Katia Silva

Started: She first learned about goalball in 2015 while visiting her sister in Brasilia, Brazil. (cbdv.org.br, 10 Jul 2021) Reason: A neighbour with a visual impairment introduced her to the Special Education Centre for the Visually Impaired [CEEDV] in Brasilia, Brazil. "I used to say that the centre was my gate to the world." (cbdv.org.br, 12 Jul 2021) Additional Info: DISCOVERING GOALBALL After she was told that she would be blind for the rest of her life, she attempted suicide at age 14. She says discovering goalball while visiting her pregnant sister in 2015 in Brasilia, Brazil, gave her a new focus. "I didn't even imagine that it was possible for a blind person to be an athlete. I also didn't have the illusion of studying, so much so that I said that as soon as my sister stabilised, I would go back to the farm. I felt like I was born again when I got to know goalball, because I saw that blind people could dream, be independent and do projects. Until then, I thought I was the only blind person in the universe. When I found that joy in training, that freedom, the collective spirit, I started dreaming again." (cbdv.org.br, 12 Jul 2021)