Hamilton Blind Curlers

Curling for the Blind and Visually Impaired is essentially the same as the game played by sighted people. The difference is that each team has a sighted guide to assist the players in their delivery. The guide first describes the location of the rocks in the house and the type of shot that the skip has requested e.g. guard, draw or takeout. The guide then assists each player in delivering his/her rock along the line that is necessary to make the shot. Depending on the degree of visual impairment of the player, the guide may hold the broom at a short distance in front of the player, set a flashlight on the line of delivery or communicate with the player to ensure that he/she is lined up correctly in the hack. The guide may not indicate the weight or line of the rock delivered to the sweepers and may not call timeouts.  They may assist with viewing measurements.

 The lead on each team must be totally blind (B1). Obviously these members do not sweep, so each team has a designated sweeper who takes the on the role of the B1 as a sweeper. The designated sweeper doesn't throw any rocks. In the competitive division, this person must be legally blind. 

At the Ontario Provincial Championships, there are two divisions: competitive and recreational. There are a few rule differences in the two divisions. 

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