I got sent off the other day to do a little human interest story on a local outfit that works with impaired adults and has put together a softball league for them. The idea is that getting to play softball helps the ones who are physically limited to get them some exercise and for the mentally challenged to learn to interact with others. They don’t keep score or any of that as the game is an excuse for them to not be shut in physically or mentally.
As I once was on track to become a psychologist the whole experience was interesting for me as I don’t have that much interaction with folks like them. I am far more often photographing people who have accomplished a whole lot but in a way I’m still dealing with people who are in one way or the other kinda fragile. I like that. Our personal frailties are much of what makes us unique.
There were four teams playing that day but I stuck to a few individuals in one game because I was able to see some kind of story within each player. Each player had a helper, sometimes a family member, who was helping them either move around the field or maybe stay focused, get out of their shell and, say, field the ball. There some nice quiet things going on. Definitely not a sporting event in any normal sense. I would like to maybe do a multimedia piece on them because there was some wonderful interaction that the camera doesn’t do justice. Sound would really help you hear the love in the tone of voice that a father used to help his son pay attention to the game rather than to retreat within himself. I found it pretty moving.
But my favorite shot is this one.
Autumn, at right, is almost totally blind and also mentally challenged.
She has a long standing relationship with her helper Taylor and they were
whispering and giggling the whole game like the best of friends or maybe with the
kind of closeness that only sisters know. I noticed that a few times
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