SPORTS AND RECREATION
Darts for Everybody 
by David Block, Ardmore, Pennsylvania
	There are some notions in life that are absolutely unfathomable: A flying dog, a four-legged human with wings and a tail, and a blind dart player. 
	Wait a minute! Not so fast. Perhaps 50 years ago, the last example belonged in that list of the absurd and impossible, but not today. Blind and visually-impaired people play audio darts, and this activity is spreading throughout the US.
	"It began in the 80s," said Ms. Sam Jasmine, current Chairperson of the Twin Cities Audio Dart tournament. She is also President of Access Education, a facility where clients learn braille and technology. Her company creates the Audio Dart Master. 
	According to Jasmine, back in the 80s, two blind men approached Arachnid, an arcade company, and offered to contribute financially to the creation of audio dart boards. 
	"Arachnid made 50 boards," said Jasmine. "The boards were big, heavy, and made on a very large cabinet. They were $1,700 to $2,000 a pop." 
	As a result, audio dart leagues for the blind sprang up in various states, including Minnesota, North Carolina, Delaware, California, and Pennsylvania. The totally blind Jasmine of Minnesota began playing audio darts in the 90s and has been playing ever since. 
	By the mid-2000s, the original audio dart boards were breaking down due to wear and tear, but they were not being replaced. Neither Arachnid nor its competitors had an interest. 
	According to Jasmine, the companies thought that making audio dart boards was a small market that would cost more than they could possibly earn. 
	"But once the boards were gone, these leagues would die out," said Jasmine. She knew that this would upset not only her, but practically all people who played audio darts. This activity gave players a reason to go out, meet other people, and get involved in something less difficult than running and swimming.
	Jasmine and her friend, Tomo Lennox, realized that they could make audio dart boards themselves because they had a strong background in computer programming. 
	"We bought some of the old audio boards, stripped out all the parts and put a human voice and electronics on them," said Jasmine. The voice tells the thrower where on the board the dart landed.
	Jasmine and Tomo's audio dart boards are 29 inches high, 21 inches wide, 2 inches thick, and weigh 14 pounds (6 kilograms). Included is a power transformer for a 110-volt outlet. Each board has a tactile front panel with large symbols and comes with a spoken instruction manual. In addition, the players can use an optional stereo 'ping' or 'click' sound that would help them aim. These features and many others are explained on the website, Audiodartmaster.com.
	Fully sighted people also compete in these blind-dart leagues. Teams include sighted, blind and low-vision players. Everyone is on an equal footing because all players must wear blindfolds. Totally blind people are not exempt because many of them can see shapes and shadows.
	"This is a novelty for sighted people," said Jasmine. "A sighted person can throw a dart at a board, but it's not so easy when you're blindfolded. This is something they can tell their friends: 'Hey, I played audio darts blindfolded with a bunch of blind people.'"
	"It's good to have sighted people play with you because they serve as spotters," said Robert McLain, Treasurer of Audio Darts Club of Delaware Valley (ADCDV). "If someone hits the wall instead of the board, they can tell you where the dart landed." 
	ADCDV practices every Friday at Associated Services for the Blind (ASB) in Philadelphia. McLain and ADCDV fundraiser Agnes Dutill said that ASB enthusiastically gave ADCDV the green light to use their facility because it gave their members and staff the opportunity to compete as well. 
	For more information, log onto the website Audiodartmaster.com.