BLOW Jennifer

Classification
B3 (IBSA, 01 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (paralympic.org.au, 31 Aug 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (paralympic.org.au, 31 Aug 2016)

Impairment Details
She has oculocutaneous albinism. "I have a very white skin but people might not know that it actually comes with a vision impairment. I'm classified legally blind but I actually have a lot of functional visions. I see 6-60. So, if you're looking at a tree or a car and you are 60 metres away, obviously it's going to be less detail for you. That amount of detail that you guys see at 60 metres, we see that same detail at 6 metres. I can see all the colours, I've got peripheral vision, but I guess I see things in a lot less detail. It's the easiest way to explain it." (The Creating Chances Podcast, 12 May 2021; paralympic.org.au, 31 Aug 2016)

General
EDUCATOR
She has worked as a drama teacher in Melbourne, VIC, Australia, and served as education manager for Paralympics Australia. "It was always my dream to be a teacher, I think from about the age of 16 or 17. I taught for five years in Sydney, and then nearly a year in Melbourne. I'm also working at Paralympics Australia which is great to be able to combine my passion for goalball, Para sports, and put it into a job." (The Creating Chances Podcast, 12 May 2021; paralympic.org, 05 Sep 2020; insidethegames.biz, 18 Jun 2020)

RUNNING
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, she took up running to maintain her fitness. "[In 2020] I actually had to really stop thinking about goalball and the Paralympic Games in Tokyo because at that point we were not on court training. The Games in Tokyo was that far away. Another fitness goal I could do, that would end up benefiting goalball, was taking up running. So, I set myself a goal of running a half marathon. I did that in October [2020]." (The Creating Chances Podcast, 12 May 2021)