Beeped Baseball Breaks Barriers for the Visually Impaired at Lighthouse of Collier Event

Lighthouse of Collier ran its yearly beeper baseball event at Cambier Park on Friday, Jan. 16. The nonprofit has organized this activity for around five years, accorrding to Rick Hart, assistant director of client empowerment and program services.

Players use a softball that beeps once a pin gets pulled from it. Two foam bases stretch almost five feet high. They sit where first and third base would go instead of the usual three bases. People who can see put on blindfolds during the game.

The group helps blind or visually impaired individuals and their caregivers gain independence and boost their quality of life. Hart was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa and experiences vision loss himself and started the event to challenge stereotypes about people with visual impairments.

"They may need help crossing the street, they may need help finding something in the grocery store, but we laugh, we have fun," Hart said, according to Naples Daily News. "We're people just like everyone else. So, I think it's important for everybody to know that we are not there to be pitied or to feel sorry for."

Hart wants to show that those with visual impairments can live full lives. The event lets participants enjoy time outside and connect through sports.

Hart hopes to grow participation in the coming years. He dreams of two full teams competing while spectators pack the stands.

"It's baseball. It's the American pastime," he said. "We all have memories of baseball as children. So why not get out there as a group of visually impaired people and swing the bat and have fun?"