Hi my 11 year old son loves yoyoing… hes also deaf and going blind (classed as beafblind) and dreams of competing in a yoyo contest but hes reluctant because hes worried that he may not hear the music or might not hear the buzzer to start/stop ect…
was wondering if anyone knows of any deaf yoyo players. Or any yoyo olayers with any type of disability. He loves watching brandon vu and gentry stein and a whole host of other on youtube but would watch anything to do with yoyos.
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Is there is a way that would work for signaling him when to start and stop the routine? If you reach out to the contest organizer more than likely they will accommodate your request and possibly have it included as accommodations for future contests.
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I’m a disabled yoyo nut! I have Erythromelalgia. Three years ago I was wheelchair bound. I use yo-yoing as a motivation tool to get me moving and on my feet, even if it’s just for a few hours total each day. I’ve managed to rehabilitate enough to donate my wheelchair. You wont catch me in competitions, but it’s an important part of my rehab.
Over the summer I watched Paralympic judo and saw deaf blind folks clobber seeing and or hearing people, so I don’t doubt your son can crush yo-yoing.
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Easy fix on the start and stop situation.
Just signal with a flashlight.
Simply flash the light at the start and again at the finish.
Easy….
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Are you based in the us? @Nathan might have some ideas. He’s been in the contest scene for like 100 years and one of the players that runs the national Yoyo league in the US. I’m certain there is a way to accommodate him.
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I have nothing smart to say. I would only like to state: Love to you and your awesome son 
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We have technology I imagine a remote that can trigger something that vibrates would do the trick. Either way YoYo community is crafty and resourceful I imagine a solution could be had
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Definitely reach out to the contest organizer of whatever contest you would be going to and something can be setup to accommodate your son. Initial thought is having a helper on stage who could tap him for start/end and could also be available to help locate backup yo-yos if necessary. (Or if no assistance is needed other than start/end the MC could as well )
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I don’t think I know any players who are deaf, but there is a player named Chen Yang who has tinnitus and hearing loss
In this routine he asked the crowd to be silent during the more quiet first part of the song, so that he could hear it more easily
Requesting the crowd to be silent might help your kid with timing his tricks to the music if he is not fully deaf
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I think a song with Key Bass postions could work.
He could Feel the timing. Bass Countdown to start. Rythms for trick placement, then another “Count Down” toward the end.
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He is going blind… 
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Reading is not a challenge for me. Understanding what I’ve read is not a challenge for me. The father stated that his son is deaf… And going blind.
So… We know sadly, the son is deaf. And he is going blind. And he is 11.
What the father didn’t mention was how slowly or how quickly the blindness is progressing?
So now we’re down to one of three possibilities: The son is going blind very slowly? The son is going blind As time goes on? Or the son Is losing his sight at a more alarmingly fast pace and will be blind completely before you know it?
But since the father did not specifically give a timeframe that projected when the son Would sadly be completely blind, it would be only common sense and logical that the boy is just slowly losing his sight and ‘eventually’ Will be completely without sight.
My suggestion was strictly based on the limited information the father divulged.
My suggestion of using a flashlight was not some kind of joke.
So unless somebody wants to tell me that an 11-year-old who is both deaf and too blind to be prompted by light signals is going up on stage to throw down 12 or three minute freestyle and I’m thinking we’re dealing with more problems than originally considered?
I have no doubt that any person that may be deaf, dumb, and blind, could still go up on stage and do a yo-yo freestyle.
I remember many years ago Steve Brown going up on stage at the Bay Area classic and doing 5A blindfolded. If I remember correctly, he won.
The son is ‘not’ blind yet…
PS…. I joke around a lot….but disabilities are no joke. Light signals are and have been a common method of communication…when silence is golden or not within hearing range.
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I have heard that perception of light is still present in many with severe sight deficiencies, I genuinely think it’s a good idea, given the amount of info we have on the situation
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A light is certainly a good option and worth a trial. In my case, it would be hit or miss. I am legally blind and have several blind spots. For this use case, straight on usually wouldn’t work. It may be a trial and error thing.
Maybe a vibrating gadget such as a watch?
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Amazingly, you’ve gotten me to think of what might be a perfect thing.
I have some AirPods to go with my iPhone. Once in a while when I’m at work up on a ladder or underneath the bus, I keep my phone in my toolbox, but I put one AirPod in my left ear.
If my phone rings, the AirPod vibrates.
I have had two people tell me that when they’re running or working out or whatever their AirPods will fall out. But I have also noticed that there are some aftermarket ones that you can get that have a clip that goes over your ear so that’s a sucker won’t fall out even if your Doing backflips while jump roping.
So we know the kid can’t hear. But I’m thinking the kid would definitely be able to feel the vibration on the ear.
So if his assistant has got his number dialed and is just waiting for the music to start, he could press the call button and the vibration with signal the kid to start. The assistant then hangs up and the phone will no longer signal the earpiece.
Then towards the end of the routine, he dials the number again and wait for the timer and when he gets a signal, he initiates another call and the vibration will get the kid to end his routine. And even if he didn’t end it on exactly the final second, I’m sure the judges were taking the consideration The signaling system that was used.
What about that?
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I would like to highlight that OP had also requested if anyone knows of other professional yoyoers with disabilities that his son could check out.
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