The Belize Council for the Visually Impaired's 8th annual Summer Camp closes this week in Belize City. The camp started two weeks ago out west in Cayo and this week they have moved to the Stella Maris School. The camp is for visually impaired children and we found out that the "fun factor" is just as high, if not higher, than it would be at a normal camp.
Keith Swift Reporting,
Charles Chiac can play a mean tune on his electronic piano keyboard. While Richard Genus is skilled on another keyboard; a computer keyboard. And then there is Brendano Choco who knows his way around the keypad of his typewriter.
Brendano, Richard, and Charles are camped out on the compound of the Stella Maris School in Belize City where for the past 10 days they have been working on their various skills. But this is no regular camp and these are no regular campers. This is a camp for kids with varying degrees of visual impairment and BCVI's Deputy Director and rehab coordinator Joan Samuels says that is about the only thing different about this camp.
Joan Samuels, Deputy Director BCVI
“It’s their own summer camp but if you look around you will see some children who aren’t visually impaired. This summer camp serves the purpose of helping the visually impaired children as well as having children with vision to come in and learn with them, play with them, and be peer counselors or support for them.”
KS: And also this camp is not only for the visually impaired kids but also their siblings.
Joan Samuels,
“Yes the strategy was that we bring a sibling or a co-partner, not necessarily a sibling, so that they can learn the skills and then they go back with them to their respective homes and support them.”
And along with their co-partners, the 28 visually impaired participants have been spending their days at camp dabbling in arts and craft, music, and even surfing the net.
Joan Samuels,
“We did Braille and we concentrated on reading, spelling, writing, mathematics, and computer technology which carries a speech program that teaches them to listen and be able to type on the computer without having a reader; it speaks to them while they type. And we also did arts and craft to lessen the tension of the classroom situation.”
KS: So this helps both society and the visually impaired?
Joan Samuels,
“Certainly it does. Its a two way street: we take from them and they can give to us so its a two way street.”
So when camp recesses tomorrow these kids will be well on the way down that two way street with their final destination set on finding comfort and acceptance in a tolerant society.
The camp ends tomorrow with a closing ceremony.