[NFBOH-Cleveland] A Few Good Reads!

Fri Feb 6 15:03:49 UTC 2026

Some blind fans to experience Super Bowl with tactile device that tracks
ball

ABC News

January 29, 2026  

Some blind <https://apnews.com/hub/vision-impairment-and-blindness>  and
low-vision fans will have unprecedented access to the Super Bowl
<https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-60-de6f9a16d1ea33265f5bf1fd05d0a313>
thanks to a tactile device that tracks the ball, vibrates on key plays and
provides real-time audio.

The NFL <https://apnews.com/hub/nfl>  teamed up with OneCourt and
Ticketmaster to pilot the game-enhancing experience 15 times during the
regular-season during games hosted by the Seattle Seahawks
<https://apnews.com/article/rams-seahawks-nfc-championship-score-4e15f973019
b914ef6b414170017be4a> , Jacksonville Jaguars
<https://apnews.com/hub/jacksonville-jaguars> , San Francisco 49ers
<https://apnews.com/hub/san-francisco-49ers> , Atlanta Falcons
<https://apnews.com/hub/atlanta-falcons>  and Minnesota Vikings
<https://apnews.com/hub/minnesota-vikings> .

About 10 blind and low-vision fans will have an opportunity to use the same
technology at the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, California, where Seattle will
play the New England Patriots on Feb. 8. With hands on the device, they will
feel the location of the ball and hear what's happening throughout the game.

Scott Thornhill can't wait.

Thornhill, the executive director of the American Council of the Blind, will
be among the fans at Levi's Stadium with a OneCourt tablet in their lap and
Westwood One's broadcast piped into headphones. He was diagnosed with
retinitis pigmentosa
<https://apnews.com/article/science-health-madison-4cc7860b1f1e44cf9ce5eb3ee
3a709b8>  when he was 8, and later lost his sight.

"It will allow me to engage and enjoy the game as close as possible as
people who can see," Thornhill told The Associated Press. "As someone who
grew up playing sports before I lost my vision, I'm getting a big part of my
life back that I've been missing. To attend a game and not have to wait for
someone to tell me what happened, it's hard to even describe how much that
means to me.

"It's a game-changer."

Clark Roberts experienced it first hand.

The Seahawks fan was invited by the team to attend its home game against
Indianapolis
<https://apnews.com/article/colts-seahawks-rivers-score-7756e8549d24feaa0c63
473f837902a5>  on Dec. 14 to experience the game with the OneCourt device
that is the size of a thick iPad with raised lines outlining a football
field.

"The device does two wonderful things," said Roberts, who lost his sight
when he was 24 due to retinitis pigmentosa. "It vibrates in different ways
for different plays and through headphones, I was able to hear Seattle's
amazing announcer, Steve Raible. Real-time audio is the real beauty of the
device because usually when I'm listening to a game, there can be a delay of
up to a minute or more and that can be challenging to constantly ask family
and friends what happened.

"Can you imagine how this can open up everything, not just football?"

OneCourt is working on it.

It has partnered with NBA and Major League Baseball teams to provide its
devices at games and is in talks to make them available with the NHL, along
with other leagues and sports organizations all over the world.

OneCourt launched in 2023 after founder Jerred Mace saw a blind person
attending a soccer match while he was a junior at the University of
Washington.

The startup with headquarters in Seattle uses the NFL's tracking data from
Genius Sports and translates it into feedback for the device to create
unique vibrations for plays such as tackles and touchdowns.

The data is generated from cameras and chips embedded in balls, jerseys and
elsewhere. The same technology is used by the NFL's NextGen Stats
<https://apnews.com/article/nfl-combine-nextgen-stats-a4b297fb9fea88f9f2bbc8
43946a08a7>  for health and player safety, statistics and gambling.

"It's a testament to the maturity of the product and our company that we
have gone from delivering this to a handful of teams throughout the last
year or two to having it at the largest event in American sports," OneCourt
co-founder Antyush Bollini said. "The Super Bowl is such an amazing event
and now blind and low-vision fans can use our technology in a way they
deserve."

Ticketmaster's funding for the NFL pilot went toward underwriting the device
to make it available to fans for free, according to senior client
development director Scott Aller.

"This is a very, very big social impact win," Aller said. "We hope that we
can make an investment like this in every single one of our markets."

After some teams approached the league about improving access for all, the
NFL has spent the past few months piloting the program and ultimately
decided to have the device make its Super Bowl debut.

"It's not lost on us that we have blind to low-vision fans and we want to do
right by them," said Belynda Gardner, senior director of diversity equity
and inclusion for the NFL.

Gardner said the league has been very encouraged by the pilot and potential
of this technology.

"We're reviewing what we learned and evaluating how it can be implemented
going forward," Gardner said. "There aren't any definitive next steps and we
will use the offseason to determine where this technology sits in the NFL's
suite of offerings."

Thomas Rice, a Jaguars fans, who is blind, said he had a seamless experience
with the OneCourt device at a game in Jacksonville. Rice picked up the
tablet at guest services at EverBank Stadium and after settling in at his
seat, he felt and heard football in a new way.

"When Trevor Lawrence threw a touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr., I felt the
ball travel through the air," Rice said. "When Travis Etienne ran the ball,
I could feel it happen along the sideline."

"It was like giving me my own pair of eyes."

  _____  

Italy gets creative as it works to make art accessible for blind people

10TV (WBNS)

February 4, 2026  

ROME(AP) - On a recent weeknight, long after the swarms of tourists had left
Rome's Colosseum
<https://apnews.com/photo-gallery/italy-colosseum-roman-forum-photos-923f436
2ed6b64fce6b597222d81692e> , a small group of people walked around outside
the darkened amphitheater, pausing every so often to take in a new aspect of
its history, art or architecture with every sense but sight.

Michela Marcato, 54, has been blind since birth. She and her partially
sighted partner were touring the site amid a new effort by Italy to make its
myriad artistic treasures more accessible to people with blindness or low
vision and enhance how all visitors experience and perceive art.

As she listened to her tour guide, Marcato traced her fingers
<https://apnews.com/photo-essay/italy-accessible-art-photos-39cc67ce7165cb9f
1a5296d34b0d373b>  over a small souvenir model of the Colosseum
<https://apnews.com/article/rome-colosseum-emperor-commodus-passage-gladiato
rs-6ef181a9dd8c4263827483aa17e1740e> . She felt the grooves of its archways
and rugged rubble of its crumbled side. What she hadn't realized before
holding it was the elliptical shape of building.

"Walking around it, I personally would never have realized it. I would never
have understood it," she said. "But with that little model in your hand,
it's obvious!"

A different type of tourism

Italy and its art-filled cities have no shortage of tourists
<https://apnews.com/article/venice-day-tripper-tax-ef31062e7a6b9e3c831d6a8b7
46eae1a> , but they haven't always been overly welcoming to visitors with
disabilities. People who use wheelchairs often find elevators and doorways
that are too narrow, stairs without ramps and uneven pavements.

But in 2021, as a condition of receiving European Union pandemic recovery
funds, Italy accelerated its accessibility initiatives, dedicating more
attention and resources to removing architectural barriers and making its
tourist sites and sporting venues more accessible.

The ancient city of Pompeii recently installed a new system of signage to
make the vast archaeological site more accessible to blind and disabled
people. The project uses braille signs, QR-coded audio guides, tactile
models and bas-relief replicas of artifacts that have been excavated over
the years.

The city of Florence, for its part, has produced a guide on the
accessibility options at the Uffizi Gallery and its other museums, with
detailed information on routes and requirements - including the presence of
companions - for sites such as the Boboli Gardens, which because of their
historic structures are not fully accessible.

An inclusive tourism model doesn't just honor the human rights of people
with disabilities; it also makes economic sense. Nearly half of the world's
population aged over 60 has a disability, and disabled travelers tend to
bring two or more companions, according to the World Tourism Organization.

A different way to experience art

Giorgio Guardi, a tour guide with the Radici Association, which has been
leading tours of Rome for people with disabilities since 2015, said the aim
of accessible tourism is to create an experience that is enjoyable for
everyone involved, companions included.

That often means slowing down, touching what can be touched and experiencing
artwork with different senses. The association often organizes walking tours
at night, when there are fewer people out and less distracting ambient noise
at famous landmarks.

But it isn't always possible for blind people to touch artworks, so guides
have to get creative.

Take Rome's central Campo dei Fiori piazza and its imposing statue of
Giordano Bruno, the 16th-century philosopher burned at the stake during the
Inquisition for alleged heresy.

The statue, which stands atop a large pedestal in the middle of the piazza,
is too high for visitors to touch. On a recent nighttime tour of the piazza,
Guardi encouraged his clients to instead assume Bruno's position: Hunched
over, wearing a heavy hooded cape and clasping a book with both hands.

As one of his clients assumed the position, Guardi draped the cape over him.
Others in the group lined up to touch the Bruno impersonator to feel the
contours of his drooped shoulders, heavy with the weight of the Inquisition.
Visitors who were deaf were also part of the tour, aided by a sign-language
interpreter who recounted Bruno's tragic end.

A museum featuring art by and for blind people

Aldo and Daniela Grassini, both blind, were avid travelers and art
collectors who grew increasingly frustrated that they weren't allowed to
touch art when they visited museums around the world. In the early 1990s,
they founded what subsequently become Italy's only publicly funded tactile
museum, the Museo Omero in the Adriatic coastal city of Ancona, where all
the art is meant to be handled.

Named for the blind poet Homer, the museum features life-sized replicas of
some of Italy's most famous artworks, from ancient Roman and Greek statues
to the head of Michelangelo's David, as well as contemporary artworks.

"Touching something isn't like looking at it," said Aldo Grassini. "Not just
because of the emotion it offers, but because of the type of knowledge that
sensation provides."

Sight, he said, is an "overbearing sense that tends to monopolize reality,"
whereas touch offers a different dimension.

"We love with our eyes and with our hands. If we are in love with a person
or an object that is particularly dear to us, is it enough to just look at
it? No, we need to caress it, because caressing gives you a different
emotion," he said.

One of the artists whose work is on display at the museum is Felice
Tagliaferri, who himself is blind.

At his studio on the outskirts of Cesena, Tagliaferri points to a marble
bust he sculpted of his late friend Angela. Tagliaferri recalled that before
Angela died of breast cancer, he lay down in bed with her, caressing her
bald head.

"When she passed away, Angela remained in my hands, and I recreated this
sculpture thinking of her," he said.

Unpacking a picture of the sea

Marcato, the woman who toured the Colosseum, and her partner Massimiliano
Naccarato live in a smart apartment on Rome's east side whose living room is
dominated by a huge painting of the sea.

Naccarato, who can see using his cellphone to enlarge images and with the
help of special lights, purchased the painting to celebrate a professional
award, and it has pride of place in their home. He installed a special light
behind the work so he can see it better.

Marcato can't see it at all, but she knows it's there. And her own
experience at the beach informs the way she enjoys the painting.

For her, the painting recalls her love of the sea, "for the noise it makes,
for the thousand different sounds it produces, for the smell you breathe in,
for the walks you can take in any season."

It is a sensory way of appreciating art that has absolutely nothing to do
with seeing it.

  _____  

<https://www.today.com/parents/family/peppa-pigs-brother-george-deaf-rcna257
543> Peppa Pig's Brother George Reveals He Has a Disability. See What Makes
Him Unique

<https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/new-programs-improve-t
raffic-stop-safety-for-drivers-with-disabilities> New Programs Improve
Traffic Stop Safety for Drivers With Disabilities

Peppa Pig's Brother George Reveals He Has a Disability. See What Makes Him
Unique

TODAY

February 5, 2026  

Peppa Pig's family has gone through some major changes in the past year -
including welcoming a new baby <https://www.instagram.com/p/DUWnwUhkiIR/>  -
and now the family will have one more adjustment.

"We're embarking on an important new chapter, sharing the news that our
dearest George is moderately deaf," commented the official Instagram account
<https://www.instagram.com/p/DUYIrzyDFBp/>  of the mega-popular animated
show.

"In partnership with the National Deaf Children's Society and Hearing Loss
Association of America, we're airing George's hearing loss story as he
continues to discover the world in his own way - with support, curiosity and
plenty of muddy puddles!"

Curious about George's journey? According to People
<https://people.com/peppa-pig-reveals-george-peppa-s-younger-brother-is-mode
rately-deaf-11899208> , fans can learn more about George's challenges during
an episode of  <https://www.youtube.com/@PeppaPigTales> Peppa Pig Tales on
YouTube that drops on Friday, Feb. 6. It will be the first episode told from
George's audio perspective.

Peppa Pig's Instagram account also announced a new YouTube channel, Peppa
Pig Sign Language for Kids <https://www.youtube.com/@PeppaPigSignLanguage> .

In addition to featuring popular episodes of the show with American Sign
Language and British Sign Language interpreters, the channel also has shorts
with more of the family's adventures.

George's story arc will begin on March 23 with an episode labeled "Hearing
Loss," People
<https://people.com/peppa-pig-reveals-george-peppa-s-younger-brother-is-mode
rately-deaf-11899208>  notes. An audiologist, played by Jodie Ounsley, the
first Deaf female rugby player to represent England, will test George's
hearing and fit him with a hearing aid.

Then, George will start to experience sound - like splashing in puddles and
the ice-cream van's song - in a new way. He will also say Peppa's name for
the first time ever.

Hasbro is releasing a George figurine that features the character wearing
his hearing aid.

The National Deaf Children's Society's comment on the post highlights the
importance of this development in George's life for all of his young
viewers: "Representation is vital for deaf children, helping to develop a
stronger sense of self and supporting them with understanding their
deafness. We can't wait to see more of George with his hearing aid in the
coming months."

  _____  

New Programs Improve Traffic Stop Safety for Drivers With Disabilities

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)

February 5, 2026  

Being pulled over by law enforcement while driving can be stressful for
anyone. For those with mental illnesses, neurodivergences or disabilities,
the anxiety is often amplified.

"I've seen firsthand how a simple misunderstanding can quickly escalate a
routine traffic stop," says Arkansas Rep. Dwight Tosh (R), who worked in law
enforcement for 37 years.

Trouble can arise when an officer misinterprets certain behaviors as
indicators of criminality, deception or a threat. Such mistakes can lead to
harm to those with mental illnesses or disabilities or those diagnosed with
a sensory processing disorder, including autism spectrum disorder.

"During a traffic stop, the first thing an officer is going to be paying
attention to are the responses, the mannerisms and the eye contact of the
person that has been stopped, says Capt. Daniel Grubbs with the Fort Smith
Police Department in Arkansas. "If it is not what fits their norm, it's
going to raise their suspicions."

But misunderstandings and harm are avoidable when officers have context,
says Alastair McNiven, chief of staff of the Boulder Police Department in
Colorado. "Lack of eye contact, unexpected or rapid movement, or a failure
to respond to questions or verbal directions can all mean something very
different when they are manifestations of a disability."

Envelopes and Dots

To make traffic stops safer for officers and drivers, localities and states
are adopting enhanced communication strategies including envelope and
colored-dot programs. Envelope programs provide drivers or passengers with a
colored envelope they can show to officers to signal they have a mental
illness, disability or sensory processing disorder such as autism spectrum
disorder. The envelopes hold essential documents such as a driver's license,
registration and proof of insurance. Printed on the outside are guidelines
for officers along with simple instructions for the driver on how to present
the documentation and what to expect during the stop.

Depending on the jurisdiction and the diagnosis, the envelopes or dot decals
might be blue, green or yellow. Generally, blue envelopes cover those with
communication or sensory processing disorders like autism spectrum disorder;
green envelopes cover those diagnosed with a mental illness that may impede
communication; and yellow envelopes cover those diagnosed with disabilities
that may hinder communication.

Notably, the envelopes generally include a disclaimer stating that
possessing one does not exempt the holder from having to follow the law, nor
does it exempt them from facing consequences for breaking the law.

Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey and Tennessee have programs in
which a yellow dot-shaped decal affixed to a driver's license or the vehicle
itself indicates to law enforcement that the individual has a medical
condition that may impede communication. Some states, including Arizona and
Florida, specify where the decal must be placed. For example, Arizona's
program requires that a "yellow decal with a diameter of three and one-half
inches that reads 'saving lives' in its center, and an optional one-half
inch border listing the issuing city, town or county, (must) be affixed to
the upper left corner of the rear window of the program participant's
vehicle."

Other states, such as New Jersey and Idaho, are less specific in their
requirements and simply note the presence of such decals on the vehicle
should indicate a disability or medical condition is present.

Regardless of form-whether envelope or decal-these programs represent a
straightforward way of signaling to officers that they might need to modify
their communication methods.

"The (envelope) is an immediate visual cue for a law enforcement officer
that things might not be as they appear and will provide clear guidelines
for the best way to communicate with the individual in question," McNiven
says.

Thirteen states have adopted a version of these programs: Arizona, Arkansas,
Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia. Connecticut was the first
to do so in 2020.

Local law enforcement agencies, including the Boulder Police Department,
operate envelope or decal programs without authorizing state laws. A handful
of additional states operate statewide programs through state agencies or
boards:

*	Arizona
<https://azdot.gov/mvd/driver-services/blue-envelope-program-for-autistic-dr
ivers> : Through the Department of Transportation.
*	Delaware <https://dsp.delaware.gov/blue-envelope-program/> : Through
a partnership.
*	Massachusetts
<https://www.mass.gov/info-details/blue-envelope-program> : Through a
partnership.
*	Ohio <https://www.summitdd.org/news/blue-envelope/> : Through county
developmental disability boards.
*	Vermont <https://www.summitdd.org/news/blue-envelope/> : Through the
Department of Motor Vehicles.

Arkansas provides a green envelope to people diagnosed with a mental
illness. The envelope signals to law enforcement that the driver may
experience heightened anxiety or communication challenges.

The state added a blue envelope program last year for people with autism
spectrum disorder. The envelope indicates that the individual may process
information differently, need extra time or benefit from clear, direct
instructions.

'Practical Tool'

Envelope programs provide "a smart, practical tool" for law enforcement,
Tosh, the Arkansas representative, says. "By giving officers clear
information and guidance at the start of an interaction, it promotes
patience, understanding and safety for everyone involved."

The programs are already having an impact. One Boulder resident told local
police about using the program after someone broke into her vehicle. "This
individual had picked up her envelope within a week of launch and was
subsequently the victim of a crime," McNiven says. "Her experience, after
she handed her blue envelope to the responding officer, was that it
dramatically reduced her anxiety and that it produced a change in the
officer's demeanor, increasing her comfort level in this stressful
situation."

Law enforcement officers have also expressed appreciation for the program.

"Having this kind of information at the beginning of an interaction gives
them the confidence to proceed effectively, particularly in tense
situations," McNiven says. "Folks with invisible disabilities should not be
subjected to inequity in police services as a result of that disability."

  _____  

Suzanne M. Hartfield Turner

National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, Vice President

Ohio Legislative Director

Cleveland Chapter, President

The National Federation of the Blind advances the lives of its members and
all blind people in the United States. We know that blindness is not the
characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the
expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles
between blind people and our dreams. Our collective power, determination,
and diversity achieve the aspirations of all blind people.

P: (216) 990-6199

W: NFBOhio.ORG

Facebook:  <https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/>
https://www.facebook.com/ohiosblind/photos/

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