On Sunday, February 4, 2024, on the squash courts in Conception Bay South, Newfoundland, the world’s first prototype squash ball that continuously emits a beep was tested for its suitability to be used by People who have Little or No Eye Sight. On hand was Leonard Lye, retired Engineering Professor from Memorial University and Head of the provincial office of TETRA; Gerard Nolander, participant in the Squash Program for People with Low or No Eye Sight; Warren Butler, Coach with the CBS Hot Shots; and Eric Hart, Head Coach with the CBS Hot Shots. In the picture is Leonard, Gerard and Eric (Warren is the photographer).
The purpose of the test was to find out if we believed we could make a squash ball for people with little or no eye sight. If we could do this, it would be a game changer for people with very little or no eye sight to have the ability to participate in squash programs and the technology would likely be transferable to other sports that have not yet found a way to engage people with significant sight loss in their sport.
If we believed we could develop a squash ball for people with very little or no eye sight, we wanted to identify the refinements that were necessary to make the ball suitable for ongoing use. After repeated testing, we broke several noise-emitting beepers. However, all of us were very optimistic that the creation of such a ball was possible. Some refinements such as a more robust beeper or the encasement of the beeper inside the ball to protect it from being damaged were necessary. In addition, the inclusion of two noise making devices inside the ball might be desirable. One noise making device would help the player know when the ball bounced by making a distinctive sound when the ball hit the racket, wall or floor. The second noise making device would intermittently beep so the player with little or no eye sight would be able to follow the trajectory of the ball. There were other refinements needed related to turning the beeper on and off and how to change the battery but these too were felt to be improvements that could be made using existing technology.
Leonard agreed to have the refinements made and return with a new prototype squash ball.
