Sensory boxes help aspiring Paralympian, 11

Jacob, 11, was able to learn about and understand Olympic history and events through the sensory boxes, his family said

The family of an aspiring Paralympian says sensory boxes designed to help blind and visually impaired children mean he can understand and participate in the event.

Charity Living Paintings has created audio guides and tactile images to help children feel less excluded throughout the Olympics and bring the sporting events and traditions to life.

Judo player Jacob, 11, from Harlow in Essex, who lost most of his sight due to a rare eye cancer at birth, has benefited from the resources.

His mother, Charlene, said being able to understand what others can see is "so important to him".

Tactile images, including the Olympic rings, form part of the sensory boxes

Jacob was born with a condition called retinoblastoma - a rare eye cancer - and had his right eye removed at three months.

The sports-mad youngster has just 10% vision in his left eye and his family desperately want him to be able to take part in sport.

In 2020, he tried judo for the first time and brought home gold at his first competition in 2021, giving him aspirations to one day become a Paralympian.

"Jacob loves football, but uses a cane to move around so can’t really play it with his friends," Charlene said.

"We wanted to find something he could do - and discovered judo.

"It is largely done by feeling, so sight isn’t all that important."

Jacob said he loved being able to learn about athletes, like the Paralympic sprinter and cyclist Libby Clegg.

He said: "That’s going to be me one day!"

Jacob aspires to be like his Paralympic heroes, like judoka Chris Skelly who is also visually impaired

Clegg and other sporting stars including Ellie Simmonds and Colin Jackson have voiced some of the audio descriptions.