Tuesday night was Sports Night and the games were flying. There was plenty going on, from goal ball to basketball, from dance to yoga. There was a star gazing party where you can see the moon and stars up close (with a telescope of course). There was even a wheelchair race!
It was amazing how all these students were able to find the force of the ball and sense that it was coming, gaze at the stars, or listen to directions and allow their bodies to move to the beat. The students were able to turn a hard task into something easy to do and fun to work with. They were also able to exercise not only their bodies and minds, but also their ability to follow along, despite their blindness.
At the Star Gazing portion of the evening, blind students were able to see the magic of the moonlit and starlit sky at night. For blind people, seeing the stars is one of those “unachievable” things, but Youth Slam opened up that world to us.
In the ball games, students are able to hear that the ball is coming and either catch it, hit it, or kick it without getting hit. And in the dance and yoga classes, people used their bodies to follow along to the music and instructions. Overall, it was a very entertaining and relaxing night for everyone.