Blindness

The FIFA World Cup wasn’t the only soccer event generating excitement around Charlotte in recent weeks. A local soccer showcase gave visually impaired residents an opportunity to play the sport while challenging misconceptions about blindness.

The excitement of the FIFA Club World Cup extended beyond professional stadiums and into Mecklenburg County over the weekend, where visually impaired community members gathered in Matthews to show that the sport is accessible to everyone.

Lions Services is expanding its Charlotte-based program designed to help people who are visually impaired learn how to use technology and better navigate daily life.

For people living with vision loss, a smartphone or computer can be a gateway to independence — or a source of frustration. A program offered at Lions Services in east Charlotte aims to make sure it’s the former.

Visually impaired people face challenges, especially getting around unfamiliar spaces and navigating obstacles such as stairs or walls. But in Charlotte, two visually impaired individuals are overcoming all those obstacles and more to climb to new heights with the support of a volunteer.

Researchers with North Carolina Central University’s Special Education – Visual Impairment program are gathering data while using smart canes.

A nonprofit textile manufacturer in Charlotte, called Lions Services, has multimillion-dollar contracts to produce gear such as backpacks and hydration carriers for the U.S. military. The meticulous sewing is done by a workforce that is mostly blind or visually impaired.

Cassidy Hooper, 22, is pretty typical for a college student. She's trying to keep up with sociology and American government classes at Central Piedmont…