Matt Simpson (goalball)

When Simpson was about a year old, he began moving his eye in unusual ways. The doctors who first examined him believed it was a condition he would grow out of, but once he started sitting unusually close to the family television, his parents suspected a more serious condition. When he was four years old, he was diagnosed with a degenerative retinal condition that would eventually leave him blind. In later years, Simpson would consider learning about his diagnosis that early to be a blessing in disguise.^[1]

While he was a devoted fan of baseball in general and the Atlanta Braves in particular, he realized that playing it would not be an option due to his vision impairment. He first turned to swimming and running, but took to goalball once he was exposed to the sport at a summer camp at ten years old. Upon returning from camp, he told his father that he would play goalball in the Paralympics. At the time, there was no goalball program in the Atlanta area, but his father started one with the help of the Georgia Blind Sports Association.^[1]

Simpson graduated from Washington and Lee University in 2012, after which he worked in Colorado for the United States Association of Blind Athletes.^[1] After winning a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Simpson attended the University of Virginia School of Law and graduated in 2020.^[2][3] He currently works as an associate for Sidley Austin.^[4]