The Eyes Free Sports Podcast

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 147 - Running with Terri Rupp, an Accomplished Adaptive Endurance Athlete and Ultra Marathon Runner

In Episode 147 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we meet Terri Rupp from Las Vegas, NV. The accomplished endurance athlete spoke about:

• Her unique childhood and education
• How she got into adaptive sports
• Her achievements in running, including Ultra marathon races
• Her take on guides and tethers
• Her running guide dog from Guiding Eyes for the Blind
• Her involvement in the National Federation of the Blind, including her time serving on the national board
• Sharing her journey as a blind mom through her Blind Mother Runner profiles on social media
  
  Follow Terri Rupp on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blindmotherrunner/?hl=en and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064779968422&locale=ta_IN.
  Check out Achilles International at http://achillesinternational.org.
  Join the United in Stride community to find running and cycling guides at http://unitedinstride.com.
  

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 146 - Recapping the 2025 National Beep Baseball Association Season and World Series

In Episode 146 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we recap the 2025 National Beep Baseball Association season and the recent NBBA World Series held in the St. Louis, MO area. Dave Benney, a Hall of Fame player as well as the former public relations director for the NBBA, joined the conversation. Benney discussed:

• Offseason moves leading up to the 2025 season
• The regional beep baseball tournaments held in the spring and summer
• His thoughts on the top teams going into the World Series
• The early games at the World Series and some surprising outcomes
• How the rest of the games unfolded throughout the week
• The championship game featuring the Indy Thunder and Indy Edge
• How the Thunder’s title ranks historically in beep baseball
• Other observations about the World Series, including some unusual occurrences and decisions that were made
• A few teams that returned to the World Series after a long hiatus

Learn more about the National Beep Baseball Association and beep baseball in general at http://nbba.org.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 145 - Hitting the Beep Baseball Field with Joseph Fleeks

In Episode 145 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we are joined by Joseph Fleeks, a.k.a. Security. The longtime beep baseball player talked about:

• His childhood
• Suddenly losing his eyesight as a teenager
• Transitioning from a mainstream high school to the Texas School for the Blind
• His current role with Blind Professionals Network
• How he got into adaptive sports
• His introduction to beep baseball and highlights from his career on the field
• Helping to launch and co-host the Blind Table Talk podcast

Learn more about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
Check out the Blind Professionals Network at https://blindpronet.org/.
Learn about the Blind Table Talk podcast at http://blindtabletalk.com and search for “Blind Table Talk” on all major podcast platforms.

The Eyes Free Sports Podcast: Ep. 144 - Catching Up with Chad Dillon, a Beep Baseball Player, Business Owner, and Podcast Host

In Episode 144 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we chat with Chad Dillon, a beep baseball player and host of a beep baseball podcast. During the conversation, Dillon spoke about:

• His early years
• Discovering his visual impairment in an unexpected way
• His education and career
• Getting into beep baseball
• His experience playing with the Gateway Archers and Oklahoma Lookouts
• Hosting the “Beep Baseball Tonight” podcast
• His experiences with accessible technology for visually impaired sports fans

Learn all about beep baseball at http://nbba.org.
To check out his podcast, search for “Beep Baseball Tonight” on your favorite podcast platform.

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.