Ormond Beach May Get Special Needs Baseball Team

A non-profit is trying to start to expand its brand of baseball for people with special needs to Ormond Beach, Fla. 

Alternative Baseball, a non-profit out of Georgia, is behind the effort to get a team up and running in Ormond Beach. Alternative Baseball allows people with special needs the chance to play baseball with major league rules.

“We’re giving them the opportunity where there haven’t been very many opportunities before for them in that aspect,” Taylor Duncan, president of Alternative Baseball told the Orlando Fox affiliate.

There are now similar teams in Chicago, Phoenix, Baltimore and Atlanta.

Duncan himself was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder when he was four years old. He said after years of dealing with anxiety and speech issues he wanted to start an organization where people could feel empowered.

Alternative Baseball is open to anyone 15 years old and over who have Autism or other special needs.

“We’re trying to help them learn those physical skills and we want to help them learn the social skills that they need to be accepted and successful in everyday life.”

People interested in playing with the Alternative Baseball Ormond Beach club team can visit the Alternative Baseball website for more information.