"Just Because I Can't See the Stars Doesn't Mean I can't Reach For Them!"

"Just Because I Can't See the Stars Doesn't Mean I can't Reach For Them!"

So it's been a while since I've posted...life happens.  We're in the middle of midterm exams, and last week the UAH Concert Choir went on a retreat to do some super-rehearsing. We rehearsed for about 9 hours over the course of two days. Prada came with me and enjoyed all the devoted worshippers in all four sections, and actually ate almost a full meal in a new location!

Now that the housekeeping's done for this post I'd like to focus a bit on a program known as SCIVIS, Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students. This is a week-long program run out of Space Camp at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where I now go to school. SCIVIS is actually the reason I wound up at UAH. This program was started by Dan Oates, who works at the West Virginia School for the Blind, and is operated just like any other week at space camp, but with more accessibility features added in. These include Brailed simulator controls (on the space shuttle and space station controls, installing text-to-speech software on the computers, and providing Braille and large-print MAD books (checklist books, timeline scripts, 'medical' manuals, et cetera.) All of the counsellors receive special training to work with visually impaired students, too. Schools for the blind are the primary sources for campers, although some independents come. I've even had international students on my team from places like Ireland, England, Australia, Canada, and parts of Eastern Europe. It is a very intense and emotional week, even for sighted students, but for us even more so , I believe, because we are forced to break an extreme comfort-zone barrier in addition to working 16+ hour days at full speed. Extreme physical and mental challenges on ropes' courses and flight and motion simulators provide wonderful mobility and scientific experiences for VI students of every level of impairment and a wide range of ages. I could fill this blog with stories and activity descriptions for months to come but i will only do so when I feel they are relevant. If you want more specific information on SCIVIS post questions and/or visit http://www.tsbvi.edu/space/.

I will be posting more on SCI-VIS in the future because the camp experience is such a powerful growing tool and mentally expanding experience that I feel strongly about sharing it with any potential students and supporters.  It had a huge and ongoing impact on my life and the lives of thousands of other students a counselors and chaperones.