Baltimore, Maryland – During a morning event in the Health and Recreation center of the University of Maryland college park, blind students participated in a sports track through which they learned to exercise in fun and educational ways. The track, which is part of the Youth Slam organized by the National Federation of the Blind, engaged students in many fun sports activities on exercise machines. And some of these machines provided new ways to access sports information nonvisually.
For example, each student was given a talking pedometer, which helped them keep count of how well they are doing. Rachna Kashwani, a mentor at the event, says that this “helps encourage them to exercise in a more interactive way.”. “it makes them feel curious and more motivated to exercise. They could keep track of how much work they have done and maybe store a record of their highest step count.”
As Corina exercised on the elliptical, she could keep track of how many steps she has taken by simply pushing a button on the pedometer. “4125 steps”, the quiet yet understandable voice of the pedometer stated.
“In the end we added all the steps our pod took and then the steps of the entire class in general”, she said, slightly out of breath from the workout. “it’s not a competition at all, it’s simply fun to know how much we all have walked. Although, I am trying to beat Portia – so far she has walked more than i!”
On the opposite side of the room, Ashley is using balls to stretch on. “it’s very fun and relaxing!” She says, laying her back on the ball.
There are plenty of machines in this room. From weight machines and bikes, to arm exercising and muscle building tools, this track truly concentrates on presenting sports in a fun and interactive way, not something many blind students get exposed to.
Education is also a key in the track. After completing their exercising, students came to a classroom to talk about their experiences. Instructors also gave them exercising tips. “after you do your ten minute cardial workout, it’s important to cool down. That will work on your flexibility.”
Before leaving the center and heading back to the bus, a student was heard saying “this is a fun track! I love sports!” excitedly, and we could tell that he was looking forward to the events which are to come in the future.