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!

Autism and Who it Effects

Autism is an unknown caused disorder that effects many Americans and people worldwide. Many of you might have family members that have some condition either mild or severe Autism. Children that have Autism do have noticeable characteristics on their face or by the way they act. Some common symptoms of Autism first show in a child of young age. Usually once that child is passed five years of age, and show no symptoms then they are cleared. Some symptoms include frantically rocking back and forth, unusual speech patterns, lack of eye contact, and can imitate exactly what the tv just presented. Autism effects a large amount of children born each year. About 1 in 100 kids have Autism symptoms but that number is growing.

Autism is an undiagnose disorder, scientists have ideas of what caused it but they are only theories. Some of the theories include genetics which many people believe is the leading cause also there is fact to believe that it is just because of problems with brain development. The other night I was watching Extreme Homemakeover Edition and the episode was about an eight person family with six children. The family unfortunately had five out of six kids diagnosed with Autism. I find this interesting because as I have researched Autism, there is only a five percent chance of having another child with Autism after having your first. The only kid in this family was 12 year old Emily who was born normal. Autism effects kids around the world but can have a greater effect on the childs parents. What would you do if your children were diagonoed with severe Autism?

MurderBall~Wheelchair Rugby

Have any of you ever heard of Murderball? Murderball is one of the most intense sports that I have ever seen. Murderball what it is called in the United States was invented in Canada in the 1970's. The sport has been around for almost forty years and has been brought to twenty countries. Murderball is for disabled men and has been made into a documentary. It was published in 2005, and shows the major game between USA and Canada.

Murderball or Wheelchair Rugby is an intense game that takes place on a basketball court and uses a smaller ball than a basketball. Murderball also has some aspects of hockey because of the penalties. Each team usually has twelve players but has four players on the court at a time. Each player is required to use a special wheelchair that is built to be easily turned and flipped. This game is very aggressive and has players that are quadrpeligic. This sport is only for disabled people but you can watch as a spectator.

This sport is unique, fun, exciting and entertaining! If you ever get a chance to watch this movie I hear it is great and I plan on watching it tomorrow night! It's really a mix between basketball rules, the intensity and roughness of ice hockey, and using the size of a regulation size volleyball.

What about the Movie "The Ringer"?

Many of you have probaby seen the comedy The Ringer starring Johnny Knoxville. If you haven't, it is about this normal guy who some how gets his way into to compete in the specical olympics to win to hopefully pay off a hospital bill. This movie casts many mentally handicapped people to play the roles of the special athletes. Throughout the movie, the director definitely pokes fun at by making many of the actors appear unintelligent and say incorrect things. I recently watched this movie the other night and I began to think about how they depicted mentally challenged people. At first I thought they were helping mentally handicapped people to get noticed and shed light on the special olympics. But after really looking closely on how it was written, I thought that some parts poked fun at the handicapped characters.
My question for you is what do yo think about this movie? Did you think it was meant to embrace and aware people of mentally challenged others? Or do you think it made fun of mentally challenged people?

Participating in Recreational Sports with Disabilities

Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you can’t fish, swim, hike, and boating. These activities are easier if you are not disabled but technology today and inventions have helped people with special needs be able to do these activities. Fishing and boating such as kayaking and canoeing can be enjoyed by all. Fishing and boating are relaxing activities that help relieve stress and other problems. As long as you have others to help disabled people than you shouldn’t have an issue getting them on and off the boat.
Hiking and swimming are other outdoor activities that can be enjoyed by everyone. Hiking might be harder for some people based on their special needs because of heights and roots and the walkways. Swimming is for everyone. With the help of special adaptive swimmers, whether you are deaf, blind, or missing a limb, you can still swim. There are plenty of fun activities to do with children of all ages and working out in a pool burns more calories than being outside the pool.
Disabled and special needs people do need assistance but sometimes are capable of doing things themself. When helping someone out who is disabled, allow them to try on their own first before you help them. I know from my experience that helping someone that doesn’t want to be helped doesn’t always end well.

Learning to Teach and Working with Special Need Kids

Working with special needs children is completely different then working with "normal" children. Mentally and physically challenged kids may need to be taught in more than one way. They may have to be taught in many differnt angles and attempts. For me working with special needs children brings a ton of joy into my life. Seeing children accomplish a goal is one of the most rewarding experiences that you can have.

I am extremely excited to be adding a concentration of adaptive to my major. My dream is to teach mentally and physically challenged children in physical education. Many kids who are considered disabled are sometimes picked on or made fun of by other kids. Many disabled children for physical education class are taken away by a special teacher to have their own individual class. When I was youger I was jealous of these kids because it seemed they were able to participate in the more exciting activities. When I was stuck playing dodgeball, they were practicing balancing skills and rolling on the ground on a square-shaped skateboard. Every child deserves to participate in physical activity especially because the obesity rate in America is increasing every year! It's sad that Physical Education classes are the first to be cut from a budget along with Music and Art. These are the classes that children look forward to durig the day, not science or math but playtime and gym class.

In the high school I attended American Sign Language (ASL) was offered as a course to take. I live near Rochester in western New York which is the largest deaf city in the nation. I thought this course would be beneficial for me because I had run into deaf people all the time. Just after one year of taking the course we attended a deaf play at NTID or National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester. The play was incredible and being around people speaking a new language was fun. After the first year I decided to complete the whole course and take it for three full years. I would have never changed my experiences with this class and my friends. I learned about a new culture and a new life! Participating in this class and also peer leading with special needs children has inspired me to become an Adaptive Physical Education teacher. As I go through my time here at SUNY Cortland, I hope to achieve my goal and also learn the proper teaching techniques needed for these children.

The Inside and Out of Special Olympics

The Special Olympics is not only a prized organization but also a place for intellectually disabled children to increase their self-esteem and confidence. This organization was formally founded in July 1968 for the first summer games but began in June of 1962. The founder was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, she opened her home to many mentally challenged kids to enjoy physical activities.
The Special Olympics offers a wide variety of activities for children and adults to participate in. The games are held both in summer and winter, with involvement in such sports including kayaking, judo and golf to regular Olympic games such as snowboarding and cycling. By having such a diverse program a great range of children and adults can be included in the games. Recently the founder of the Special Olympics passed away. She was greatly recognized by the organization because of her efforts to start and maintain the program for over forty years! The Special Olympics began with just the United States but has grown to incorporate over one-hundred and eighty countries. The largest gathering of mentally disabled children and adults is the Special Olympics. The last summer Special which were held in July 2008, brought together more than three million athletes. This association is exceptionally beneficial to the children and adults because it is more than just sports for them. This allows the children to escape their everyday lives of being harassed, and embarrassed and gives them the chance to improve their inner confidence.
Many of you may have heard of this organization and what it is about, but what I am curious to know is that did any of you volunteer at a special Olympics near you? Some of my friends were lucky enough to volunteer at a close school hosting the Special Olympics. I wish I could have been given the chance to encourage a child involving sports. The reason I want to become a teacher is because of the look on a child’s face when you help them complete their goal. That look makes all your hard work really seem worth it. To know that you are that person that made their day a little bit easier, makes you feel empowered and fulfilled. For any of you that are also going into the field of education know it’s not about the money or the benefits but what you will learn from your students.

The Fundamentals of Wheelchair Basketball

For over sixty years wheelchair basketball has been a widely experienced sport. The National Wheelchair Basketball Association or the NWBA was founded in 1946. Also, what most people know to be the NBA or National Basketball Association was also formed in the same year. Many wheelchair sports formed because of the the injuries of World War II which greatly increased the liking and popularity of wheelchair basketball.
Injuries are widespread throughout the country and when significant damages occur to the human body leaving it sometimes paralyzed, it leaves the victim with decreased mobility and a sense of loneliness. Wheelchair basketball was a way to escape the feeling of being a victim. This in many ways helped sufferers overcome their new lifestyles. There really isn't much difference between basketball and wheelchair basketball. Both are played on the same boundaries and rules, the main difference between the two is that one is played with wheelchairs. There is both a national league for men and women and they compete against countries such as Canada, Australia, and Mexico. This last past Saturday the United States beat Canada 79-69 in overtimes in Vancouver, Canada. This game was not just any game but the gold medal for the win in the 2009 American Cup.
Wheelchair is abundant throughout the country and offers programs for junior varsity teams and young teenagers. The program starts the kids young and produces incredible special athletes. The NWBA follows NCAA rules and regulations almost exactly except for some minor differences for rules based on where the wheelchair is placed on the floor. The NWBA may be the professional side for wheelchair basketball players but just like regular basketball there are pick up games for wheelchair basketball. Many towns have clinics that offer night wheelchair basketball for injured and non-injured players. Sometimes clinics do not have many paralyzed people so sometimes non-injured people do participate in wheelchair basketball. Here at Cortland, we offer many intramural sports such as wheelchair basketball, softball, and even the Turkey Trot some volunteered to "run" the 5K in a wheelchair. When playing these sports the wheelchair is not the same kind of wheelchair that would be used in a hospital. The wheels are faced inward for better steering and also more control for the athlete. Also, the wheelchairs are much more stable than hospital wheelchairs because they're faster and made of stronger material.
In essence, wheelchair basketball is just as easily played as regular basketball for special athletes. Wheelchair basketball can be enjoyed by everyone and is a great upper body physical workout. If you ever get the chance to try this experience at Cortland, I hope you give it a try!

Intro & About Me

I think everyone should be given the chance to participate in sports because it is a very rewarding experience. Sports not only improve your overall physical fitness but also improves self esteem, social skills, and allows you to go outside your comfort zone to try new experiences. I have been involved in sports and other outdoor activities since a young age. The majority of today's generation is highly involved in video games and other electronics, but when I was younger I always wanted to be outside either playing an organized game with my close friends and siblings or just running around just being a kid. I am a sophmore here at SUNY Cortland and my major is Physical Education with a concentration in Adaptive Physical Education. In high school I knew I wanted to become a teacher and I needed sports in my everyday life. I also took an American Sign Language class and this opened my eyes to wanting to teach mentally challenged children and also working with the disabled. Even though, many disabled students feel like they have obstacles to overcome when wanting to participate in sports, this is not the case. Disabled children can be athletes, and be great athletes. Schools offer and are continue to offer more options for children with disabilities. With these writings every week I hope to open your eyes and show many of you that children with disablilites can do everything a non-disabled child can do.