September 5th, 2018 by WCBC Radio
The Baltimore Orioles uniforms will look and feel a good bit different on Sept. 18, as the team honors the National Federation of the Blind.
For the 40th anniversary of the organization's move to Baltimore, players and coaches will sport Braille lettering of both "Orioles" and player last names, becoming the first team in American professional sports to do so.
The Orioles take on the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:05 p.m. that night.
Carlos Alberto Ibay, a concert pianist and singer who has been blind since birth, will perform the American and Canadian national anthems. Mark Riccobono, the NFB's president, will throw out the first pitch. WBAL reports the first 15,000 fans in the gate will get a co-branded NFB/Orioles Braille alphabet card. After the game, the jerseys will be autographed, authenticated and auctioned off to benefit the NFB.
Founded in 1940, the NFB is the largest and oldest nationwide organization for the blind. It has affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It links blind people with resources and support, including education, adaptive products and scholarships.
“The National Federation of the Blind is proud of our seventy-eight years of working together to help all blind Americans live the lives they want,” Riccobono said in a statement. “For forty of those years, we have coordinated that work from our headquarters here in Baltimore, where we have invested tens of millions of dollars to create a top-notch facility that benefits our organization and the surrounding community. We appreciate this opportunity to partner with our hometown baseball team to share our mission, particularly our commitment to literacy through Braille education, with our fellow Orioles fans.”
It's the second disability awareness night at Camden Yards this year, following Celebrate ADA Day in July. In a release, team officials highlighted the accessible features at every game, including assistive listening devices, captioned ballpark announcements and 400 equal access seats.
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