A new film, 23 Blast, about a high school football star who goes blind but continues to play, will open in select cities today. The movie is based on what the filmmakers bill as “the amazing, true story of Travis Freeman,” the star of his high school football team in Corbin, Kentucky, until he loses his sight due to a virulent infection. It chronicles Travis’s adjustment to his blindness, which is an emotional struggle for him, and his ultimate, triumphant return to the field.

When blindness hits the big screen it makes many nervous because our historical experience is that the entertainment industry often does a great job of presenting the stereotypes about blindness, and fails to present the truth that blindness is not the characteristic that defines us. It is also true that the full process of adjustment to blindness and the complexities of overcoming society’s low expectations are rarely dealt with in an authentic way. The National Federation of the Blind was provided access to a copy of the film prior to its release. When I sat down to watch the film, I had no background on the story and no experience with the individual depicted in the film. I was pleasantly surprised to find that, at its heart, 23 Blast is about the experiences that many blind people share and the themes it expresses are consistent with the spirit and purpose of the National Federation of the Blind.

Blindness comes in many ways and in all phases of life, just as it unexpectedly comes to a healthy high school athlete in the movie, and adjusting to it often involves some combination of initial despair, the temptation to live a protected life free of challenges, and ultimately acceptance and determination to move forward. In Mr. Freeman’s story, as in the experience of most blind people, the transition to a full life as a blind person is not accomplished without a great deal of love and support. As portrayed in the movie, Mr. Freeman gets this support from his parents, a rehabilitation professional, his close friends, and his coach. Many blind people have received, and continue to receive, support from the National Federation of the Blind; indeed, providing that support is one of the primary reasons for our organization’s existence.

I appreciated the tough love that the cane travel instructor (referred to as the mobility coach in the film) provided to Travis. There are many great educators, rehabilitation professionals, and cane travel instructors who understand the importance of helping blind people crash through the walls of low expectations, and the importance of creating a challenging environment that teaches blind people that they will determine their own future and what the limits are or are not. Unfortunately, sometimes blind people are held back by teachers who do not understand blindness, and all too often those surrounding the newly blind are not proactive in helping the blind person move beyond the sense of loss to the sense of possibilities and opportunities to live the life they want. It is rare to find a film that presents this tough-love approach similar to what can be found at training centers using the Federation’s philosophy about blindness—such as BLIND Inc., the Colorado Center for the Blind, and the Louisiana Center for the Blind. I was glad that Travis had this experience and that the filmmakers took time to include it in the story.
 
Another reason for our existence, as stated in our tagline, “live the life you want,” is to help each individual blind person do just that. Often, living the lives we want means defying the low expectations that society has of blind people. Travis Freeman plays football despite objections from some of his teammates, opposition from school officials, and even his own moments of doubt. All of us can identify similar obstacles in our own path to living the lives we want. The National Federation of the Blind is often the loving, supportive network that provides the understanding and assistance blind people need to overcome these obstacles.

Perhaps audiences will be attracted to 23 Blast because the idea of a blind man playing football seems like a novel one. In the National Federation of the Blind, we know that Travis Freeman isn’t the only blind person who has played football; although his achievements, playing for a mainstream team, are impressive. What is more important about his story than his triumphant moments on the field, however, is that it represents the universal experience of blind people and emphasizes that living the lives we want, whatever they entail, is possible for all of us. I was quite impressed that this film demonstrated the tremendous importance of those individuals who can look deeper than blindness to understand the real capacity of the individual—exemplified in the coach who believes that blindness will not limit this young man who is passionate about football, and the best friend who struggles with his own issues but comes to express the faith he has in his friend and that it is unchanged due to blindness. I hope that the casual watcher of this movie will get that same understanding.

In conclusion, 23 Blast is not an amazing story to me. It is an unusual expression of a story that is played out every day in the lives of hundreds of newly blind individuals. The individual circumstances of Travis Freeman are unique, inspiring, and uplifting, but it is not amazing. I am fortunate to learn about these stories on a daily basis because they are often made possible through the love, hope, and determination of the National Federation of the Blind. I hope that someday I might meet Travis and learn more about his story and how he is living the life he wants today. I will be interested to hear what others think of this movie and how it fits with their experience. If nothing else, this film is a great opportunity to talk about the barriers that blind people all across the country are facing and how we help to overcome them.