For Blind Children, Beep Kickball Levels the Playing Field
Thanks to this adaptive form of kickball, blind children no longer have to sit on the sidelines watching their sighted peers have all the fun.
Bryan and Hayley Alli adopted their daughter Raveena from an orphanage in India
when she was 10 months old. Hayley met the young girl while volunteering at the orphanage, and the couple brought her back to their home in Atlanta, Georgia about two years later.
Raveena was born blind from a rare eye condition called bilateral anophthalmia, or an absence of the eyeballs. A strong believer in being active, the couple wanted their daughter to take part in activities like other kids. The challenge was where to find those activities.
That’s when the couple became involved with the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI), a rehabilitation program for blind and visually impaired individuals in downtown Atlanta. It was there they discovered beep kickball, an adapted form of the sport played by blind children and adults.
Like many parents raising a blind child, Hayley was a bit apprehensive. But once she saw how much the other kids enjoyed playing, she allowed Raveena to give it a try.
Raveena will never forget that feeling of nervous anticipation the first time she kicked the ball.
“I was really excited to get out there and try it,” Raveena, now 15, recalled. “When I first played it, I didn’t run flat-out. But after I did it once, I was like, ‘OK, I’m not going to bump into anything’. It has definitely boosted my confidence.”
Building On a Vision
In 2010, Judy Byrd was also volunteering for CVI. She was asked to organize a team for another adaptive sport called beep baseball, a modified version of baseball for the blind.
One of the first things Byrd noticed was that the players mainly consisted of older teens and adults.
Having no experience with sports for the blind, she couldn’t help but wonder: What can younger blind kids play?
Then a thought occurred to her. Kickball had been seeing a resurgence across the country in recent years. Byrd, a retired tax preparer, began mapping out a game using many of the same concepts as beep baseball: a beeping ball and buzzing bases so players could hear when kicking, running and fielding.
Byrd placed a phone call to the National Beep Baseball Association, the governing body for the sport, asking permission to adapt their rules to beep kickball. After receiving their blessing, she bought a beeping soccer ball to try it out with blind kids in the Atlanta area.
“The first thing the kids said was, ‘I can’t hear the ball’,” Byrd said. “Second, when they kicked the ball, it wobbled, so it wasn’t centered properly. The third thing was, one of the players kicked the ball and you couldn’t hear it anymore.”
Byrd, who loved to tinker, spent the next year taking the ball apart and talking with engineers about developing a more durable one with better sound. She finally settled on a foam dodge ball with holes drilled in at 90-degree angles. A harness is inserted through the middle that connects two beepers, an on/off switch, and a battery. The parts are recessed into the ball so they won’t break when kicked.
Out of the hundreds of foam balls sold, Byrd estimates only about 25 have been returned for repair.
“If your ball breaks, I will fix it for free,” she explained.
Growing the Game
Once Byrd resolved the issues with the ball, she contacted the head of Camp Abilities, a week-long sports camp for blind and visually impaired students. She also reached out to schools for the blind around the country to gauge their interest.
The reception she received was overwhelmingly positive.
“I’d never been in sales before,” Byrd said. “Here I was on the phone trying to explain what this new game was. I did not have one person who hung up on me or said it’s not going to work.”
In 2011, Byrd established the Beep Kickball Association, a nonprofit corporation that oversees the sport’s growth and development. Over the past 10 years, nearly 600 balls have been sold, and teams have formed in 500 locations around the United States.
How Do You Play?
The game is played on a flat, grassy field. Two cone-shaped bases are placed along the first- and third-base lines and make a buzzing sound so players can find it.
To start play, an umpire hands the beeping ball to a kicker, who places it on the ground and kicks it. As in baseball, a kick must travel farther than the designated foul arc and remain inside the baselines to be considered a fair ball. After a ball is kicked, the kicker runs to one of the buzzing bases, which are set off randomly. If he or she tags the base before a fielder picks up the ball, a run is scored; if the fielder gets possession of the ball before the runner tags the base, an out is recorded.
A sighted volunteer called a field spotter helps defensive players locate the ball by calling out their name or number after it is kicked. To keep the game fair, all players are required to wear blindfolds during play, regardless of their degree of vision.
A game lasts six innings, with each team getting three outs per inning. A kicker is allowed three strikes, and can place-kick, run and kick, or drop kick the ball.
The Field of Play
The field setup for beep kickball can vary according to age level. For young kids, bases are 60 feet from home plate, 70 feet for middle schoolers, and 80 feet for high schoolers and adults.
There are five players for each team, with fielders positioned according to each team’s preference.
Safety Is King
Byrd is quick to reassure parents who are afraid of their children getting hurt playing beep kickball or any adaptive sport.
“Injury (risk) is the same as the mainstream sports,” Byrd explained. “We are going to do everything we can to keep the game safe. I’ve gotten smacked in the face with this foam ball, and it just bounces off of you.”
Spectators must be quiet when a ball is in play so runners can hear the base and fielders can locate the ball. Field spotters place defensive players in their respective positions and help them return after each play. Safeties are sighted volunteers stationed near each base to make sure runners don’t collide with other players or obstacles. Safeties and field spotters can yell, ‘freeze!’ or ‘stop!’ if they feel a collision is about to occur.
A Sense of Community
Thanks to adaptive sports like beep kickball, blind children like Raveena can learn the same life lessons as other kids, such as teamwork, camaraderie, and personal development. They no longer have to sit on the sidelines watching their sighted peers and feel left out. They can experience the same thrill of healthy competition or just the fun of playing.
The game also hones a blind child’s orientation skills, promotes independence, and gives him or her the confidence to try anything.
“The kids want to get out there, want to try it and interact,” Hayley said. “They have a great time. They’re laughing, talking smack to each other. You never know until you try.”
A Team of Your Own
If a team doesn’t exist in your area, it’s relatively simple to start one. All you need is a ball, two bases, and blindfolds. If your child attends a school for the blind, talk to them about starting a team. Contact camps and other organizations in your area that may provide services for the blind and gauge their interest.
Byrd sells beep kickballs for $140 apiece, $15 for shipping. The bases are $150 each. Blindfolds can be purchased for $12 apiece or $10 for 10 or more.
Click here to find out more about beep kickball or purchasing equipment.
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