‘A loss of sight, never a loss of vision.’ Go inside Camp Abilities at Columbus State
Columbus State University’s main campus was transformed Into an adaptive sports hub for blind and visually impaired children Memorial Day weekend, empowering them to aspire to the phrase printed on their T-shirts: ‘A Loss of Sight, Never a Loss of Vision.’
“Camp Abilities is a sports camp for kids that are blind or visually impaired,” said camp director Jeanine Fittipaldi-Wert, associate professor of health & physical education at CSU. “It’s where we focus on sports that are either in the Paralympics or sports for individuals that are blind. It also promotes socialization and independence.”
The 11 campers stayed on CSU‘s main campus, taking part in sports and recreational activities including ice hockey, tandem biking, tennis, soccer, goalball, beep kickball, rock climbing, swimming, track & field and team-building activities.
“Seeing them be able to experience something that they thought they couldn’t do, there’s no greater joy than that,” said Fittipaldi-Wert, called “Dr. J” by campers and volunteers.
She said the word “can’t” doesn’t exist at Camp Abilities Columbus, and camp counselors tell new campers to not say it because “Dr. J’s not going to have it.”
“That means the world to me because, in this world, everything is possible,” she said. “Sometimes we just need to tweak it and modify it, and everything here is very auditory or very tactile.”
Brent Myhand of Roswell, Georgia, said he has come to Camp Abilities with his son Mason for about nine years. He said Camp Abilities gives his son a chance to excel and experience opportunities he wouldn’t get at other camps,
“He loves it because he also recognizes it’s unique,” Myhand said, “and he’s getting to ride a tandem bike, gets to play team sports, where normally team sports wouldn’t cater to someone who’s blind or visually impaired.”
Campers arrived at CSU Friday evening. Saturday morning, they bussed to the Columbus Ice Rink for a morning of ice skating and hockey.
Jeremy Delany, a U.S. Army veteran and manager at the Columbus Ice Rink, told the Ledger-Enquirer he has volunteered with Camp Abilities for about four years, beginning as a volunteer skater with the Chattahoochee Valley Warriors, the local disabled veterans hockey team.
“It’s just a good way to give back to the community and show our support for kids that are less fortunate right now and show them, ‘Hey, you can do it,” Delany said. “Ice hockey, ice sports, is all inclusive.”
Delany, and a group of volunteers comprising local figure skaters, Columbus River Dragons and Chattahoochee Valley Warriors, taught campers the basics of ice skating and hockey, including how to pass and shoot a puck. Then they put on blindfolds and played a game with the campers as other volunteers stood behind the two nets, making noise to let everyone know where the nets were located.
“It’s very humbling,” Delany said, “it’s a different way for us to experience what they experience.”
As he walked off the ice, camper Chris O’Neill said he enjoyed scoring goals during the visit.
“You never take a disability as a disadvantage,” he said. “You take it as an advantage.”
