In 1976, a small group of visionaries founded the United States Association of Blind Athletes with a radical idea: that blind and visually impaired Americans deserved the same chance to compete, train, and represent their country as anyone else.

This year, we turn 50. Half a century of clinics in church gyms and community centers. Of athletes who refused to be told what they couldn't do. Of Paralympic medals, world championships, and quiet daily breakthroughs that never made the highlight reel. Of building a movement, one athlete at a time.

And now — in our 50th year — the road leads home. In 2028, the Paralympic Games come home to American soil for the first time in a generation. When the stadium lights rise over Los Angeles, USABA will send Team USA into competition in two of the most electrifying sports on the Paralympic program: Goalball and Blind Soccer.

Most Paralympic and Olympic teams around the world are funded by their governments. The United States is one of the only nations on earth whose Olympic and Paralympic athletes receive no federal funding for their programs. No taxpayer dollars. No government salaries. No state-sponsored training centers.

Every shot on goal. Every training camp. Every qualifying tournament. Every guide runner, every coach, every piece of equipment — funded by Americans who believe in these athletes. For 50 years, that's been our story.

Team USA is the only team in the Games whose jerseys are paid for, stitch by stitch, by the people they represent.