In Episode 163 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we catch up with three staff members of the American Council of the Blind (ACB) – Scott Thornhill, Executive Director; Dan Spoone, Director of Operations; and Kolby Garrison, Accessibility Consulting & Compliance Services Coordinator. Along with ACB Advisory Board Member Mike Deaver, they all got to attend Super Bowl LX. During the conversation, they discussed:

• Their personal backgrounds and connections to sports
• How ACB’s partnership with the NFL came to fruition in 2025
• Their experience attending Super Bowl LX in February of 2026
• What it was like using the OneCourt device at the game
• Other opportunities to make live sporting events more accessible, such as live audio description
• Other observations about the game and other events they got to attend leading up to the game
• ACB’s potential future partnerships with other sports leagues and teams

Learn more about the American Council of the Blind (ACB) at http://acb.org.

Learn more about OneCourt and the device it has developed for blind sports fans at http://onecourt.io.

In Episode 162 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, our guest is Erich Manser, a highly accomplished adaptive endurance athlete and digital accessibility professional. During the interview, Manser spoke about:

• His early years growing up in Massachusetts
• His education and professional career working in accessibility
• How he discovered adaptive sports, specifically running
• His experience running marathons, including the 2013 Boston Marathon where the bombing occurred
• What it was like getting to run with a virtual AIRA agent
• His experience with triathlons and a few Ironman races
• Returning to the slopes for an adaptive skiing experience through Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports
• How people can connect with him

Contact Erich by email at manserlikedancer@gmail.com. Check out a recent Q&A he did at https://evengrounds.com/erich-manser-on-the-resilience-and-logistics-of-blind-running/. Learn more about Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sport at https://www.vermontadaptive.org/.

In Episode 161 of the Eyes Free Sports podcast, we spotlight Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind (OUB), a nonprofit in Michigan. Our guest is Gwen Botting, executive director of the organization. During the discussion, Botting talked about:

• Being the mother of a blind son, Greg, and his journey
• How she got involved in organizations for the blind and visually impaired
• Her role as executive director of Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind
• The programs OUB offers
• Who is eligible to participate in OUB’s programs
• The sports and recreation opportunities OUB offers
• The importance of children learning independent living skills
• Upcoming camps and events in 2026
• How to learn more about and contact OUB

Learn more about Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind at http://oubmichigan.org/.