Recreation and Leisure

Participating in sports, hobbies, and recreational activities with adaptations and modifications for visual impairment.

How to Read Music

Sydney

Grade: 8

Visual Impairment: CVI

Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, ipad

You might be in band one day, and guess what? That sheet music is tiny! Here are some ideas for making music easier to see.

Use 11x17” paper to photocopy your sheet music (QMG Piano Keyboard Stickers) big enough so you can see it
Write the note names above the actual notes on the sheet music
For piano, try (QMG Piano Keyboard Stickers) to label the keys

For me, music notes still look like a jumble of boots and random items (staff is blurry and things blend together). Any suggestions for this are welcome.

How to Enjoy Hiking

Sydney

Grade: 8

Visual Impairment: CVI

Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, iPad

TVI email: ginger.schmidt@negaresa.org

Do you like to go outdoors and hike with friends and family? If so, do you prefer not to trip on tree roots and rocks (I certainly do)? Here are some things that help me.

The Ambutech Rover Free Wheeling Cane tip is great for hiking surfaces. It rolls over rocks and smaller roots with ease.
The Ambutech Dakota Disk tip is designed for use on gravel and sand.

Do you have any tips or hacks for how to make hiking more accessible?

How to Make Ball Sports More Fun

Sydney

Grade: 8

Visual Impairment: CVI

Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, ipad

Sports are a lot of fun and a great way to get exercise and meet people. But, there is the pesky problem of ball-shaped missiles flying at your head and you not being able to see them. What can you do about that?

Soccer - I find it helpful to use a ball with a rattle inside, so it is easier to track where it is; I also prefer a ball with bright colors.
Tennis - I can only really see larger than tennis-sized balls; I really helps if they rattle. A racquet with the biggest possible head also helps.
Volleyball - I have to figure out a way to slow the ball down, so it’s helpful to use a beach ball or balloon. Those move more slowly and don’t hurt when they whack me in the face.
Badminton - This sport doesn’t use a ball, but the birdie still stings when it hits you. So I prefer to use larger, brightly colored birdies to give me a chance to see them. A larger racquet helps with this too.

Do you have any examples of adaptations that you make to help with these types of sports?

How to Enjoy Biking and Track

Sydney

Grade: 8

Visual Impairment: CVI

Tools: large print, braille, magnifier, electronic magnifier, iPad

There are other sports I love that don’t require me to dodge balls to keep my nose from being broken. However, they still need some adaptations.

Biking - When I bike, I ride a three-wheeled recumbent bike that allows me to focus less on the balance part. I also ride with a partner who provides verbal feedback on terrain, stop signs, etc. My partner can also ride in front of me to provide a visual target to help me stay on the path.
Track - I run track competitively, and when I got to a competition, I walk around the track beforehand to familiarize myself with lane lines on the track and the finish line.

Let me know if you have ideas about how to go biking or run track.

How to Play a Board Game Without Blocking the Board From Everyone Else

Grade: 7

Visual Impairment: bilateral dominant optic nerve atrophy

Tools: large print, monocular, magnifier, electronic magnifier, ipad

TVI email: twilks@naperville203.org

If you're playing a board game and the board is evil and tiny, then you need a way to see. You could squash your face in front of the other people and practically smash your nose on the board so that you can read it...or you could follow these steps that will make your board game life much simpler, and not include smashed noses.

First, get an iPad or phone and download the Notability app or Notes app.

Next, ask the people playing to move so you can get a good picture of the game board. You should ask kindly, saying something like "hey, guys, I am visually impaired and I'm having trouble seeing the board. Can you move so I can take a photo and be able to see?"

Then insert the photo on Notability by pressing the + icon, or insert it on the Notes app by sharing the picture in photos to Notes. Now use your fingers to zoom in. As the playing progresses, mark what is going on onto your photo of the game board.

Now you finally have a way to see what's going on, and you'll be able to play the game more independently.