BJ Blahnik, a member of the U.S.A. Blind Sailing Team and an advocate for those with special needs, will speak at University of the Ozarks at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 18, in Robson Library.
Blahnik’s talk is presented by the Clarksville Lions Club as well as the University’s TRIO Student Support Services program and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The event is free and open to the public.
Blahnik’s inspirational talk will feature his life journey of walking into the dim with the power of vision. He will share stories of how a mutated gene changed his life forever, yet allowed him “to recognize that the struggle of vision can truly change what we actually see in life.”
Growing up in Wisconsin, Blahnik was diagnosed at age 10 with retinitis pigmentosa, which gradually occluded his sight until it was just a few pinholes of cloudy tunnel vision. As he grew up, his vision got progressively worse and he was in his early 20s when he had to give up his driver’s license.
The loss of independence was traumatic, but he became friends with a man who taught him to love the water. Both men lived in Green Bay, and Blahnik found unparalleled joy tooling around in Palmer’s boat with him.
“I heard about the World Championship of Blind Match Sailing and realized that sailing for someone like me is possible,” he said. “I took a lesson on how to sail and it was very overwhelming at first. After working with my instructor, we broke the training down into very small pieces of information. After getting out of the harbor and being out on the lake the first thing we talked about was how do I learn. With discussion going back and forth we discovered I needed to just start sailing and ask questions as we go. I was very nervous at first but having the calming attitude from the instructor I began to feel comfortable.”
“After a few tips on a very basic level we learned we should start with sound. When I heard the main sail start to flutter I knew to pull the tiller towards me a little to maintain a straight line. Quickly I began to understand the wind and was reacting to the sail as soon as it happened. Eventually I was able to hear the jib flutter, before the main sail, which allowed me to anticipate the movement. By just managing these couple sounds my instructor went silent and allowed me to sail by myself.”
“I had not driven anything for 12 years and for the first time since then I was driving something, a sail boat, by myself. I felt like I had another chapter of independence which I thought I would never have again. I was so inspired, I felt in charge and I thought to myself why not me. Hearing about blind sailors coming to Sheboygan I knew I could do this too and I am pleased to say I am receiving sailing lessons and hope to someday be like those sailors who do not see themselves as impaired, rather they all say why not me.”
Blahnik is president of a non-profit organization, VISION (Visually Impaired Sailing Institute & Organization of North America).
Blahnik has been a Lions member since 2006 and is a current member of the Town of Sheboygan (Wis.) Lions Club. In 2006, his life was changed forever when he received his first Leader Dog. Lions Clubs International founded the Leader Dogs for the Blind program in 1939 and Lions have been dedicated ambassadors and loyal supporters of the mission since that time. Nearly 5,000 Lions clubs both nationally and internationally contribute financially to Leader Dog. Lions identify people in their community who could benefit from Leader Dog’s services, offer assistance to their clients and widely communicate information about programs throughout their hometowns and districts.
In October of 2022, Blahnik returned for his current Leader Dog, Jackson, a male Yellow Lab. Prior to Jackson’s formal training in Rochester Hills, Michigan, he was raised by traditional puppy raisers in Southeastern Michigan. Leader Dog Jackson is Blahnik’s fifth Leader Dog, so Blahnik is calling him Jackson 5.
Blahnki, along with his wife, Victoria, own their own business, Reach Forward, which works with special needs individuals through day services and a residential program. They have three sons, Emmitt, Trevor and Harvey and Blahnik enjoys woodworking projects and volunteering in his community.
Blahnik will be the guest speaker at the 106th Arkansas State Lions Club Convention, scheduled for April 19-20, in the Rogers Conference Center on the U of O campus.
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