Skip to content

Listen Now
Donate
2025 National Beep Baseball Association World Series
Volunteer

Home
Our Programs
Show List
Central Illinois
Podcasts
Blog
Get Involved
About
- Mission and Vision
- Impact
- History
- Team
- Staff
- Financials
- Partners
  - Partner With Us
- Careers
- Media
- Contact Us
- Resources

Search for:

Impact Report for Fiscal Year 2023

MindsEye-FY23-Impact-Report-Accessible-Document Download

A photo Jason Frazier. Text, A Message From Our CEO. Dear Supporters, Partners, and Friends,

As we reflect on the past year, I am humbled and inspired by the remarkable journey that MindsEye has undertaken. It is with immense gratitude that I share the accomplishments and impact we have achieved together, and our unwavering commitment to the path ahead.

At MindsEye, our values of Inclusion, Accessibility, and Community have been the driving force behind everything we do. As we celebrated our milestone 50th anniversary, we also celebrated the progress we've made in making our community more accessible for individuals who are blind or partially sighted. The stories we've shared, the connections we've forged, and the barriers we've overcome are a testament to the incredible power of collective effort.

Looking ahead, our Vision remains steadfast—to innovate accessible services that align with the ever-evolving needs of our community. The journey of the next 50 years will be shaped by our relentless pursuit of this vision. We are committed to pushing boundaries, exploring new horizons, and ensuring that every person, regardless of their visual abilities, can engage with and contribute to our society.

Our Mission, to build a more inclusive community by translating vision into audio, remains our guiding star. The impact of this mission ripples through the lives of countless individuals, families, and communities. With your continued support, we will amplify this impact, creating a legacy of positive change that endures for generations.

As we step into the future, I invite you to join us on this extraordinary journey. Your unwavering dedication, your partnership, and your belief in the transformative power of accessibility fuel our progress. Together, we will continue to impact our community through inclusion and accessibility.

Thank you for being an integral part of the MindsEye community. Here's to the next 50 years of innovation, inclusion, and boundless possibilities.

With sincere appreciation,
Jason Frazier, MindsEye President and CEO

text: Our Programs.

Broadcast Information, Bringing Words to Life: Accessible Print for All Through 24/7 MindsEye Radio Broadcast. Since 1973, we have freely provided MindsEye’s Radio broadcast to make print accessible for all via website stream, SCA radio, Alexa skill, or the MindsEye Radio iOS. Volunteers record programs ranging from long form journalism to local news-- including materials like grocery store ads, which support independence. We serve listeners in the Greater St. Louis, MO, and Springfield-Central Illinois regions.

Audio Description, Painting with Words: Enriching Visual Experiences for the Blind and Partially Sighted. Audio description reveals crucial information in scenery, movement, and artwork; it enhances and complements the work so those who are blind or partially sighted gain a complete understanding of what is before them. Our Audio Description Team Program aims to ensure our patrons have the opportunity to enjoy an inclusive, rewarding experience at live theater, museum exhibits, dance performances, or sporting events and more. Since 2016, MindsEye has partnered with over 45 regional arts and cultural venues to bring this service to their patrons.

Adaptive Athletics, Empowering Play: Competitive Recreation and Team Spirit for the Blind and Partially Sighted. MindsEye's Adaptive Athletics Program raises community awareness and provides competitive, team-based recreational opportunities for athletes who are blind or partially sighted. Founded in 2020, the Gateway Archers are MindsEye's own nationally-competitive BeepBall(adaptive Baseball) team. In 2022, the program expanded to include Gateway Goalball and Blind Soccer. Each sport is available for educational demonstrations for schools, events, and team-building activities.

ACAC, Arts and Culture Accessibility Cooperative, Shaping Inclusion: Bridging Perspectives to Create an Accessible Cultural Canvas. The Arts & Culture Accessibility Cooperative (ACAC) hosts bi-monthly forums to bring together cultural professionals, people with disabilities, and disability advocates to share experiences and learn from each other to create a more inclusive and accessible cultural landscape.

text: Our Impact.

Broadcast, Over 6600 hours of on-air content produced by nearly 125 volunteer readers. 65% of volunteers read remotely, while the rest of our readers record at our studio. Tech upgrades, such as moving our entire audio file system to the cloud and automating 95% of recording management allows staff to focus on volunteer and program quality. We have 1150 registered listeners, with even more people accessing our broadcast across the country.

Audio Description, The Audio Description Team described 156 events for 404 participants around the Greater St. Louis region from July 2022 to June 2023. New Audio Description Collaborations: Laumeier Sculpture Park, Tower Grove Park,
Schmidt Art Center, Gateway Center for Performing Arts, The Hett - McKendree University, Columbia Public Schools, SIUE Theater Education, Hearts ‘n’ Hands Quilt Guild. Our AD Team of 20 Describers and 5 Quality Control Specialists worked with 47 different partners at 43 different locations.

Adaptive Athletics, In October 2022, we grew our BeepBall Program to the more expansive Adaptive Athletics Program, incorporating Goalball and Blind Soccer. We held 20 demonstrations, including the BeepBall “Battle for Illinois” game in Springfield, IL in September 2022. The Gateway Archers faced off the Chicago Comets with an 11-5 run victory. Students from the Illinois School for the Blind came out to cheer on the teams and participate in BeepBall drills. The Gateway Archers BeepBall team competed in 7 tournaments. They placed 13 in the 2022 World Series in Beaumont, TX.

ACAC, Morning Meetup in FY2023: Universal Design Groups, What We Mean When We Say IDEA, 2022 IDEA Awards, Building a Solid Foundation: DEI Basics, Working with Access Providers. New Connections through ACAC: Pulitzer Arts Foundation, TechSTL, Spry Digital, Missouri Film Office, Missouri Division of Tourism.

Our Supporters
We are so grateful for the generosity of community members who support our mission year after year. Their dedication to our mission resonates through the work we do to serve individuals with visual disabilities.
Community and Charitable Foundations:
United Way of Greater St. Louis, Lighthouse for the Blind St. Louis, Illinois State Library, Illinois Humanities Council,Cardinals Care, Arts and Education Council, Charless Foundation, Missouri Council of the Blind, Incarnate Word Foundation, Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund, JCA Charitable Foundation, St. Louis Community Foundation, United Way of Central Illinois, Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, Mid-America Transplant Foundation, Greater St. Louis Book Fair, Robert J. Trulaske, Jr. Family Foundation, William B. Jones, Jones Family Charitable Fund, The Ralph and Donna Korte Family Charitable Foundation, Zimmer Fund for Radio Information Services for Blind & Print Handicapped of the St. Louis Community Foundation.
Legacy Society Members: Henry Allhoff, Jonathan Hagar, Wanda Knepper, Celeste Kososki, Margaret Lotz, Marjorie Moore, Don Shaffner, Lorraine Sugent, Hannelore Winter.
Civic Groups: Junior Service Club of St. Clair County, Lions Clubs of District 26-M2, Lions Clubs of District 1-CN, Service Club for the Blind, Fairview Heights Kiwanis Club, O’Fallon Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club of Swansea Illinois, United Workers for the Blind, Women of the Moose Belleville Chapter 53, Mascoutah Tuesday Woman’s Club, St. Augustine of Canterbury Knights of Columbus Council #11691, Collinsville Junior Service Club, Millstadt Civic Club.

Corporate and Business Giving: Ameren Illinois
Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Bayer, UnitedHealthcare, Boeing Employee Community Fund, Heffernan Insurance Brokers, Lohr Distributing, Mascoutah Eye Care, Lizzie Bob’s Bakery, Piece by Peace Co., Hannigan Team Realty, ICON - Border North Marketing, Dermassociates, Ltd., Law Office of Patrick S. Kilgore LLC, Allison Bash Insurance Agency Inc., Excel Plumbing, Inc., Savers.

What People Are Saying.
Broadcast Information,
Feedback from our annual listener survey
“Thank you for everything you do. Keep up the great work.”
“I am glad you provide the radio service. It is easier to follow than the TV and more local being the Belleville or St Louis newspapers.”
“I like the direction things are going.”
“I appreciate your service, thank you very much.”
Image, photo collage: left to right, a man listens to an iPhone with headphones while waiting for the Metrolink, a hand turns a MindsEye radio dial, a woman listens to an iPad with headphones, three people sit around a table with microphones in the center.
Audio Description,
Audio Description Patron, Lacey, about St. Louis City SC
I’ve loved soccer for a couple years and the audio description made me love it even more. When I listen to games on the radio, I can understand the tactics and what’s going on, but the audio description gave me a true idea of what was happening on the field. I love the physical description of the field, and what the players were actually doing. Tactics are interesting and really cool to me but understanding what was actually going on was amazing. The Live voice app worked great and the describer did a fantastic job describing everything and very enthusiastic. I would go to every home game if I could and I definitely want to do this again.
Image, photo collage: left to right, two performers holding piglet puppets, a woman touches a 3D art piece, a man wears headphones at a Cardinals game, two women touch a quilted square, a MindsEye describer speaks into a steno mic at a St. Louis City SC game.

What People Are Saying.
Image, photo: the Gateway Archers and the Chicago Comets at the Battle for Illinois in Springfield, Il.

Adaptive Athletics,
Gateway Archer, Chad Dillon
2023 was a pivotal year for the Gateway Archers. This year, we transitioned from a recreational to a competitive team. We focused a lot of time and energy on improving our defense and it showed through the Indy bonanza tournament, the gateway regional tournament in the World Series. We played in our first ever championship game in the Gateway regional tournament, finishing second, to the eventual World Series champions. This team improved in every facet of the game and we believe that we will compete for a championship in 2024.

Image, photo collage: left to right, Gateway Archer Ethan waits in the batter’s box, Gateway Archer Demetrius lays out for a beepball, a person holds a goalball and models the black and pink Gateway Goalball jersey, Gateway Archer Liam slides into a beepball base.

ACAC Arts and Culture Accessibility Cooperative.
Working with Access Providers Panelist and President of Hear Ink, Judith Beckerle
It was my pleasure to be a part of the May ACAC Morning Meetup… I learned a lot from the other presenters.

Image, photo: winner Gerald Brooks holds an ACAC 2022 IDEA award, a Zoom screenshot of ACAC Morning Meetup “Foundations of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” with Natasha Baebler.

Get Social

Facebook
YouTube

Support Our Mission

Help people with a visual disability live full lives of independence.

Listener Information

As a listener, you'll get access to our broadcasts as well as other on-demand audio content.

Become a Listener

At MindsEye, we translate vision into audio experiences for people with visual impairments.

MindsEye is a United Way of Greater St. Louis Safety Net Member Agency.

© Copyright 2025 MindsEye | Privacy Policy

Nonprofit Website by Wired Impact

Home
Our Programs
Show List
Central Illinois
Podcasts
Blog
Get Involved
About

Facebook
YouTube

9541 Church Circle Drive
Belleville, Illinois 62223-1000

618-394-6444

Tax ID 81-2553623

Listen Now
Donate
2025 National Beep Baseball Association World Series
Volunteer