Mt Barker’s Kaleb Glas aims for the top echelon of his sport

Mt Barker swimmer 12-year-old Kaleb Glas has big goals for his future.

The youngster has been competing around the State with the goal of one day representing Australia at the Paralympics.

He suffers from oculocutaneous albinism, which means he has no pigment in his entire body and limited vision of 10 per cent.

Kaleb competes in both multi-class and able-bodied swimming events across WA and swims with the Mt Barker Barracudas Swimming Club.

He has competed in both the senior State swim championships where he was swimming against boys up to 18 years old and the WA country swimming pennants and in January at the Swimming WA country championships.

He is assisted with some strokes by his mother who has made a 1.5m-long cane-tapping device with a tennis ball stuck on the end to help him know when to turn when swimming backstroke.

Kaleb’s mother Aafje Zijlstra said he put hours every week into his swim training.

“Kaleb is very passionate about swimming,” she said.

“We travel a lot around the State, Perth Mandurah, Albany, York.

“Next year, we’ll go to Kalgoorlie for the country pennants.

“When he swims outside, the glare from the pool water can be distracting.

“He wears blackout goggles to block the sun from causing further damage to his retinas.”

Organiser of the VisAbility Awards, youth officer Ryan Honschooten, said Kaleb was one of many young people overcoming challenges to reach their own unique goals.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to acknowledge people living with vision loss who are carving out their own unique achievements,” he said.

“We’re looking for people who have put their heart and soul into a project, hobby, or event and are now reaping the rewards from their efforts.

“There’s a special award for the regions, so we encourage anyone with vision impairment to apply.”

Nominations are still open for the VisAbillity Awards and ViisAbillity is looking for young people like Kaleb who have overcome challenges to make significant achievements.

Applications can be found on the VisAbillity Website.

A special awards ceremony will be held at the Nostalgia Box, Perth, a retro computer museum on the evening of Global Accessibilit Awareness Day, May 18, to mark their accomplishments.