Rowing for Perkins in the Head of the Charles
Throughout college, Aerial Gilbert developed a passion for rowing. After losing her sight at the age of 34, the sport helped her adapt to a new way of life.
Aerial rowed competitively on the Mills College Crew team and then continued rowing on the open water in Sausalito after graduating. She hasn't stopped since.
"Getting back into sports - something I was always really passionate about - helped me with my adjustment to vision loss," says Aerial, who competed in the Head of the Charles Regatta for the fifth year in a row on October 18. Aerial rowed in the Women's Master 4+ and raised $2,000 to benefit sports programs at Perkins.
Aerial works as an Outreach Manager for Guides Dogs for the Blind, and visited with Perkins students after last year's Head of the Charles to talk about guide dogs and introduce them to rowing as an accessible sport.
"I've always felt that there are a lot of people who are blind or visually impaired, both youth and adults, who have a very sedentary lifestyle ... I just really applauded the focus on sports and recreation (at Perkins)," she said.
At Perkins, adaptive physical education teachers focus on what our students can do rather than what they cannot do. Students are encouraged to find physical activities they enjoy and pursue well-rounded, active lifestyles. Because she believes wholeheartedly in this mission, Aerial donated the money she raised this year to Perkins' sports programs.
After the competition, Aerial came back to Perkins to talk more with the students about rowing, "(Rowing) is one of the very few sports that is available for the visually impaired - for both women and men - where you're on an equal playing field with the sighted world."
Aerial has been blind for 20 years and continues to be an avid athlete. She carried the Olympic torch in 2002 through the streets of San Francisco with her then guide dog, Deanne, by her side. She rows regularly on San Francisco Bay with the Marin Rowing Association and has competed successfully in the Sausalito Open Water Regatta, the World Games in Canada and the 33-mile Annual Catalina Crossing across open ocean.
A registered nurse, Aerial knows the importance of making sure all students get involved with physical activities at a young age. whether sighted or visually impaired, sports and recreation are important parts of a well-rounded lifestyle, she says.
Read about Adaptive Physical Education in Perkins Insight.
Read a Boston Herald article about Aerial competing in the Head of the Charles.