Project Sixth Sense transforms the lives of the blind through inclusion in sports. It originated in Porto, now operates in six other cities, and has even reached Madeira. Founder Bárbara Pereira explains how visually impaired individuals can be guided in physical activity.
Bárbara Pereira lost her sight at two separate times: in 2004 she lost her left eye and in 2017 her right, both due to retinal detachment, and since then she has “relearned to live in the dark.” But the loss of her sight did not paralyze her. On the contrary, it awakened a desire to return to sports, namely running.
I relearned how to live in the dark and realized that it was important for me to get back into sports.
In Porto, the city where she lives, she sought answers to the problem: how could she return to playing sports, now blind? She found only silence. So she decided to create her own answers. That’s how, in 2019, the Sexto Sentido Project was born, inspired by a similar Brazilian initiative and brought to Portugal by a guide, Alexandre, whom Bárbara Pereira met shortly after becoming blind. She immediately realized that the venture she founded addressed her problem, and that of so many other people with vision problems – running safely.
The project aims to allow visually impaired people the opportunity to continue exercising, accompanied by a volunteer guide. It started in the city of Porto with just ten people, but quickly gained national scope.
In 2022, joining the Betano Heroes Social Responsibility Program gave the project exposure and resources. Today, Sexto Sentido has over 400 participants, including visually impaired athletes and guides, distributed across several centers from north to south of the country: Porto, Lisbon, Coimbra, Braga, Vila Real, Viseu, and Aveiro. It has already reached Madeira and will soon expand to the Algarve as well.
Sport: a vehicle for inclusion
For Bárbara, running has never been just physical exercise: “When we’re running, we’re the same as anyone else. My blindness is just one of my characteristics,” she says. For the coordinator of Sexto Sentido (Sixth Sense), sport is “a vehicle for inclusion” that destroys prejudices: “People stop seeing just a blind person running and start seeing an athlete, like anyone else, trying to challenge themselves and achieve their goals. Sport changes mindsets.”
Still, he believes there is a long way to go in terms of inclusion: “We are getting more and more answers, but there is still a lot of work to be done from the ground up, such as in schools or universities, so that future professionals understand that sport is for everyone,” he assured. But Sexto Sentido’s mission goes beyond walking or running, and therefore it also works in education, employment and awareness: “The main barrier we encounter is attitudinal. And that can only be resolved with information from the ground up.”
Barbara’s biggest challenge: how society sees her.
The biggest challenge, even more so than running without sight, is running against prejudice: “The worst thing isn’t the blindness, it’s how society sees me. Many times we lose access to the same information, to the same perspective. It’s an abyss of reality,” reflects Bárbara Pereira.
Still, she maintains hope and ambition for change: “More and more voices are rising up. The road is long, but it’s being traveled. It doesn’t matter what happens to us in life, whatever it may be, what matters is how we deal with that circumstance. Dialogue is everything: asking before acting.”
“Project Sixth Sense is a ‘win-win’ situation.”
The Sixth Sense Project is a meeting of two worlds: that of those who cannot see and that of those who are willing to lend their eyes. “It’s a win-win . An exchange of experiences, where everyone wins. The guide lends us their eyes, but also gains our life experience,” says Bárbara Pereira.
The selection process for guide athletes is open to everyone. It involves an initial conversation to clarify the visual impairment, followed by an open training session, and culminates in an experience of running or walking blindfolded. “It’s fundamental for them to understand the necessary trust between guide and athlete,” explains Bárbara.
“High foot, firm foot, or low foot,” to the observer, these are commonplace words. But for those who run without seeing the world, they are the guiding thread that keeps the body safe and autonomy alive. The running method uses a guide in the shape of a horizontal ‘eight,’ without direct physical contact, which gives the athlete “a feeling of freedom.” On walks, a hand on the guide’s elbow is enough, and, more importantly, a constant description of what is around. “To describe is to include,” says Bárbara.
To gain a new life
Ricardo Ribeiro, husband and athletic guide of Bárbara Pereira, experienced the entire transformation firsthand. Their biggest challenge wasn’t his partner losing her sight, but rather reinventing themselves: “Before, it was simple. Then we were left without answers and there was even a period of mourning. When we started running with a guide, it was like gaining a new life,” he recalls. But the project brought not only physical exercise, but also a solid support network: “Fortunately, Bárbara managed to surround herself with people who can provide support.”
The biggest challenge wasn’t her partner losing her sight, but rather reinventing themselves: “Before, it was simple. Then we were left without answers and there was even a period of mourning. When we started running with guidance, it was like gaining a new life,” she recalls. But the project didn’t just bring physical exercise; it also brought them a solid support network: “Fortunately, Bárbara managed to surround herself with people who can provide support.”
“Running blindfolded is essential to understanding the vulnerability of others.”
The arrival of the project in Madeira involved ACAPO – the Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted of Portugal. Ana Andrade, coordinator of the Madeira branch of ACAPO since 2022, describes the importance of the project’s arrival on the island: “There are many people who are socially isolated. Sexto Sentido promotes the possibility of exercising, leaving the house, but also socializing.”
Ana was born blind, with congenital glaucoma, and that has always been her reality. Therefore, she knows well the difficulties that exist in the daily life of someone who lives without sight. “Walking in our cities is not easy. There are many obstacles, but also prejudices,” she points out. That’s why she sees Sexto Sentido as an essential project to “break down that barrier”: “The more people involved, the more we can demystify and show that it’s possible to walk or run safely.”
Beside Ana is her sister, Cláudia Andrade, a volunteer athlete guide. “I’ve been a guide since I was born and I enjoy accompanying all the projects my sister undertakes,” she says tenderly. The experience of running blindfolded, in the reverse exercise, she assures is fundamental to understanding the other side of the coin: “It’s strange, it feels like we’re inside a box. But it’s fundamental for understanding the vulnerability of others.”
Visual description, he argues, is the responsibility of the guide: “Some people need more details, others less. Sensitivity is essential, because communication prevents accidents and provides peace of mind.”
“Looking back, I would say to believe that I am not alone.”
Looking to the future, Bárbara Pereira wants one thing above all: the continuity of the project. “The goal is to keep all the existing centers alive,” she says. As well as maintaining the entire structure – coordinators and ambassadors – so that the project runs smoothly and maintains close collaboration with athletes, volunteers, and guides.
Her husband – and athletic guide – Ricardo Ribeiro recalls Bárbara’s journey: “Looking back, it’s incredible what Bárbara has achieved through sport. I never imagined I’d be having this conversation when Bárbara lost her sight.”
Bárbara Pereira, in addition to being the founder and coordinator of the Sexto Sentido project, is an example of overcoming adversity. When asked what advice she would give herself when she lost her sight eight years ago, she doesn’t hesitate: “Looking back, I would tell myself to believe that I am not alone.”