obtain office space.

Q. What are BSO’s plans for the future?
A. BSO will expand programs, conduct a feasibility study, and develop a world-class facility that will meet the sports and recreation needs of people with sensory and physical disabilities. 

Q. Why is BSO changing their business structure?
A. As an all-volunteer organization, PABA was successful. However, we know there is much more that can be done and needs to be done. Sports for people with physical disabilities are about 25 years behind Special Olympics (which provides programs for the mentally impaired) and a century behind sports for women and minorities. To accomplish our goals, we need a strong financial base and full-time commitment from a staff. Volunteers have limited time and resources. BSO needs to hire people to direct: development (fundraising), programming, public relations, and more.

Q. Why are blind sports so far behind?
A. Sports for people with physical disabilities are very splintered and each disability group has their own organization. Visual impairment is a very low incidence disability. There are over 200,000 in PA alone, but there may be only 1-2 people in any one community. Also, there is the public perception that blind people cannot participate in sports and the general public has very low expectations of the capabilities of blind. 

Q. How can blind people participate in sports?
A. There are simple modifications for most activities. There are even sports that have been developed specifically for blind players.

WWW.GOODSEARCH.COM

Do you search the internet? A new easy way you can support BSO is to do your searches using www.goodsearch.com . This search engine is powered by Yahoo! It is used by 41,000 non-profits and it does not cost you anything. Every time you conduct a search using this site, a donation is made by the advertisers to the charity of your choice. All you need to do is enter your search information and then enter Blind Sports Organization on the line where you select your favorite charity. If 500 people conducted 2 searches per day per year, BSO would make $3500. Please spread the word and happy searching!