WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The inaugural Envision 100-Meter Dash took place on Saturday at Wichita State. It featured 22 runners age 13 and older who are blind or visually impaired.

WSU Track Athlete Deja Young, reigning gold medalist in the Women’s 100m and 200m at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, was on hand to meet the Envision athletes. Young was born with brachial plexus or shoulder dystocia, a deformity in her right shoulder.

Of the 22 runners on Saturday, 10 are current employees of Envision and 12 are participants in Envision’s teen and young adult programs. All have varying degrees of vision loss and they ran with guides or were pushed in their wheelchairs. There were several heats and medals were presented.

The race was a special addition to the Wichita Masters/Open Track & Field Meet presented by the Shocker Track Club. It was made possible through a partnership between the Shocker Track Club and Envision to offer athletic opportunities to people of all ages who are blind or visually impaired who enjoy staying active and setting and reaching goals just as much as their typically sighted peers. In addition to promoting active lifestyles for participants, races such as the Envision 100-Meter Dash give the community an opportunity to connect with people who are differently abled and understand and appreciate the paths that people of all abilities take to reach common goals.