The Blind Child At Camp

The Blind Child At Camp

Future Reflections Jan/ Feb/March 1985, Vol. 4 No. 1
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THE BLIND CHILD AT CAMP
by Doris Willoughby
(Note: This article is helpful for many other
situations beside actual camping, including
Scouts, dancing lessons, organized sports, etc.)
Would a special camp or a regular camp be better
for my child? Should he/she go to camp at all this
year? . . . As is so often true, the answer depends
on the characteristics of the particular child, and
on the characteristics of each camp which might
be available to you.
Regular Camps
Thirty years ago it would have been almost
unheard of for a blind child to attend. Today it is
often done; however, careful planning is still
important for best success.
As you look into various camps, be sure to apply
the same evaluations you would use if your child
were not blind. Is the camp well-run, with a good
reputation? Are safety and health regulations
carefully observed? Are the types of activities and
the length of the session suitable for your child at
this age?
During these very first inquiries it may be best not to mention blindness. Otherwise you may
find yourself talking to a receptionist who is
reluctant to describe the camp's regular programs
because she assumes none of them could possible
be suitable for a blind camper. First get the basic
information about the camp itself; then, if you are
interested, talk with the appropriate staff member
in detail about your child's needs and interests.
The suggestion to avoid mentioning blindness at
first may seem inconsistent with our general
advice to be frank about it; certainly it would be
most unwise to enroll a youngster and approach
the first day of camp without having discussed
blindness at all. In getting information, however,
one must somehow get the basic facts without
their being distorted by misunderstandings and
misconceptions.
Once you find a camp that looks right, start early to make plans. Fall is not too soon to start
working toward the following summer. Early
exploration allows plenty of time for research and
troubleshooting; and the staff can more easily be
objective and positive when they need not act
immediately.
Most camps are privately owned and therefore
not subject to all the same laws which require
public schools to include blind children. However,
if your state has a strong "White Cane Law," it
will required that facilities open to the public
must be open to the blind. Civil rights laws also
apply. The matter is complicated, however, by the
camper's being a minor and still learning the
techniques and methods which a blind adult
would use. It is not quite so simple as when a blind
adult might say, "I am a mature person and can
be responsible for myself. I have mastered the
techniques I need for participation in these
activities."
Personal contacts are valuable in encouraging a
positive attitude. Are you a member of the church
which sponsors the camp? Would the local Lions
Club take an interest? Does the school principal
know the camp director? Put the staff in touch
with others who can explain and demonstrate
techniques -- blind adults, itinerant or resources
teachers, other parents, etc. Often the staff will be
more easily convinced by someone other than the
child's parents -- after all, they may assume,
parents always think that their own child are
angelic and able to do anything. One of the best
talking points is to show your child's previous success in a rather similar situation -- as, a day
camp or a single overnight trip before planning a
week at camp. It is also helpful to show the
success of another blind youngster.
If your approach says, "I will be glad to provide
ideas and methods for including my child smoothly
in the daily activities," you will at the same
time by implying (very tactfully) "It is indeed
possible to include my child, and I am sure you
would not want to discriminate unfairly." Offer
copies of the books A Resource Guide for Parents
and Educators of Blind Children and Your School
Includes a Blind Student, available from the
National Federation of the Blind. Give specific
suggestions such as the following:
Boating or canoeing: No one will be alone in a
boat anyway. A blind person can paddle or row as
well as anyone. He/she would even be able to
steer safely in many situations, with verbal
direction.
Swimming (including emergency swimming in
case of an overturned boat): Teach skills by
moving the youngster's body through the motions,
and/or by having him/her examine
another person's motions by touch. Sounds such
as voices can show where the shore is.
Ball games: Often a specific position is especially
appropriate for the blind player, and he/she
might be assigned to play there longer than
usual. Examples include the center in football,
the server in volleyball, and extra fielders in softball.
Running may be toward a sound or with a
partner. Beeping balls can be helpful, but are not
as helpful as it might appear. Also note that
usually there is some choice of activities, and if
the blind camper finds ball games difficult or
uninteresting, he or she might spend more than
the typical time in, say, water sports.
Arts and crafts: Provide a tactual medium.
Examples include clay; sculpture with natural
materials such as rocks and pine cones; macrame;
leather work.
Religious instruction: Written materials may
be prepared in Braille, large print, or recorded
form, or they may be real aloud. If the usual
source for reading matter cannot provide religious
materials, seek out volunteers who can.
Also consult the central publishing house for
your religious denomination, and agencies which
may specialize in religious materials for the blind
(for example, the Jewish Braille Institute of
America, Inc., 110 E. 30th Street, New York, N.Y.
10016).
Music: Written music can be transcribed if necessary.
Playing an instrument is done by touch
and ear anyway. In fact, if you face a problem
here, it is likely to be too much time spent with
music because of the stereotyped belief that music
is especially suitable for the blind.
Hikes: The blind camper can use his/her cane
and simply move with the group. In difficult
terrain it may be helpful to walk with a partner.
Nature study: Let the blind camper touch
objects and living specimens whenever possible.
Provide models or verbal descriptions when
necessary.
Dressing and self-care: Any youngster old
enough to camp overnight should be able to take
care of personal needs. If your child has difficulty,
work with the school on a specific program for
learning.
Talk with the camp staff about your child's
methods in clothing management, eating, independent travel, etc., to avoid their unwittingly
giving too much help or the wrong help.
Special camps for the handicapped
Why, if blind children can attend regular camps,
is there any need at all to consider special camps
for the blind or the handicapped? Again, it is a
matter of the characteristics of the particular
camp and the particular camper. A special camp
may offer services and options not readily available
in a regular camp, and you may want to
consider it in situations such as these:
* Your child is multiply handicapped.
* Your child is extremely inexperienced and
hesitant, and you feel that a sheltered situation
is needed as a first step before a regular
camp.
* The special camp actually teaches alternative
techniques such as Braille and cane
travel.
* This special camp costs less or is closer to
you; or, the special camp is eager to include
your child, while the regular camps seem
resistant.
* There is the opportunity to socialize with
other blind children.
Any of these can be a valid reason for choosing a
special camp, and in most parts of the country
there is at least one such camp. Let us look at each
reason in turn, and note some cautions and
considerations for each.
1. Is a special camp really needed if your child is
multiply handicapped? a good test is to ask, "If
my child were not blind, but did have the same
other handicap(s), would I be selecting a special
camp? If the answer is a clear yes, then you have
your decision. If the answer is "no" or "maybe,"
then keep looking for alternatives. You may
decide to select a special camp at this time but
work harder toward making a regular camp
possible in the future.
2. If your child is inexperienced and hesitant, redouble your efforts to work with his or her
school to build skills and confidence. If you do
decide that a special camp is the best choice at
this time, beware of the tendency to let that
become a permanent decision. Insist that the
special camp work with you on specific plans for a regular camping experience in the near future,
not merely in vague terms. Urge them to offer
actual training programs in the skills needed for
independence.
3. If you are fortunate enough to find a camping situation that actually gives lessons in Braille,
cane travel, and other techniques, this can be an
excellent choice. Occasionally a "summer
school" (more typically held at a residential
school for the blind), with certified teachers and
regular lessons, is transplanted to a camp setting
and offers a most creative combination of fun and
education.
This happy state of affairs, however, is much
more rare than it might seem. All too frequently, a
"special camp for the blind" -- often a rather
sheltered and undesirable one at that -- masquerades
under the name of "education." Ask
probing quesitons and insist on specific details. Is
time actually spent in instruction, or are they
merely saying that some of the staff can read
Braille? If there is instruction, is it at the level
needed by your child? If the camper is already
fluent in reading and writing Braille, what will
the camping experience add?
4. Our world is complex, and sometimes we do
need to make decisions on the basis of what is
available and affordable. None of us have the
energy to fight every battle, or the time to search
out every possibility.
At the same time, let us not be too ready to accept
the less desirable or the last resort. If the regular
camps are unwilling to accept your child, why are
they unwilling? Have you asked the president of
the National Federation of the Blind in your state
for suggestions about your local situation? If
school teachers recommend a special camp, have
you probed their reasons and discussed how to
help your child become more independent?
If the local supermarket offered your child a free
or inexpensive box of candy bars, you might
accept and you might not. You would first consider
whether you wanted your child to have all
that candy. If the candy would harm the child's
teeth or health, it is not a bargain even if it is free.
Apply the same test to a camp: however available
it may be, do not accept it unless it really is
desirable for your child at this time.
How could a camp that is especially for blind or
handicapped children actually harm your child?
It might set the precedent that he/she needs to be
sheltered and cannot do well in a regular situation.
It might teach (by instruction or by example)
methods that are outmoded -- such as depending
on a sighted guide rather than using a cane. It
might provide a great deal of contact with other
youngsters (or even adults) who are very dependent,
have unfortunate personal mannerisms,
and lack social skills. (We do not mean to belittle
children with such problems. We merely say that
it is unwise for any youngsters -- including one
who has these problems -- to spend time only with these children. He/she should also have
contact with normal, well-adjusted youngsters.)
The camp might encourage far too little independence
in general, thus giving your child the
message that he/she cannot or need not develop
real independence. Unfortunately, even agencies
for the blind sometimes have such stereotypes
and misconceptions.
If a regular camping experience seems unworkable,
and if you are not pleased with a special
camp, perhaps the best solution at this time is no camp at all. Work with the National Federation of
the Blind to develop better choices for next summer
or the one after that. Blindness should not
force a child to miss the valuable experience of
being away from home, with congenial friends, in
a rustic setting.
5. There is great value in meeting others who are blind. On the other hand, interests, intelligence,
family background, and many other things are
important in choice of friends and have no
relationship to blindness. Before assuming that
the camp is the best place to meet blind friends,
consider: (a) The abilities and interests of the
particular children at the camp (b) Other
possible opportunities for meeting normal, well
adjusted blind youngsters and adults.
6. We add a final note about camps for the handicapped in general. Even if other blind
children have attended before, and even though
the staff are helpful and open-minded, they may
lack specific knowledge about the best methods
for certain activities. Discuss you child's methods
in eating, clothing management, travel, etc., in
much the same manner that you would if there
had never been a blind camper there before. Even
if the staff are very familiar with methods for the
blind, they will appreciate finding out just what
your child already knows. And you will want to
be sure you approve of the camp's methods.
Conclusion
We believe in your child. We believe that you, as a
responsible parent, can make wise decisions
about camps and other recreational opportunities
for your child. If you would like specific suggestions
on local situations, contact the president of the NFB in your state, the editor of this newsletter,
or the NFB Parents of Blind Children Division.
The president of this organization is Susan Ford,
3241 Walter Ave., St. Louis, MO 63143. Telephone
(314) 644-1121.
Doris Willoughby is a well-known teacher of
visually impaired children and author of several
books for parents and educators of blind children.
For more information about how to order
her books, write to: National Federation of the
Blind, 1800 Johnson St., Baltimore, MD 21230.
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