(Photo By Brandon Cadiz/Cronkite News)
PHOENIX – Technology has made the world more accessible. Whether it’s something as complex as screen-reading software on phones and laptops or as basic as an elevator or ramp, life is easier for most.
But as someone who is completely blind – I was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma when I was 5 – I’m confident in saying live sports have fallen behind the curve. Accommodating a blind person to experience a game like everyone else is surely no easy task, but the company OneCourt hopes to change that.
And I was ready to give its device a try.
The Arizona Diamondbacks are the first MLB team to offer the device. It’s about the size of a tablet and takes live gameplay information and converts it to audio and tactile vibrations. In addition to the audio and vibrational queues, it also simulates the playing surface, in my case a baseball field. I had the opportunity to experience it at a recent Astros-Diamondbacks game and left impressed with its features and accuracy.
When I first tried it, I noticed that everything from the bases to the outfield was simulated perfectly. This was especially important for me because I’ve never seen a baseball field before, so for it to be right in front of me in a way I could understand was crucial for my experience.
When the game started, the pitcher’s mound began to vibrate and as the first pitches were thrown, I could feel where the ball landed in the strike zone and if anybody made it to first base. Another important feature of the OneCourt device is its audio component. After each pitch, an automated voice would say what happened, from a home run to a foul ball and everything in-between.
The great part about the device is how fast the information gets to you. If I had to guess, the delay between the action on the field and the vibrations on the device is probably less than a second. It is a lot of information processed in a small amount of time, so I definitely had to move my hands quickly to make sure I caught everything, and it was sometimes hard to track where the vibrations went. I consider this a good thing though, because the goal is to give a blind or low vision fan the closest experience to seeing the game as possible. The more information the better.
OneCourt began in September 2021 when now CEO and owner Jerred Mace saw a video of someone describing to a blind person what was happening at a soccer match by moving their hands on a game board. Since then, OneCourt has partnered with NBA teams including the Suns, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers to bring the OneCourt device to their fans.
Overall, I had a great time using the OneCourt device, and my hope is that all professional teams have this as an option for their fans moving forward.