James Griffiths is aiming at a target he cannot see, and he wants that shot to carry well beyond the range.

The 46-year-old from Sale in Victoria’s east is a newcomer to vision-impaired archery after a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis cost him much of his vision. He now uses touch, sound and feedback from others to shoot.

“When they say you can’t do this and you can’t do that, I will prove people wrong,” Mr Griffiths said.

“[We’re told] blind people aren’t supposed to do this … why not? Why shouldn’t we?”

Mr Griffiths found archery through a “come and try” session promoted by Gippsland Disability Advocacy Incorporated and said he was quickly hooked.

“I can shoot at a target I can’t see, and the only person I’m competing against is myself,” he said.

He is now working towards the World Archery Para Championships and hopes to become a Paralympian if vision-impaired archery is one day added to the games.

Mr Griffiths uses his cane to familiarise himself with the range before aiming with a tactile sight that rests against the back of his hand. He wears blackout glasses while shooting to block out any remaining vision so all vision-impaired archers compete on a level playing field.

After each shot, his support worker uses a spotting scope to find where the arrows have hit. The target is described like the face of an analogue clock, with a specific “time” relayed back to him. Mr Griffiths also listens to hear if his shot hit the target.

Peter Bennett, president of the Twin City Archers in Morwell, said Mr Griffiths was a tenacious and determined athlete.

“The challenge is you’ve got no relationship to the target,” Mr Bennett said.

“So he’s got to feel for it and listen to the people around him that are helping him get there.”

Mr Bennett said Mr Griffiths was the first vision-impaired archer he had trained and one of around a dozen or so competitors nationally.

“There’s not a big amount yet, but they’re getting there; It’s growing,” Mr Bennett said.

Mr Griffiths was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at 19. He later developed complications that affected his eyesight and kidneys, and eventually had a kidney-pancreas transplant that saved his life.

He said the illness forced him into early retirement and had pushed him to encourage others to take their health seriously.

“Diabetes is not a joke,” he said.

“I’m lucky I’ve only gone blind from diabetes … but other people lose their hands, their feet, their legs, their life.”

Mr Bennett said Mr Griffiths had already shown the commitment needed to pursue the sport.

“He’s got a good attitude; he’s come in here, he has some goals that he wants to achieve and he’s quite happy to put the work in to get there, which is great, that’s what you need,” he said.

“He’s achieved a lot, his scores are going up, and so far the scores he’s shot are doing very well in Australia ranking-wise.”

Mr Griffiths said he hoped to make his granddaughter proud by competing in archery competitions around the world.

“She’s absolutely beautiful, full of beans, full of energy, loves to run around, yell, scream, sing, everything,” Mr Griffiths said.

He said he wanted others living with disability to try something new.

“If you find a sport you’re interested in, just see if they can modify it to help you,” he said.

“The guys here are absolutely great … wonderful people, really helpful, patient, great advice.”

Read more from ABC – Australia.