'See Beyond Festival' Draws Attention To Blind Sports, Accessibility Issues

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- More than 1,000 people attended the Maryland School for the Blind's annual See Beyond Festival to learn more about how others cope with vision impairment on Saturday, according to school staff.

The school hosted the festival on its campus. It ran from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

The goal of the festival was to show the public that vision impairment and blindness are not obstacles to living a full life, staff said.

The free event featured live music, games, sensory arts and crafts, a kid's zone, and a maker's market featuring over 50 vendors.

Attendees were given the opportunity to challenge themselves and discover how to adapt without the use of sight by trying blind sports, including beep baseball, lacrosse, soccer, sprint races, goalball, and relay activities, staff said.

The school hopes the event inspires people to make simple changes in their own businesses, workplaces, homes, and within their families so that more things are accessible to people with vision impairment, according to school staff.

Each year, the Maryland School for the Blind serves around 1,300 students from Maryland's 24 jurisdictions through on-campus and outreach programs, school staff said.