JOHNSTON, Iowa — Since 2015, the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf has worked with young deaf baseball enthusiasts to make the sport fully accessible for them. After a two-year hiatus during the early days of the pandemic, the camp is back and helping a new class of 26 kids.
During the week of June 13, IBCD is providing a daily half-day camp for participating kids age 7-14 free of charge. Kids receive free IBCD baseball uniforms to make it official, including a hat, jersey shirt, pants and socks.
Their coaching comes from professionals as well as former collegiate and high school players. Using demonstrations, sign language interpreters and volunteers who are deaf or hard of hearing, IBCD teaches kids the fundamentals of baseball that they otherwise might not get access to.
"The main reason why we established this camp is because the children who are deaf or hard of hearing, they don't have equal access to Little League game," said camp director Dylan Heuer.
This program has support from the Iowa Cubs, which means the camp will also see appearances from players, a Q&A session with players, a private stadium tour and a pick-up game with the players. The kids will also get to sign the national anthem on the field before a professional game, and sign Take Me Out To The Ball Game during the seventh-inning stretch.
To learn more about the Iowa Baseball Camp for the Deaf, visit their website or follow them on social media: