Trump’s executive order to dismantle the Education Department was inspired by the Heritage Foundation’s decades-long disapproval of the agency
Panama reopens talks about the future of a controversial copper mine, but opposition remains
Pitcher Julio Urías suspended through the All-Star break by MLB under domestic violence policy
Andrew Tate en route to Romania to meet legal obligations pending trafficking probe
Serbia deputy prime minister says Russian spies help put down protests
TSX drops as tariff worries persist
US scraps sanctions on Tornado Cash, crypto ‘mixer’ accused of laundering North Korea money
Kyan Evans and favored No. 12 seed Colorado State beat short-handed Memphis 78-70 in March Madness
Car show organized in Whitman, Massachusetts, for an 11-year-old boy battling cancer
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Horsham, Pennsylvania, native is making hockey more accessible for the visually impaired.
In 2022, Kelsey McGuire founded Philadelphia Blind Hockey, the first and only blind hockey team in Philadelphia.
Combining her background as a teacher of the visually impaired with her favorite sport, hockey became accessible to everyone. She trains all the coaches to understand each child's needs so they have the tools to make their experience seamless.
"This is how we accommodate this. This is how you're going to describe this skill, this drill," McGuire explains. "So then they have a better idea of how to picture what they need to be doing, what their feet should feel like, where their body, where their head, where their shoulders need to be to be able to get them all up and moving."
Missy Jones' son, Isaac, is a hockey player in the program. She feels so much joy when Isaac takes the ice.
"His coaches understand how to direct him based on things he'll understand," Jones said. "It's been really great to see that he can excel at something, and feel good about himself, and build that confidence."
McGuire has built this program from the ground level. It's been a labor of love as she watches these athletes grow and evolve.
"It's a cool experience because all these kids have never skated before a day in their life," McGuire reflected. "So to see them be so scared and wobbling all over the place, now they're doing drills, practicing. It's so cool to see in a short three years that huge change and difference."
Philadelphia Blind Hockey has become a community where kids and their families feel embraced.
"It's so nice because everyone has the same kind of baseline of understanding," Jones said. "Our kids have some challenges, but we all want our kids to try, and do their best, and they don't have to be held back because of their challenges."
The program is set to compete for the first time this week at the Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament. It's a milestone for Philadelphia Blind Hockey.
