CN: July 22, 2015

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July 22, 2015

Beepball a homerun for the visually impaired Recipes

Chilly Treats for Summer

Community Voices

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Dr. Tiffany Anderson

Submitted photo The Lighthouse for the Blind Beepers were winners of the 9th Annual MindsEye Ultimate Beepball Tournament. This is their fourth championship in the last five years.

The Annual MindsEye Ultimate Beepball Tournament serves up an inclusive twist on baseball

Business

Historic Venue Gets Makeover

By Sara Hardin “Ready, pitch, swing” is not something you would hear in your everyday baseball game, but it is common pitcher etiquette when the batter can’t see the ball. On July 11 at Assumption Church in St. Louis, 24 teams of unlikely players showed up to take a crack at the most beloved sport in St. Louis – with a twist. The Annual MindsEye Ultimate Beepball Tournament allows blind and visually impaired individuals to participate in their own variation of baseball where the ball literally emits a beeping sound, and provides the opportunity for them to be active players in a sporting event. “This was our 9th Annual MindsEye Ultimate Beepball Tournament,” said Jason Frazier, Development Director at MindsEye. “We started out with four teams our first year, and this year we had 24. We’ve grown to be the largest beepball tournament not only in St. Louis, but in the entire world. Our tournament has several teams composed entirely of blind and visually impaired players, but we invite sighted, blindfolded players as well.” MindsEye is a radio reading service for the blind and visually impaired. All programs, which include grocery store ads, local news, and more, are read by volunteers. Along with keeping the blind and visually impaired community informed, MindsEye also makes a point to spread

awareness throughout the sighted community. Frazier explains how beepball helps to do just that. “[Beepball] is one of our biggest community awareness activities that we do. What I like most about beepball is that is really ties into our mission. One of our teams, Lighthouse for the Blind, is one of our completely blind and visually impaired teams in the tournament. One of their players used to play sports all throughout high school, but he eventually lost his vision. He was no longer able to play sports until he started working for Lighthouse for the Blind and they became involved in the tournament. Through beepball, he was able to be active and participate in sports all over again. Those stories really touch me. Our sighted players realize through this experience what they take for granted as sighted people.” Brian Houser is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Lighthouse for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to employ blind individuals. He has has served as the LHB Beepers beepball team manager for the past seven years. “Our mission is blind employment because right now, in today’s society, 70-75 percent of individuals who are blind don’t work,” said Houser. “Our goal is to find products we can make and services we

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can offer so that a blind person can actually do the work, earn a fair wage and get benefits.” The LHB Beepers have been in the Championship Beepball Tournament six out of their seven years participating, and have won four times. The team is made up entirely of Lighthouse for the Blind employees, and was one of two fully-blind teams out of the 24 teams in this year’s tournament. Houser explained that the See BEEPBALL page 3

Over the Fence

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Cell Phones & the Me Generation

Movie: “X-Men Days of Future Past The Rogue Cut”

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