The Baltimore Orioles may currently hold the worst record in Major League Baseball, but there will be a major bright spot in the season on Sept. 18.

That’s because the team plans to host National Federation of the Blind Night to honor those who cannot see.

To commemorate the night and recognize the 40th anniversary of the National Federation of the Blind moving their headquarters to Baltimore, the Orioles will wear Braille lettering on their gameday uniforms against the Toronto Blue Jays.

 

 

Not only that, but the first 15,000 people through the door at Camden Yards will receiving a Braille alphabet card.

The team said they’re making a “conscious effort to create an environment where everyone feels welcome.”

Following the game, the jerseys will be autographed and auctioned off to raise money for the National Federation for the Blind, which with 50,000 members, is the largest organization in America run by those who are blind.

The ground-breaking recognition thrills fans like 95-year-old Marine Corps veteran Merle Caples, who lost her vision to macular degeneration, but enjoys listening to Orioles games on the radio in her assisted living facility.

“It [blindness] doesn’t stop you from rooting for them,” she told The Baltimore Sun. “They [announcers Joe Angel and Jim Hunter] are my eyes; they paint a picture for me. It’s like I’m sitting behind home plate.”

And, when Caples says she clings to every word she hears on the radio, she really means every word, no matter how late the game goes.

“If [the nursing staff] sees your lights on after 11 o’clock, they are at your door to make sure you haven’t died,” she said. “I tell them, ‘I’m OK, I’m just listening to the ballgame.’”

So, on Sept. 18, as members from the National Federation for the Blind hand out Braille alphabet cards and take center stage, the tables will turn, and they’ll be the ones receiving a loud roar from the crowd.