Visually Impaired Girl Joins Soccer Team thanks to The Coach

Avril Texeira is a twelve-year-old visually impaired girl from Uruguay.  She was born with congenital glaucoma. When she was nine years old, she lost her vision completely. Avril lives with her mother and sister in Canelones, Uruguay. Avril is an extremely passionate soccer fan. After losing her sight, she was hoping to continue to play soccer. Her mother and sister were looking for a soccer team that would accept Avril onto the team. None agreed to let her join their teams because of her condition. Until one club did, and it changed her life.

Finding A Team That Will Accept A visually Impaired Girl

When Avril’s sister and mother tried to get her on a soccer team in her area, they were rejected again and again. Every team that heard of her condition as a visually impaired girl, the team’s rejected her on the claim. Until one team, the Ombu soccer club agreed that she join the team, regardless of her condition. Avril is the only visually impaired player on the team. What made her becoming a part of the team so special was how the other girls and their parents accepted her. They treated her as another team member regardless of her condition.

The compassion and the kindness that girls on the team and their parents showed her was dwarfed by the dedication of the team’s coach. In order to coach Avril in the best way, he studied training methods on the internet to train her in a way that fit her condition. In order to have Avril join the game, adjustments had to be made to the way the team plays.

The only way a visually impaired girl or boy is able to play soccer is by using a special ball. Blind soccer is played with a ball that makes noise as it moves so that blind players can follow the ball. When Avril practices with the team and plays in games with other teams, they use the special blind soccer ball that helps Avril participate in the game. Being able to be a part of a team helped Avril improve her social life. She has even improved her performance in school. For Avril, it is a dream come true.

Avril Joins Another Team

The legendary soccer player Leo Messi met Avril in Barcelona to congratulate her on becoming an official member of the #OrCam_DreamTeam. OrCam Technologies provides advanced assistive technology devices for people who are blind and visually impaired worldwide. The #OrCam_DreamTeam is a team of twelve visually impaired players from around the world who participate in a variety of sports for people with low vision. During her meeting with Messi, the award-winning soccer player gave Avril an OrCam MyEye device as a gift from OrCam Technologies. 

Avril can attach the OrCam MyEye to her glasses and wear it wherever she goes. With her new device, Avril can read textbooks in school instantly and without requiring an internet connection with a simple hand gesture. She can also use it to read from screens and even street signs. In addition, she can use her device to recognize the faces of her teammates, teacher, friends, and family members. She can even recognize barcodes of products at the stores, money bills, colors, and personal items.