National Beep Baseball Association Vision Certification Policy and Criteria
NBBA Vision Policy
Vision impaired is defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)as:
A distance visual acuity no greater than 20/70 and/or a visual field no greater than 30 degrees in the best eye with best practical correction. Practical correction does not include low vision devices of any kind.
All NBBA players, both domestic and international, who are planning on participating in any NBBA Beep Baseball World Series starting in 2019 and who are members in good standing of the NBBA and its affiliate teams, must complete the NBBA Vision Form.
The form must be completed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
The information on the form must clearly state the following:
a. The specific eye condition.
b. Best corrected distance visual acuity/field of vision of both eyes.
c. Whether the condition is permanent or can be improved
The form must be submitted no later than July 1 of each year. The vision form must either be submitted with the final team rosters or by any individual player who has played in a previous World Series but has not made a decision towards which team they will be playing on for that year’s Series prior to the July 1st deadline. Failure to submit the vision form with the final team roster will render that player ineligible to play in that World Series.
The following scenarios are exceptions that will be permitted to the July 1st deadline:
A. A team picks up a new player that has never played in a previous World Series after the July 1st deadline, but submits the form prior to General Assembly. B. A Player submits their vision form that has been filled out incompletely by their doctor or contains discrepancies prior to the July 1st deadline. In this case the Vision Committee will attempt to contact both the player and the player’s doctor to obtain clarifications. The player will be permitted to submit a new vision form if desired in order to ensure that the Vision Committee is able to certify that they meet the vision policy. Failure to have an approved form on record with the Vision Committee prior to the beginning of General Assembly will render that player ineligible to play in that World Series.
If the information provided on the form clearly states that the individual has a permanent condition, the form is only required to be submitted once. If the individual, as stated on the form, has a condition which has the potential to improve based on parameters illustrated by the eye care specialist, then the individual must resubmit the form each year. If on any year, a form does not meet the league’s definition of vision impairment then they will not be eligible to be on a team’s roster as a vision impaired player. If a player is deemed to not meet the minimum vision requirements then they will be allowed to resubmit the vision form in future seasons.
All players starting January 1, 2019, must submit a vision form stating their existing condition, no exceptions.
Once the NBBA Vision Form has been submitted by the affiliate team or individual and reviewed for accuracy based on the criteria listed within this policy by the NBBA Vision Committee, the individual’s vision form will remain on file electronically. The individual need not resubmit the vision form unless the vision needs to be retested or any part of this policy has not been met.
No vision forms will be accepted by the committee if they contain more than one color of ink or appear to have any edits to the form. The Vision Committee will record that proper verification of the visual impairment has been received.
In adherence to Federal Medical Privacy Laws, all vision forms will be disposed of in a proper manner on July 1 of the following calendar year from the submission.
End of Document
B1 Certification Policy
Download and read the B1 Certification Policy.
NBBA Vision Form
Download and read the NBBA Vision Form.