The Eyes Free Sports Podcast

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 143 - Learning about Birding by Ear and Beyond with Founder Donna Posont

In Episode 143 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we dive into birding for the blind. We meet Donna Posont, founder of Birding by Ear and Beyond in Michigan. During the discussion, she talked about:

- Her early years
- Her family and siblings who have also been blind
- How she got interested in nature and birds
- Launching the Birding by Ear and Beyond Program at the University of Michigan Dearborn
- What the program does and an overview of its participants
- Techniques and resources for identifying birds as someone with a visual impairment
- Other activities the program has hosted
- Her involvement with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB)

Contact Donna Posont at donnabutterfly50@gmail.com.

Check out the Merlin Bird ID app at https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/.

Learn about Birdability, a nonprofit for people with disabilities, at https://www.birdability.org/.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 142 - Discussing Accessible Video Games for the Blind and Visually Impaired

In Episode 142, we mix it up a bit by covering a new topic - accessible video games for the blind and visually impaired. We are joined by two guests - Carlos Vazquez, a.k.a. Rattlehead, and Aaron Espinoza, a.k.a. Blind All Day. During the episode, they covered:

• Their personal backgrounds
• Their visual impairments
• How they got into playing video games
• Some of the most accessible video games for the blind and visually impaired
• Their experience attempting to play sports video games
• The work they have done in terms of consulting and advocating for accessibility in video games
• Tournaments that have been held for blind gamers
• What they would like to see improve with accessibility
• How to follow them online

Check out Can I Play That at https://caniplaythat.com/ to learn all about which video games are accessible for blind and visually impaired gamers.

 

Search for the Blind Gamers Hub on Discord.

 

Follow Carlos on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/khrattlehead/ and search for Rattlehead on other social media platforms. Check out his Twitch channel at http://twitch.tv/kh_rattlehead.

Check out Aaron on X at https://x.com/blindallday and search for Blind All Day on other social media platforms. Visit his YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/@blindallday.

 

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 141 - A Conversation with Emma Papariella, a Multisport Adaptive Athlete and Advocate

In Episode 141 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Emma Papariella from the Pittsburgh, PA area. During the conversation, the multipart adaptive athlete spoke about:

- How she was adopted out of China and moved to the U.S.

- Her visual impairment

- Her education

- How she was introduced to adaptive sports through the organization now known as Envision Blind Sports

- Her experience playing blind hockey

- Her experience with blind soccer, skiing, and goal ball

- Her current role with The Dented Puck Foundation

- Her role as a sport ambassador for the U.S. Association of Blind Athletes (USABA)

- What she enjoys most about participating in adaptive sports and helping to advocate for these types of programs for others to enjoy

Follow Emma on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/share/1EoLsTXQnu/?mibextid=wwXIfr. Visit her Instagram profile at https://www.instagram.com/emma_papariella_126/. Check her out on X athttps://x.com/e_papariella?s=21&t=vMdyNqbDgak3-FH5Ja86EA.
Learn about Envision Blind Sports at http://envisionblindsports.com.

Check out The Dented Puck Foundation at https://www.thedentedpuck.com/.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 140 - Hitting the Soccer Pitch to Meet Ryan Lazaroe, Head Coach of the U.S. Men’s National Blind Soccer Team

In Episode 140 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Ryan Lazaroe, head coach of the U.S. men’s national blind soccer team. During the interview, Lazaroe spoke about:

- His personal and professional backgrounds
- His involvement in soccer over the years
- How he got involved in blind soccer and started coaching
- Becoming assistant coach of the U.S. men’s national team, then head coach in 2024
- How blind soccer works
- The team’s recent events against international competition
- Looking ahead to the rest of the 2025 season and beyond
- The current state of blind soccer around the U.S. and efforts to continue to grow the sport
- How people can learn more about blind soccer and get involved

Check out http://usaba.org/ to learn more about blind soccer.

Contact Ryan Lazaroe by email at rmlazaroe@yahoo.com.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 139 - Catching Up with Angel Parra, a Goalball Player and Swimmer

In Episode 139 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we bring back Angel Parra. Originally on Episode 23 of the podcast back in 2020 and known as Damien at the time, Angel talked about:

- Why he changed his name
- His adaptive sports career
- Some recent health challenges and how they have impacted his physical activity
- Volunteering at Camp Abilities in Brockport, NY back in 2023
- Looking ahead to his future athletic pursuits

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 138 - Meeting the Vibin’ Vixens, a New All-Female Beep Baseball Team

In Episode 138 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet three members of the Vibin’ Vixens, a brand new all-female beep baseball team. Ashley Melero, Faith Penn, and Dakota Hogwood joined the conversation to talk about:.

• Their visual impairments
• Their personal backgrounds
• How they got into beep baseball and the teams they’ve played with in the National Beep Baseball Association (NBBA)
• How the idea for the Vibin’ Vixens team was born
• Competing in their first beep baseball tournament in Las Vegas
• The importance of female participation in an adaptive sport like beep baseball

Looking ahead to the future of the Vixens and women in the game

Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association at http://nbba.org.
Follow the Vibin’ Vixens on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/people/Vibin-Vixens/61566816963763/. Email the team at vibinvixens@gmail.com.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 137 - Catching up with the New York Bombers Beep Baseball Club and Recapping Their Appearance on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'

In Episode 137 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we welcome back members of the New York Bombers beep baseball team, formerly known as the Long Island Bombers. James Sciortino, Jim Hughes, and Alex Barrera join the conversation to talk about:

• How they got into beep baseball and their experience playing with the Bombers
• Why the team decided to rebrand itself from the Long Island Bombers to the New York Bombers
• Looking ahead to the 2025 season and National Beep Baseball Association World Series
• How they were invited to be guests on “The Kelly Clarkson Show”
• Their experience appearing on the show and how kind Kelly Clarkson was to them
• A donation from Major League Baseball they were made aware of during their appearance on the show
• What their TV appearance has meant in terms of awareness about the Bombers and beep baseball in general
  

Check out the New York Bombers website at http://www.nybombers.org.

Watch the Bombers’ appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show” at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5OGtBPfH9o&t=4s.

This episode is sponsored by AccessAbility Officer. Learn more at http://accessabilityofficer.com/.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 136 - Meeting Lillian Goodman, a Visually Impaired Skier and All-Around Adaptive Athlete

In Episode 136 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Lillian Goodman, a visually impaired skier, paratriathlete, and all-around adaptive athlete. During the interview, Goodman talked about:

 

• Where she grew up and her visual impairment diagnosis as a child
• Her education and career working in finance
• How she discovered adaptive sports for the blind
• Her experience in skiing and attending Ski for Light
• Her involvement in swimming and other water sports
• How she got into the triathlon and some events she has competed in
• Her guide dog from Guide Dogs for the Blind
• Her other interests and hobbies outside of sports

Learn more about Ski for Light at http://www.sfl.org.

Check out the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes at http://nwaba.org.

Visit Dare2Tri at http://dare2tri.org.

Learn more about United in Stride at http://unitedinstride.com.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 135 - Getting to Know Tanner Gers, a Beep Baseball Hall of Famer and Paralympian

In Episode 135 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we visit with Tanner Gers. The longtime adaptive athlete discussed: 

- His early years and family

- How he suddenly lost his eyesight in his early 20s

- His accomplished career playing beep baseball

- His career in track and field and competing in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London

- His professional work and current role with AccessAbility Officer

- How he has overcome so much adversity in his life through a positive attitude

Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.

Learn about AccessAbility Officer and ways to get involved in digital accessibility at http://accessabilityofficer.com.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 134 - Running with Tyson Gunter, a Paralympian and Longtime Track and Field Athlete

In Episode 134 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Tyson Gunter from Idaho. The longtime adaptive athlete in track and field discussed:

• His early years growing up in a small farm town
• Attending summer camps at the Idaho School for the Blind
• His education and career in sports nutrition
• How he got into track and field
• Competing in several Paralympic events, including the 2016 Paralympic Games
• His most proudest moments as an athlete
• His mission to help young visually impaired people discover adaptive sports

Follow Tyson Gunter on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tysongunter_ply/ and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtWxIFIvjesOlMPvzJqK9Qw.

Learn more about Black Label Supplements at http://blacklabelsupplements.com/.