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A Fairfax County teenager turned a deeply personal idea into Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology’s first adaptive baseball clinic, giving 25 young athletes with disabilities an opportunity to practice the sport.

The clinic was held Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at the school in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County. Andrew Haydon, a 17-year-old junior, created the event with inspiration from his 13-year-old brother, Nick, who has autism and other learning disabilities.

“My brother is my superhero,” Haydon said. He also credited his mother with encouraging him to make the clinic a reality.

Haydon wanted children who might not know about adaptive leagues to experience baseball and perhaps develop a lasting interest in the game.

Twenty members of the school’s varsity baseball team volunteered as coaches. They led the boys and girls through batting, running and throwing drills while parents watched from the gym’s sidelines.

Nick helped in a sensory room stocked with fidget items for participants who became overwhelmed and needed a quieter space.

Varsity baseball coach Jennifer Hammond oversaw the clinic. She said the program reflected the team’s broader goal of developing good people as well as capable players.

Parents said the event’s emphasis on inclusion was encouraging. Shannon LaBarbara, whose son Edison participated, said she felt inspired to see the student volunteers making inclusion part of their activities.

For 13-year-old Kai, the clinic offered a chance to take the field himself. His mother, Candita Sabavala, said he has always loved sports and frequently attends his older brother’s games.

Asked which part of the clinic he enjoyed most, Kai laughed and answered, “Everything.”