Image description: A diverse group of people stand under the pavilion at Cornelian Bay Oval in Hobart. Pictured from left to right: Blind sports athlete Nicole McKillop with guide dog Harper, CCS’s Meaghan Peterson, IIT’s Sunny Drury, CCS’s Chathura Dissanayake, Blind Golf Tas President Patrick Dwyer, and BLV Tas Tigers representative cricketer Dylan Gangell. The group celebrates the partnership by holding a range of BLV sports balls, bats, and golf clubs together.
IIT and CHAD Care Services recently announced their new partnership, and CCS’s sponsorship of three Blind and Low Vision (BLV) Multi-sports Come & Try Days across the 2025/26 summer months.
IIT CEO, Phillip ‘Sunny’ Drury, reflected on the sponsorship…
“CCS’s generous support will expand the reach of our statewide program and allow more sports to be offered at each event. We simply can’t stage these open public sessions without supportive funds to cover costs, and now, we can confidently grow our sports portfolio by purchasing the customised BLV sports equipment we need.”
Sports showcased at the BLV Come & Try Days include Cricket, Golf, Netball, AFL, and Soccer, with plans to add more in the future. The sessions are designed specifically for people with vision impairment, using adaptive equipment such as audio balls that emit a bell sound to help players locate their position.
Founder and Director of CCS, Chathura Dissanayake, said the partnership reflects shared values and purpose…
“Our strategic partnership with IIT is an alignment of shared values and purpose, focused on making a positive community impact. We’re excited to help enable more BLV participants to enjoy the fun of playing sport in a safe, supportive environment, whatever their ability, age, or gender.”
The Come & Try Day events include:
Sat, Nov 22 – Cornelian Bay Oval, Hobart
Sat, Jan 31 – St Patricks College, Launceston
Sat, Feb 21 – Cornelian Bay Oval, Hobart
We’re very excited to see how this partnership develops and what the expanded program and wider reach delivers. It will amplify our endeavours to engage with the vision impaired community statewide, as IIT also plans to launch the Blind Sports Tasmania (BST) platform in 2026.
