Accessible Baseball and Softball
Accommodations for the Disabled Reinforce Game’s Universality
Oct 23, 2008
To see fierce competition, watch blind beepball players dive for grounders, or a wheelchair fly to first over the asphalt.
Any summer day in the US and Canada one can witness an array of accommodations:
- Blind persons playing beep baseball
- Regional rivalries among deaf softball teams
- Wheelchair teams vying for a championship
- Amputees using adaptive technology
- Little League’s Challenger Division including disabled kids
Beepball
In beepball, blind (or blindfolded) players swing at a beeping softball-sized ball and run to one of two bases--4’ high padded cylinders 100 feet down each foul line.
At-bats result in either runs or outs. After a hit, an operator randomly activates one of the bases, which emits a loud buzz. Runs score when a batter reaches base before the ball is fielded. Defenders make outs by fielding (usually trapping a grounder) and raising the ball before the batter reaches base.
Teams bat using their own pitcher and catcher, who are both sighted and neither bat nor defend. The mound is 20’ away. Pitchers alert both batter and fielders and then toss the ball easily over the plate. Batters get four strikes.
On hits, spotters call out the player’s number nearest the ball to help the defense. A ball caught in the air results in an automatic three outs. The National Beep Baseball Association has only recorded five such catches.
National Softball Association of the Deaf (NSAD)
Deaf softball players use no adaptations, but must meet the NSAD’s eligibility and application requirements.
Players must be deaf or hard of hearing (hearing loss of 55 db in better ear), have attended a school for the deaf (verified by a regional secretary with a copy of diploma audiogram), and join one team only. Players also need a valid driver’s license or state ID. Minors must submit a participation request letter and written parental permission.
The NSAD continues to add players to its US teams, and allows residents from Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and the Caribbean to play for regional teams in their respective time zones. Those interested in joining should contact the NSAD.
National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA)
Wheelchair softball is played on hard surfaces (e.g. parking lots) for easy maneuverability, and uses a 16-inch softball that can be caught without a glove.
Organized wheelchair softball began in the mid 70s with the formation of the Sioux Wheelers (Sioux Falls, SD), which spawned teams in other Midwestern cities. The NWSA formed in 1976 and has grown steadily to more than 30 teams from Boston to Colorado; many are now aligned with and sponsored by Major League Baseball teams and wear official MLB uniforms.
Baseball Access for Amputees
Jim Abbot proved baseball greatness doesn’t require two hands. Born without a right hand, Abbott became a first-round draft pick, and in 1993, no-hit the Cleveland Indians in Yankee Stadium.
Adaptive devices such as gloves with mesh pockets (similar to those on lacrosse sticks) and threaded studs that attach bats to prosthetic wrists, enable amputees to catch and bat effectively. A leading equipment provider is TRS Inc., of Boulder, Colorado.
Little League Challenger Division (LLCD)
The LLCD accommodates children aged 5-18 with mental or physical disabilities by assigning “buddies” to each. The division offers T-ball, coach-pitch, and player-pitch levels. No score is kept.
Inclusion of so many different disabilities shows that America’s national pastime, which began as a sport for the elite, truly has deep democratic roots.
