Wichita's Crane advocates for blind, disabled

WICHITA, Kansas -- As fans approach the entrance of Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium, home of the Wind Surge, they are greeted by a pair of friendly faces: Andrew Crane and his guide dog, Vaughn.

Crane, who has cerebral palsy and was born blind, was one of the first gameday employees hired by the Wind Surge. The Texas League team, Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, played its inaugural season at Riverfront Stadium in 2021 after relocating from New Orleans following the 2019 campaign. This effort was spearheaded by team owner Lou Schwechheimer, who passed away due to COVID complications in July 2020.

“I’m persistent. Lou gave me a chance and said, ‘Come on board. We want to have you,’” said Crane, the emotion evident in his voice. “It’s a family here. It’s the Wind Surge family.”

When asked to describe what he does for the Wind Surge, Crane simply responds that he “scans tickets.” But it’s so much more than that.

“Vaughn, he comes to work with me. We welcome people coming into the stadium, helping our disabled community and our blind community and making it fully accessible,” he said.

Crane is a Wichita native, and helping the local disabled and blind community is his life mission. He describes himself as "always moving," working upwards of 90 hours a week in pursuance of his goals.

“I’m part of the Access Advisory Board here in Wichita and was here for the planning stage of this stadium,” he said. “It’s just a fantastic stadium that’s all ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act] accessible.”

Crane specifically praised Riverfront Stadium’s Maple Street entrance, equipped with automatic doors and an elevator. The ballpark also has an ADA clubhouse tunnel on its first base side, providing ground-level entry to the seating bowl. Wind Surge general manager Bob Moullette said the goal when designing Riverfront Stadium was to “go above and beyond what was required to make sure the ballpark is in good standing with everyone.”

As for Crane, Moullette describes him as “someone who wants people to have a great time, and who definitely wants to have a conversation.”

“He’s not shy, that’s for sure,” Moullette added with a laugh. “He’s all over the community and just adds to it with his presence at the ballpark. He’s Mr. Positive.”

Much of Crane’s work in the community is on behalf of an organization he founded, Guiding Paws ICT.

“I help out blind individuals getting connected to a guide dog school and mentor them,” he explained. “And a lot of restaurants, a lot of facilities, need to be educated about service animals and guide dogs.”

This work springs from Crane’s love and appreciation for Vaughn, whom he acquired via Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights, New York. When Crane talks about his relationship with his dog, his voice wavers and then grows more insistent. “My guide dog goes everywhere with me, gets me around from point A to point B. And it’s awesome. And fantastic.”

Crane has staged Guiding Paws ICT events at Riverfront Stadium, working for a cause he loves within a venue he loves. It’s an ideal situation, and he feels that he is only just beginning.

“I want to be here for a long time,” he said. “I wouldn’t change it for the world.”