“The Opportunity”: From Autism Stigma to Alternative Baseball
Photo: Taylor Duncan
My path to Toccoa Falls College and Alternative Baseball began on November 27, 1995: the day in which I, Taylor Clark Duncan, was born to my parents at Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, Ga., at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. It seemed I was born in normal shape at a healthy weight of 8 pounds and was brought home to Hiram, Georgia, despite doctors’ predictions of physical problems upon birth.
Fast forward nearly four years later to the day, my mother began to see that something was a bit off. First, I wasn’t talking in complete sentences. Back then, I was doing good to say “Chipper” (Jones), (Alex) “Twuh-beck”, and attempting to pronounce former Red Sox shortstop and Georgia Tech standout “Nomar Garciaparra” in spite of my speech impediments and delays. Second, I had issues with social anxiety; issues which prevented Mother and I from being able to go out in public. Finally, I often played alone. My mother took me to the Marcus Institute in Downtown Atlanta: one of the only autism diagnostician centers in the Southeast region at the time. It was there in which I was diagnosed on the autism spectrum as approximately 1 in 1,000 children in the entire United States, before the CDC even began taking statistics! Soon thereafter, I began experiencing the negative stigmas and perceptions of what one with autism can and cannot accomplish.
Several doctors wanted to review with my mother a list of the things that I may never be able to accomplish throughout my life. These included mastering the ability to speak in full sentences, think coherently in academics, perform basic independent living duties, or hold down a job or romantic relationship. The public school system wanted me placed in a seclusion classroom, away from the other kids in the general education setting where social development primarily takes place. Yet, my mother would not accept such to become my permanent reality. As an educator herself, my mother fought against her own employer for me to have the same social development opportunities as every other student at the school. Despite a lack of resources in our area, my mother took time with me every night over the next few years to work with me on different skills that otherwise would have naturally developed in those without a disability. I would have other teachers and mentors in school who would help me with learning the social skills needed to thrive outside of academia. During this time, with hard work and her “I Can” attitude, I finally began speaking in full sentences and achieved other developmental milestones. Now, I cannot stop talking – praise God!
As I conquered different developmental delays, I faced more challenges throughout life. Between 2000 and 2009, I was denied opportunities to play on traditional sports teams due to the negative stigmas and perceptions of the capabilities of those diagnosed on the autism spectrum. 2008 was different because I had a mentor who gave me opportunities to learn the lessons needed for success on and off the baseball diamond. Through the support of the coach and other mentors who cheered me on through the years, I used this opportunity to channel my passion and desire to learn as much about the game of baseball as possible. I had several encouraging successes and bitter disappointments; we lost all our games except two that year. Yet, it occurred to me even then that baseball was not just about the bat and the ball. It was about fellowship, the growth of friendships, and life lessons for dealing with success and disappointment properly into the rest of the world that we live in. I am still friends all these years later with a couple of my teammates – one of whom still plays today.
I grew older, eventually graduated high school, and played slow-pitch softball on the recreational and competitive levels in 2014. I continued facing rejection and stigma preventing opportunities to the point where I recruited a team of adults twice or even three times my age from Craigslist to play (sounds safe, doesn’t it?). After bringing that team to the championship game of my local church league, I wanted to seek more knowledge to become successful throughout the sport. This is when I contacted Neil Teague, a slo-pitch softball hall of famer in Milton, Ontario, about participating in his Spring Training camp down in Florida. I thought I would be rejected from this opportunity too but I knew I had nothing to lose by asking. My mother didn’t believe I’d get in either because most of the athletes who participated had been playing for years and at a very high level on the Canadian circuit. Yet, Neil gave me that opportunity to come down to Florida for a taste of the game at a high level and the opportunity to learn as much as I could in the one week we were all down there. I would later find as the week progressed that I would be encouraged to participate in a Home Run Derby sponsored by USSSA at Osceola County Stadium. For many who’ve competed for years, this event meant little to them as it meant another award and endorsement on their wall if they won. Yet for myself, an underdog to many, it was a dream accomplished and something I thought I would have never been able to achieve and participate in my entire life. Everything that happened during that April week happened because God opened the doors for me to learn, grow, develop, and be enriched through one simple “yes.”
Heading back home, it hit me that I wanted to bring the experience I had in Florida to others like myself who are just looking for opportunities to make friendships and be accepted through America’s favorite pastime. I continued playing slo-pitch softball at different levels but decided to take up a new initiative beginning in January 2016 to bring that experience to life. I was never the best athlete physically nor was I a complete brainiac with extensive knowledge in sabermetrics or competitive strategy. However, I wanted to share the life knowledge and lessons of character I gained and mentor others.
We started with seven players in Powder Springs, Ga., in March 2016 with a couple of wood bats and some larger, much softer balls bought at Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. Those over the age of 15 of all skill levels were welcomed to the first practice. Everyone was at a different level in terms of skill but we all shared a common passion and a willingness to give 110%,and then some. Some had played baseball for years while others had never been taught how to run the bases before. Some had autism while others had down syndrome or learning disabilities. Yet, week by week, more individuals stepped up to try baseball in a way they had never experienced before.
ABO and Pros game at AT&T Field (Photo: Taylor Duncan)
Taylor Duncan speaking at TedxAtlanta (Photo: Taylor Duncan)
As the weeks progressed, we faced many challenges head-on. We did not believe in succumbing to fear but in breaking new barriers one week after another. One week, I would have an athlete with down syndrome try to run a 60-yard dash – he wasn’t the fastest athlete but he made it with rallying support! Another week, there was someone much more severe on the autism spectrum who previously needed assistance fielding balls in the outfield and retrieving them by himself. This time, he ran and fielded every ball. At the end of the year, we accomplished something many never thought possible: host a 9-inning game with our players playing alongside former and current professional baseball players. This event has become a tradition and is still held on a yearly basis in the form of ABO and Pros.
After the next year, our participation numbers grew so much that we started our second team in Paulding County, Ga. Soon thereafter, God opened the doors and networking opportunities with ESPN for a national piece that aired during the Angels and Yankees game on Baseball Tonight. The piece went viral and increased demand for this program in communities across America to levels I never dreamed would happen. I was asked to speak at a TEDx conference in Downtown Atlanta on the importance of providing opportunities for teens and adults with disabilities throughout and beyond athletics! I learned through these experiences that one does not have to already know everything in order to mentor and serve others. It is all about having the willingness to learn as much as possible that sets the best example!
After a couple of successful years in places like Columbus, Ga., Metro Atlanta, Tacoma, Wash., Spartanburg, S.C., Greater Charlotte, N.C., Phoenix, Ariz., and Philadelphia, Penn., the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Although we couldn’t play during the pandemic, I made it a mission to send the idea of Alternative Baseball to as many local news stations as I possibly could. I had nothing to lose but everything to gain by asking. Because the professional leagues were inactive, we were among the only possible stories for sports anchors across the country and earned free coverage to tell our story of mentoring and acceptance in more than three quarters of Nielsen television markets in all of North America from small areas like Butte, Mont., and Meridian, Miss., to big metros like New York City and Los Angeles! During a time of shock, horror, depression, and mental instability, our past footage of games and our stories of people breaking barriers filmed before the pandemic brought hope to many looking for encouragement and something to temporarily take their eyes off the pandemic and the turmoil in Washington D.C. We even made it into newspapers in Saipan, U.S. Mariana Islands and Guam! We could have given up to a much larger enemy but we looked to God for support and guidance in overall direction.
Soon, we had many more who called with optimism to start as soon as the pandemic wore off enough to return to action. Many programs located east of the Mississippi River started up to much fanfare and no cases of COVID-19 in late 2021. This meant more individuals were soon going to be finding hope in an accepting environment that teaches integrity, positive character reinforcement, communication skills and life skills for higher levels of success and confidence for other areas of life including for employment and independent living. In 2022, we began touring to new cities and areas to bring our message of acceptance, hope, and opportunity to more individuals who need that support through hosting Community Celebrity Games alongside local community celebrities, dignitaries, and those known in the communities and have mobilized/found successful support for new Alternative Baseball programming.
Taylor Duncan named “Braves Country Community Hero” at SunTrust Park (Photo: Taylor Duncan)
Now, I can give back to others throughout and beyond the Toccoa Falls College community as well. Years after graduating high school, I started attending Toccoa Falls College in the fall of 2020 with a purpose to obtain my degree in Nonprofit Business Administration, with minors in Theology and Sports Management. My mentors on and off campus throughout my collegiate experience have made my experience as an online student an exceptional one – a challenging journey that has grown my confidence and improved my relationship with God in more ways than I can count on two hands. It only makes sense for me to aim to give back now for the personal development of those throughout and surrounding Stephens County. Not just because baseball is a great sport and a historical bastion of American culture, but because God knows that everyone deserves acceptance and the opportunity to form friendships without judgment of disability or other bias. Everyone deserves the chance to give 110% in everything from sports to academics to personal relationships. Everyone deserves the chance to learn, grow, and develop spiritually, physically, and mentally in ways that influence and help others give back to those in their social circle.
Say "yes" and open your minds! For us, life is too short not to care about the things and people we love so we give the best effort possible. Therefore, many need a mentor to help present those opportunities to just try. Whether you consider yourself a leader today or not, your actions and choices – whether big or small, on or off the baseball diamond – make a powerful impact in the lives of others. Everyone has a diversified set of knowledge that can help and serve others. We are all called by God to subdue the Earth (Gen. 1:28) and use our talents to help society in all His glory in this world. When we find the right support system to positively teach and encourage us to become the best versions of ourselves possible, the sky is truly the limit for what can be accomplished, no matter who we are. To me, the ability to self-advocate, mentor, and encourage others through societal barriers, stigmas, and perceptions is one of the truest forms of personal enrichment in all of mankind.
EAGLE NATION, WHAT DO YOU SAY!? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! Let’s go out there together, change lives, and make the world a better place!