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ORMOND BEACH, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - A non-profit organization is trying to start a special needs baseball team in Ormond Beach.
Taylor Duncan is the president of Alternative Baseball and said he started the non-profit in Georgia to give people with special needs the chance to play baseball with major league rules like normal people.
“We’re giving them the opportunity where there haven’t been very many opportunities before for them in that aspect,” Duncan said.
He said there are already club teams in several major U.S. cities including Chicago, Phoenix, Baltimore, and Atlanta.
Duncan was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was four. He said after years of dealing with anxiety and speech issues he wanted to start an organization where people could feel empowered.
He said Alternative Baseball is open to anyone 15 years-old and older who have Autism or other special needs.
“We’re trying to help them learn those physical skills and we want to help them learn the social skills that they need to be accepted and successful in everyday life.”
Baseball leagues like Alternative Baseball are a staple across Central Florida.
Jacob Gadberry, 16, has been playing with Central Florida Bambino Buddy Ball for five years.
“It’s very empowering because your whole life as a person with special needs you’re told all the things you can’t do and then when you come here they tell you all the things you can do.”
Gadberry has brittle bones and every time he steps out onto the field it’s a potentially life-threatening risk. “Anything from coughing to walking can break my bones,” he said.
Sarah Reece, president of Central Florida Bambino Buddy Ball, said during games each player has a buddy who helps them on and off the field. The league is open to anyone who has special needs and is 11 years-old or older.
“We can’t do it without the volunteer buddies,” she said. “We see that those high school kids, those young adults leave here with a new perspective about what it is to have a special need and how much fun it can be being with those kids and being their buddy.”
Reece started the team ten years ago with her son. Now they have 100 players who play baseball every spring and summer.
“It’s like any other parent watching their child play a sport. When they hit the ball, when they run to a base, when they come home that’s a great achievement and it doesn’t matter that someone helped them do it.”
Individuals interested in volunteering for Buddy Ball games can come out to Eastmonte Park on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. Groups interested in volunteering can visit the Buddy Ball website.
People interested in playing with the Alternative Baseball Ormond Beach club team can visit the Alternative Baseball website for more information.