Wii Downloads for children with vision impairments

This is a great resource for all of you video game lovers or sports enthusiasts!
This website provides information on how to download free assistive technology for blind users to play Wii Sports Tennis & Bowling. Just remember, you need your own Wii & Wii controllers.

Check it out at: http://www.vifit.org/

From the Students . . .

Hey everybody,

My name is Savannah, I am visually impaired and deaf. I am 17 and have never been to summer camp before, until this summer and lets just say.... I wish I had come sooner. I have very limited vision in my left eye and in my right I can see half a pizza... that how the doctors put it... of course that never stopped me!

Enough about me, lets talk about camp abilities. Robbin and I had met last month at the LIFE camp (another camp for the blind or visually impaired) I had a blast and at the end of the week Robbin asked if i would be a counselor in training (CIT) and i of course said yes right away... i had no idea what life had in store for me.

After some research and a million emails I knew what to look forward to and I am really happy that i did this! I finally made a commitment to be a CIT so that I could inspire, help and share my excitement with the little ones. To be honest... i love the responsibility and getting to know all the campers.

The basic job of the CIT is to be of any assistance possible. Assist the teachers, staff, other CITs and campers. We are to help them physically and mentally, either way... we are to be their for them. Who knew that someone with so many impairments could be so kind and helpful... Oh wait...I knew! I can do anything I want to do and so can the campers.

My impairments have yet to slow me down and this past week has really proved that. I so hope that I inspired everyone of these kids and taught them that they could do anything that they put their heart to! Camp abilities has inspired me and I hope that I inspire the campers. I also hope that I beat Robbin at soccer! :-)

Robbin better run this camp next summer, all who agree, say I!

Thank you, Savannah

The pictures show some of our Camp Abilities CT Counselors-in-Training, along with our camp photo.

Camp Abilities Connecticut is a sports camp program for children ages 10-14 who are blind or have low vision. This overnight camp experience introduces children to a variety of sports, including goalball, swimming, beep baseball, team building, and adventure-based activities. The purpose of the camp is to empower children to be physically active, improve athletes' overall health and wellness, encourage athletes to make food choices that support an active lifestyle, and develop athletes' confidence and self-esteem through sport and physical activity.

Do it at home: Check out the Camp Abilities CT website (www.campabilitiesct.org) for ideas for sports and for links to other Camp Abilities sites.

Family Ties

Note: Staff members from the Camp Abilities CT program are providing their insight on learning about working with children with visual impairments.

I was beyond amazed by the level of genuine interest on the part of families tonight at Camp Abilities Family Fun Night. Not only did parents, siblings, cousins, and grandparents show up, but they truly got the chance to experience the games that their blind or visually impaired children have been learning and enjoying all week long. The kids got to be the teachers, proving their sports prowess in games like Beep Baseball and Goal Ball by simply playing alongside their families to demonstrate their skills. This gave the campers the rare chance to be the eyes for their sighted parents, teaching them as the children had been taught earlier. As cliche as it may sound, this is the most rewarding situation that a counselor can experience. After working with these remarkably gifted children for a few days, I got to "see" their dreams come true. The concept of having family around sparked confidence in even the most timid of campers. Staff was eagerly introduced to family members, linking us to them, as we build a bridge between home and the camp experience.

~Amy, Camp Abilities counselor

Fun with mobility, part two

Here is another fun way for the whole family to be included on mobility skill development. Remember the game Twister? Twister is another great hidden treasure for devloping skills.

Here's how:
First, you will need the materials:
-A Twister game (I have also made a Twister without buying the game. I bought a shower curtain-type fabric from JoAnne Fabrics)
-Four different kinds of textures cut into the Twister circles. I have seen some people use the classic colors. I made mine based on textures so I have non-traditional colors like pink and orange).
-Hot glue (buy the industrial type of glue gun & glue).
-Braille labels & Perkins

Next, take your Twister board and put on the adaptations.



It is actually pretty simple once all the fabric has been cut. Once you have the circles, simply glue them onto the Twister board. Be sure to look for discriminating textures. I am showing examples of two different boards. Both boards follow the traditional Twister board colors.







You will also need to adapt the board. I included pictures of two different boards. You probably will have to adapt the spinner by bending it so it can pass over the Braille labels. You will also need to put a Braille label on each choice on the board. One of the boards pictured has a key that can be passed around to help students become familiar with the textures.





I am sure you might be wondering how playing Twister can help develop mobility skills. In a nutshell, games like Twister help children with directionality, spatial awareness, balance and it creates opportunities to learn about games that their peers play. The other bonus is that this is a great game for the whole family!

Do it at home: Make a Twister board together as a family. Plan a date to the fabric store. Ask your child to help with selecting discriminating textures. They can also make the Braille labels. Have a family game night!

Fun with mobility, part one

Did you know that you can have fun with learning mobility skills? Any mobility instructor who works with children will tell you that games can be a valuable part of a lesson. I like to share games and fun activities with parents so you can see how you can work on mobility skills without it having to feel like work. Another bonus is that the games that I like to share are whole family activites. These are are things that everyone in the family can do. In fact, the more people playing, the more fun and the better the skill development can be!

One game that I like to play with my students is called Streets & Alleys. It's a game that I learned back when I was in grade school. It's a great game that teaches 90 degree turns and directions. I play it with my middle through high school students but I bet kids in primary grades can play it, too!

Here's how you play Streets & Alleys:
1. You need a large group of people to play this game. It's a great game to play with classrooms or at family reunion. 12 or more people is best.
2. Create the game board. You do this by making rows with the players. Players stand arms length apart. If you are playing with 12 players, you would make 4 rows of 3. The more rows, the better.



3.In the position where the players are standing side by side with their hands out is called the "streets" position.

4. Next, make the "alleys" position. Players make this by making a 90 degree turn to their right. The board should look the same as it did in "streets" just turned.



5. Now that you have the game board set up, you select the chaser and the chasee. This part is just like the classic game of tag where one person chases another. In Streets & Alleys, the chasee enters the "streets" and does their best to stay away from the chaser.

*You cannot run through the arms of the players. The players who are making the game board stand with their arms up as a guard rail. You cannot run through their arms,

6. The last thing you need is the caller. The caller is someone in the game board who calls the board to change from "streets" to "alleys" position. For example, you start with eveyone in "streets" position. The chasee starts running up and down the aisles (created by the players with their arms up). The chaser sets off to get the chasee. The caller can change the board at any time. It's kind of like a moving maze.

*I play this game with students of all vision levels. If the chasee is totally blind, we give them a guide to run with them. The same goes for the chaser. They can also be the caller because they are totally impartial!

I love playing this game with my students! The lovely ladies featured in the pictures are two of the best mobiity instructors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The brunette is my best friend and co-worker, Jessica Eichfeld and the other lovely lady is also my co-worker, Terry Heyl.

Do it at home: Play Streets & Alleys!!