The RISE coaching staff had the opportunity to learn from Jayna Walker, Employment Specialist with the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults. Everyone at RISE loves learning opportunities such as this, as it better equips us to serve our athletes as well as their families.
Training began with a general introduction to the DeafBlind community, terminology, best practices, and a great overview of what was to come.
Then we transitioned to several practical exercises designed to give us a better understanding of how those who are deaf and blind navigate and interact with the world around them. For example, we partnered up, and one person made an object using Play-Doh, and the partner, with their eyes closed the entire time, then had to feel the object and guess what it was.
Our team was given several different tasks to complete, all while wearing different lenses that would simulate macular degeneration, cataracts, and retinitis pigmentosa. What is it like for an individual with macular degeneration to button a solid black shirt? How difficult is sorting colors for someone with cataracts? Is organizing Tupperware and lids a simple task for a person who has retinitis pigmentosa?
Also discussed was our building and equipment, giving us better knowledge of how to communicate with an individual who may have hearing or vision loss, or both.
How do you safely and appropriately tell a deafblind individual where the bathroom is, but more importantly, where everything is inside the restroom? Jayna also gave us a brief overview of haptics and how one might map a room on the individual’s back.
The more we understand how our athletes perceive and navigate our gym, and our world, the better equipped we will be to serve them and ensure that movement always belongs to everyone.
To learn more about the Helen Keller National Center for DeafBlind Youths and Adults, please visit their website, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.