Meet Donte Mickens.. A financial specialist for the office of Insurance regulations and a US National Athlete. Amazing feat considering that Mickens is legally blind. He's unable to make out any object further then 20 feet away from his face. At 6'2", 230 lb's, this 27 year old is quite the athletic specimen. A gift he realized while attending the Florida School for the Blind and Deaf. His sport,.. Goalball.
Donte Mickens says, "In this sports, vision is no hindrance at all. There really is no bounds as far as vision because all the players and competitors are on the same level as far as vision goes because everyone wears a blindfold."
A concept hard for most people to grasp, since human beings are so reliant on their vision.
Mickens adds, "It's kind of scary at first because in the sport you're doing a lot of blocking. You in essence have to block the ball without being able to see it."
Donte plays for the United State's Paralympic team and led the US to a bronze medal in 2006. He is very grateful for a game that allows him to claim his place in the sporting world.
Mickens Explains, "It removes any limitations. There's no limit to the extent that you can go to compete. I'll be satisfied with my contribution to Goalball when it's a sport that you can throw out there. You can throw the word or the name Goalball out there and people know what you're talking about."
Donte hopes his accomplishments will pave the way for the next generation of blind athletes.

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If you would like to donate, send contributions to:

Thomas Parrigin
Florida Association of Blind Athletes (FABA)
610 Fairway Drive Unit# 106
St. Augustine, FL 32084

Any contributions would be tax deductible as FABA is a non-profit organization.