Finale of Sports & Disabilities

So for the past 15 weeks I have discussed sports and disabilities and their separate significances in people's lives. I have discussed disabled sports such as wheelchair basketball in the beginning and talked about both the Paralympics and Deaflympics. I think througout the semester I successfully addressed all aspects of my blog and informed many of you of a different sports world. As for many of you I'm sure sports have also been apart of your life and will continue to be. Sports for many are a way to escape and release tension. Sports build confidence and allow friendships to grow. Disabled sports or non-Disabled sports they are still sports, and now I hope everyone undestands that. Disabled sports gives children and adults the chance to grow in confidence and also make new experiences.

A good website that I found that really discusses everything I have talked about this semester is dsusa.com. The website is called Disabled Sports USA and in the website it talks about many different programs and sports. This webite explains both winter and summer games. Winter athletics include skiing which is special because it includes both cross country and alpine skiing. Alpine skiing is special because disabled athletes can still participate by skiing only one ski which is extrememly impressive! Athletics have come extrodinarily far even from a century ago, they incorporate all types of athletes! I had fun doing this blog project and learned alot from all of you and your posts!!! Have a great holiday and good luck on finals week!

Have you heard of Deaflympics?

So, I know I have been all about the Olympics lately, my last blog and my final paper but I can't seem to let it go becasue it is such a great foundation. The Olympics have been around for many year and keep growing with popularity every year! I was searching google when I came across a site for the Deaflympics. Before this encounter I have never heard of them only the regular Olympics and Paralympics. But did you know that the Deaflympics are the second oldest Olympic games after the Summer Olympics? The Deaflympics have been around since 1924 and that year were held in Paris, France. Since then it has been trucking along with traditions for 80 years. The last Deaflympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. Those games attracted over 3,000 spectators. The cool part about he Deaflympics is that there is both summer and winter games just like the regular Olympics. You have to be pretty deaf to compete in the games. In your good ear the athlete has to hear 55 decibels.

In highschool, I took American Sign Language or ASL. In this class I learned about Deaf culture and what is considered right and wrong and how you could be excluded from the Deaf community. Well one thing that Deaf people do not like is being called a deaf-mute but hard of hearing and Deaf are allowed. Deaf families and the community also frown upon cochlear implants. Many of you might not know what this is but it is a device that is inserted into your cochlea a snail like organ in your body. A cochlear implant is supposed to help with hearing but all it really does is make it more fuzzy for the Deaf person. Other hearing helpers such as hearing aids are frowned upon in the Deaf community. Deaf people value their culture and do not like trying to be changed by science. By getting a cochlear implant makes you less deaf and also excludes you from competing in the Deaflympics. The Deaflympics makes this rule so everyone is on the same playing field. Because the Deaflympics are held in both Summer and Winter, many sports are offered a few from both games include:water polo, swimming, tennis and winter: ice hockey, snowboard, and curling.
Cool fact: The Deaflympics are run by all Deaf people for Deaf people, they are independent and do not like being looked at as a disability.
I hope you learned something new because I did!

Paralympics 2010

I know I have already posted a blog before about the paralympics and the types of activities that they promote and how you can get involved, but this blog will inform you of the next competition. The 2010 Paralympics will be held February 12, 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, also consequently where the winter Olympics are taking place. Like any Olympic games each has a torch relay. The games are only 63 days away and athletes and spectators are geered up and ready! The Winter games differ greatly from the Summer Games. Besides the obvious weather changes and different sports each alternate with one another every two years. I think this time placement keeps the world involved and allows a good break between both Olympics. The leading champs of the last Winter Games which were held in Torino in 2006, was Russia, Ukraine, and France. The United States seem to conquer more summer Olympics because in the standings for Winter OLympics in Torino we came in seventh.

One awesome event that I would love to withness is the wheelchair curling. Spectators and judges are excited to watch athletes perform. I urge all of you to watch the Paralympics games held in Vancouver this winter. It will be a great experience and maybe make you appreciate yourself. The sports that paralympics can compete in are limited but do include: wheelchair curling, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, ice sledge hockey and a biathlon. The interesting part about the Paralympics is that you do not have to be young to compete. As long as you are in good shape and health you can compete.

Athletes have come along way and disabled athlets will continue on to participate. Happy Viewing!!

Mistreatment in Education

Have any of you ever been scrutinized in a classroom because of a culture or race issue? I know this is a little different then most traditional blogs about disabilities and sports. But, in my Philosophy class we read a piece talking about consciousness racism and this campus strictly came to mind. I have never really experience multiracial classrooms until I came to college. Some students are targeted for certain questions,some who of which are of color. Many teachers/professors ask particular students of color questions that would be directed towards them. Do you think this is wrong? Or is it unintentional/intentional? I think that teachers are unaware that this is an issue. Teachers ask students for commentary during heated discussions but sometimes students are scared to speak out because of their race. I have been in a classroom and witnessed this fait. Sometimes students speak out against teachers and tell them what they want to hear. I hope students do not give into the racism provided by teachers and give them the satisfaction of asking them questions. Students have the right especially in the classroom to eithe answer or not answer a question. Hopefully professors learn to ask the whole group a question instead of singleing out one student. Teaches need to be aware of racism they might present in the classroom. Have you ever witnessed this or been apart of this before?

What defines being Blind???

The definition of blindness is the lacking of visual perception due to physiologicalor neurological factors. There are levels that categorize if you are completely blind or just somewhat blind maybe in one eye or both. Blindness is caused by many aspects mostly by malnutrition, and diseases. Blindness is more of a degenerative disease but some people are born blind with no vision since they were born. Many people go blind with age because as you get older parts of you eye such as the optic nerve, cornea, and the retina. Cataract and Cornea eye surgery are popular surgeries here in the United States that slow diseases. Many of you have heard of glaucoma, which is when your vision gets worse from the outside in. So as time goes by your vision gets worse because your peripheral vision dissapears. Blindness is consdered a Disability here in the United States but just becasue you are blind does not mean you can no longer read.

The substitute for words on a page are dots or rised bumps on paper or hard surfaces called braille. Braille was invented by Louis Braille in 1821. This invention was impressive because it allowed the blind to now read and write. Braille was a great invention because now blind people can now still earn a education. Blind people also have helpers. Many of you have maybe seen a professor around campus with a eye-seeing dog. These dogs are usually labs or golden retrievers and are very smart. They are so smart that they learn their owners routines and are their lifetime helper. Eye-seeing dogs are not meant to be just pets but partners. If you ever see an eye-seeing dog do not try and pet it or feed it any food it is trained to only listen to their owners voice. Other blind members may use a walking cane that helps them watch where they are going.

Accessibility At SUNY Cortland

Have you ever been physically impaired to the point where you couldn't walk and needed assisstance with either a wheel chair or crutches? If you do have the luxury good luck getting around campus especially when the weather turns bad. My friend Alicia unfortunately tore her ACL this past fall and has to hike around campus just to keep up with her classes. She is a Physical Education at Cortland and sadly had to withdraw from her activity courses. She lives at the bottom of the hill and all of her classes are at the top. When she told me she had a rough time around campus gettting from building to building, I thought she was just kidding. But, then I thought about it and really it is hard to get around. Just to get into Bowers you can take that long and windy ramp then take the elevator in the building. Have you ever been in that elevator? It is not meant to be for passengers but just the cleaning cart! After this adventure up and around the hill to the front of Old Main back to Dowd and such she has to come back to her dorm. We both live in the Towers and if you have ever been in the Towers the front entrance is not the most friendly building. To get to the elevators you have to go to the back between Casey and Smith then take a elevator to your floor. This process is long and tiring and by the end of the day she doesnt even want to get dinner because it all repeats!

Fortunately, the campus is making renovations to many buildings. The newest remodeled building, Fitzgerald was redone this past year and now is accessible to the handicapp but only on the first floor. Many of you might not know this, but Casey and Smith's front entrances are going to be remodeled also this next spring. So step by step the school will become friendlier to the handicapp, but do not even try going into Park Center for a class, because guess what? An elevator does not exist!

The Turkey Trot

About a week and half ago, on November 10, SUNY Cortland hosted their annual Turkey Trot. It is a 5K run or 3.2 miles walk/run/wheelchair around campus. I was able to run the Turkey Trot last year, and this year I was signed up to run also but unfortunately sprainged five tendons in my foot and was in the Emergency Room the day of the race. Some of you may have participated in the it or known someone who did.

What is unique about this race is that it is a run/walk/wheelchair race. Participants have the option of using a wheelchair for the whole race. It is long but I would have wanted to do that this year because I think it would have put my life into perspective. Just for about half a week I was hobbling around this campus on crutches and it was extremely painful. Carting myself around campus took a long time and it was a great workout. Here at SUNY Cortland we offer many adaptive classes that students can participate in along with the Apple Run and Turkey Trot Run. If you ever have the chance to put yourself in someones elses position, you shouldn definitely give it a shot. It is a rewarding experience to see what people with disabilities have to deal with everyday. Next time you see someone who is on crutches at school or is in a wheelchair, help them out! This campus is not the most handicap excessible and we all know how much fun it is to walk up and down the hill!

Everyone have a fun and safe Thanksgiving!