Conception Bay South man creating 1st known squash program for people with vision loss

On a squash court in Conception Bay South, N.L., 18-year-old Zack Harris slams the ball without missing a beat.

Harris is partially sighted — and though no one would ever know, this is his first time playing squash.

"Any new opportunity is a good opportunity, whether it fails or goes well," said Harris. 

As a person with partial vision, Harris said he's found squash "entertaining" so far.

"I like the challenge of that. And I like the challenge of new things," Harris explained.

Squash for people with vision loss isn't just new for Harris. Lolly Gillen, Squash Canada's international delegate to the World Squash Federation, said she doesn't know of any existing programs with that focus anywhere in the world. 

But with head coach Eric Hart at the helm, the first program of its kind could get off the ground soon in Conception Bay South.

"We're hoping that if we can figure things out sufficiently well that we might be able to offer a program for people who are partially sighted, and we see this going all across Canada, hopefully eventually, and even crossing international borders," said Hart. 

"That would be the big, big dream."

It might seem like a lofty goal. But Hart is dreaming big for a reason. Hart's first inclusive squash program for people with cognitive disabilities — co-founded with Gillen in 2019 — is also considered the first of its kind by the international squash community.

"Eric is doing some incredible cutting-edge work in the field of disability squash," wrote Jordan Jefferies, Professional Squash Association Foundation executive, in an email to CBC News. The foundation connects professional and community squash players all around the globe.

"To our knowledge, they [the Canadian Inclusivity Squash Program] are