Shelby Cassesse tells the story of a blind tennis club in Highland Park, which provides an outlet in the sport for blind and visually impaired young people.
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Blind tennis club providing outlet in sport
Jeff Mulkern is always looking for new ways to stay active.
Biking, canoeing, just a good long walk, all a part of his day-to-day routine, despite not being able to see.
Jeff started gradually losing his sight 25 years ago after he was diagnosed with a rare disease that destroys cells in the retina.
A few years ago, he added another sport to his schedule, thanks to the Highland Park Tennis Club.
“I had to try it, because it was distinctly different.”
Dana Costa, president of the club, organized a summer tennis clinic for blind and visually impaired people. It's an initiative that's deeply personal, and was born out of reasons close to her heart.
“As a mom, I was told my daughter would never play tennis,” she said. “Those were the exact words, and that wasn’t acceptable to me.”
Her 8-year-old daughter is visually impaired, and Dana wanted to share the sport she loved with her. So, in 2019, the club hosted it's first clinic, Jeff joined along the way. He says in this version of tennis, it's all about tracking the sound of the ball.
“By the second bounce, the ball is very close to the ground,” he said. “Depending on whether it’s the first or second bounce is how low to get to try to tap the ball. Mostly it’s a lot of patients by the coaches, and a lot of repetition.”
Dana says the program has grown exponentially, from a six week clinic to a 12 week clinic, from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati.
“It’s spiraled out of control in such a great way,” she said. “It’s gained so much attention. We never anticipated it to grow as much as it did.”
She hopes to bring the program to at least five other cities, and work with experts to develop a tennis ball specifically for visually impaired players.
All to grow the game, and make it more accessible to people from her 8-year-old daughter to 62-year-old Jeff.
“It’s just good to see other people out there and trying to learn the same skills, to see how all of us can progress ini something that is completely new,” Jeff said.
Added Dana: “To see that not only my daughter can partake in it, but others with visual impairments or completely blind can partake in it, means more to me than anything.”