Celebrating a vision

Silence fills the Palmer gym, and the darkness is overwhelming -- you can't see a single thing through the blackness. Then, faintly, you hear a young boy clap once across the way. You can make out what sounds like a ball filled with chains rolling away from you, getting quieter and quieter as it rolls farther and farther away.

If you listen closely, you can hear that same young boy sliding across the gym floor, and it sounds like he may be on his stomach. "Thud," you think you hear, but you can't be sure because you can't see anything to verify. All of a sudden, a loud eruption of teen-agers ensues, and the gym is filled with noise and laughter, and it sounds celebratory.

You just got beat at goal ball.

Goal ball was just one of several sports being played at Palmer High School last week as part of Camp Abilities -- a sports camp for blind and visually-impaired students.

For four days, campers got to play beep baseball, goal ball, archery, equestrian events, go canoeing, ride a bike and even swim. For many, it was the first time they have participated in sports of any kind.

"Camp Abilities shows these students that movement is fun, and that they can do it if they try," said Lauren Lieberman, an author and founder of Camp Abilities. "A lot of blind and visually-impaired students are pretty sedimentary. They are overprotected a lot. We are giving them a chance to come out and introduce them to new and exciting sports and activities."

Last week marked the first time Camp Abilities was held in Alaska. Alpine Alternatives brought the camp together, and brought Lieberman and other specialists to Alaska for the week-long camp.

"The benefits of this camp are tremendous," said Margaret Webber of Alpine Alternatives. "It empowers the kids to be around other blind students, and to socialize and interact."

Of the nearly 30 campers, six were from the Valley. The degree of their visual impairments varied greatly, but the fun they were having did not.

"The best part is the swimming," said Carole Bottom, a student at Houston Jr./Sr. High School. "I've been to Camp Caribou before, but this is more fun I think."

Tommy Class, a student at Tanaina Elementary, said he enjoyed archery the most.

"I've shot my uncle's bow before," he said. "Yesterday I shot two balloons out of three shots."

Balloons are used for targets in blind archery so the participants can hear if they hit something or not. Every sport has an adaptive method so blind people can participate. In goal ball, for example, the ball is filled with chains, so you can hear the ball rolling and the direction it is coming.

"I like goal ball," said Charlie Burlile, a Wasilla High School student. "Back at camp, we broke the rules last night and stayed up late."

The goal of the camp is to introduce sports to blind and visually-impaired students, and to prepare them for inclusion in the United States Association for Blind Athletes. But a big reason the camp has been so successful is because it helps break barriers.

"One of the things I was looking forward to was having the students socialize with other visually-impaired students and feel like they can fit in," said Jacinda Danner, a vision specialist with the Mat-Su School District.

"A lot of the parents were really worried about the separation anxiety. One boy got here, met another boy his age and they were gone, having fun and not even worried about saying good-bye to his mom," Danner said.

Assessment forms are being sent home to the parents, and a copy are being given to the students to give to their teachers in school. Most of the students are in regular classrooms, and sometimes the teachers aren't prepared to handle a blind student.

"If a blind student is in a regular gym class and they are playing war ball, the blind student is going to take one right in the face," Webber said. "We want to help educate teachers how to give blind and visually-impaired students a chance in class."

Based on the success of the first Alaska Camp Abilities, Alpine Alternatives is hoping to make the camp an annual event.

Originally, Camp Abilities was hoping for six to 10 participants.

They ended up having almost 30 campers in attendance, and many more people expressed interest in the camp.

Nationally, there are three Camp Abilities this year, counting the event in Palmer. Next year, there are even more scheduled around the nation.

"More people are seeing the need for a camp like this," Lieberman said. "Next year, we will be all over the country playing sports and having fun."

One of the hurdles of Camp Abilities is the financial end of things. In Alaska, most of the campers have to fly in, and that means huge costs. Several local organizations have helped defray those costs, Lieberman said, and that is a big step toward making sure the camp continues in Alaska.

Lions Clubs have been especially helpful, Webber said. They have sponsored fly-in scholarships, and some of the costs for the campers, Webber said.