Tactile Device for Blind Fans to Make Super Bowl Debut

Some blind and low-vision fans will have unprecedented access to the Super Bowl thanks to a tactile device that tracks the ball, vibrates on key plays, and provides real-time audio. The NFL teamed up with OneCourt and Ticketmaster to pilot the game-enhancing experience 15 times during regular-season games, the AP reports. About 10 blind and low-vision fans will have an opportunity to use the same technology at the Super Bowl on Sunday. 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. "It will allow me to engage and enjoy the game as close as possible as people who can see," Thornhill said. "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 to attend their home game against Indianapolis on Dec. 14 to try 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. "It vibrates in different ways for different plays and through headphones, I was able to hear Seattle's amazing announcer, Steve Raible."

• "Can you imagine how this can open up everything, not just football?" OneCourt is working on it. It has partnered with NBA and MLB teams and is in talks to make them available with the NHL, along with other leagues and sports organizations all over the world. The startup uses NFL tracking data from Genius Sports and translates it into feedback 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.

• League was encouraged by pilot. After some teams approached the league about improving access, 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 DEI for the NFL. Gardner said the league has been very encouraged by the technology's potential.
• "My own pair of eyes." Thomas Rice, a Jaguars fans who is blind, said he had a seamless experience. 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. "It was like giving me my own pair of eyes."