Visually impaired bowler on a roll

Visually impaired bowler André Manders (85) isn’t sensitive about his disability.

He started bowling in 1991, and he has been a member of the Witpoortjie Bowling Club for about two years now.

His presence at the club is always met with smiles, laughter, and joy through his infamous dad jokes.

Speaking to the Roodepoort Record, André shared that his mother had jaundice when she was pregnant with him, affecting his eyesight, and he was born completely blind.

He studied psychology, is currently the chairperson of Blind South Africa in Gauteng, and he never misses any bowling game.

“I have always been a sports fanatic. Back in high school, I received Protea colours for amateur wrestling, where I wrestled against sighted people.

“This is a contact sport, so we didn’t need any directors to assist us.

“In 1994 I also participated in a cricket world cup for the blind in India, and four years later I attended another one in Pakistan,” he says.

He spent most of his life advocating for people living with disabilities, whether in sports, business or other spaces.

“I worked in corporate as a trainer where I trained blind and partially sighted people to navigate the space and trained sighted people on how to interact with people living with any other disabilities. I also advised businesses and companies to have reasonable accommodations for people living with disabilities.

“My friend and I also started a company called Unlocking Abilities where we taught people how to cope with their disability, especially those that became blind later in life.”

André has won a few silver and bronze medals in bowling but says his ultimate goal is to win a gold medal in the singles championships.

“André is one of the best bowlers in our club. He does not need much assistance anymore. What I do is tell him the length of the field and get him to face the right direction. He has played against sighted people and performed exceptionally well,” says his director Herold Sergeant.

His advice to other people who are living with disabilities is, ‘it’s all in the mind’.

“You need to be willing to try something and interact with other people,” he concludes.