Interview with Chaz Davis | New Blog Series - HOPE! Holding Onto Positive Expectations
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HOPE (Hanging Onto Positive Expectations) Series – Interview With Chaz Davis
WSB is very excited to announce our new series on the blog – HOPE (Hanging onto Positive Expectations)! There are so many individuals doing great things for the Blind and Visually Impaired Community that we wanted to highlight and share their story. We hope these stories can also serve as inspiration for those with vision loss and to remind us that there are so many people working towards a common goal of helping those who are blind and visually impaired. We also want to highlight ways to get involved in the blind & visually impaired community that you might not know about.
Our first interview is with Chaz Davis. If you’re involved in the BVI running community, you’ve probably heard of him. And if not, we got some great tips from Chaz on how to get involved in the running community, no matter your skill level (or even if you just enjoy walking!).
Chaz Davis is a Paralympian, assisted in founding United in Stride (a website that can help pair guided runners with BVI runners/walkers), and currently works for the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired.
But Davis’ vision loss story is not unlike many clients we see at WSB. Davis began losing his vision in college, where he ran Division I track competitively. After he began losing his vision though, he “fell into a dark depression,” but only eight months after his vision loss, he was able to begin running again on a treadmill. Davis was lucky; he had a support system of friends and family that helped him through this period of his life. His former track teammates began guiding him, while not really knowing what they were doing. “It just became second nature that I could run with them as my teammates, but they would also guide me and it just wasn't a big deal”, Chaz recalls.
But Davis is no stranger to the difficulties of losing your sight later in life. He spent time at a residential training center and was able to surround himself with other blind and visually impaired individuals who were going through the same thing. Chaz noted, “I think I think if you surround yourself with blind people that have been successful, and you know reach out to other people for help, that's not a sign of dependence but can really lead to more independence”.
In 2015, United In Stride was founded with the help of MABVI. Because of United In Stride, Davis has been able to train, qualify, and place for the Paralympics!
What is United in Stride?
United In Stride is a website designed to unite blind and visually impaired runners with sighted guides across the country. United In Stride allows running and access to training to no longer be an obstacle in someone’s life. They currently have over 4,600 members, with more guides than blind and visually impaired runners so you are sure to find someone to help out! United In Stride is also a great resource for those in rural areas because a guide may be able to travel a little farther out and meet you.
With United In Stride, you can put your pace time (or you may not know and that’s okay too!) and how many miles you want to run or walk.
“It's a common misconception that the guide runners are really giving back a lot, which they are, but I found that with a lot of guide runners, it's really a mutual benefit. They love that connection and being able to you know help a blind runner do something that otherwise.”
Davis suggests if you are really excited about running or walking with someone, to find a few different guides, as people have their own lives, and finding someone to run once a week is a good way to start out.
Davis also knows running can be intimidating to people who have never tried it before, especially in the blind and visually impaired community. For anyone who may feel intimidated by running, he said to start small. Even if it is starting out by walking half a mile or a mile every day or even three times a week, that is a great start. He made sure to note that “running is all relative” so you can start whenever you need to in order to be safe and comfortable. Similar to vision loss, setting attainable goals is so important when you start out.
Davis’ also pointed out that if you have good Orientation and Mobility skills (we can help you with that!), then you can start walking by yourself to build some stamina. But United in Stride is still a great resource if you want some company or want to start building up to running.
United In Stride has so many great resources on their website as well, including a Couch to 5k training program. So you can start from no physical activity and train for a 5k!
Davis also gave some great tips on how to stay safe using United In Stride. Make sure that you meet in a public place during the day, as you don’t really know who you are meeting at first.