Group Presentations!

So last night the first 4 groups did their presentations on the innovative activities we were assigned to do research on! The group topics were: High Ropes Courses, Recreational and Therapeutic Horseback Riding, Painting/Sculpting and Boating/Kayaking. Everyone did a fantastic job and I learned a lot more about how each of the activities can be used in therapeutic settings as a CTRS.
       The first group that presented was Boating/Kayaking. I have kayaked and canoed most of my life, and knew that the handholds for the paddles could be adapted for people with physical disabilities, but I did not know that for boating/sailing, the boats could be made virtually un-tipable--something that I thought would definitely be a major problem for people with disabilities. It was also cool that with all of the new technology today, there is an electronic compass that can help people who are blind to sail! As a CTRS, this will definitely be helpful to know that there are many options for taking clients with any type of disability out on water activities.
               The second group talked about Therapeutic/Recreational Horseback Riding. I heard about how therapeutic horseback riding was used for people, especially kids with disabilities, but I did not know how many different types of equipment were used. I thought the "breakaway stirrups" were especially cool because it eliminates a huge safety concern when working with kids with disabilities while riding horses. This will be important for me as a CTRS because I want to work mainly with the pediatric population, so I will definitely be incorporating therapeutic horseback riding into my treatment plans!

      The third group presented on Painting/Sculpting. Adaptive art was one of the areas that I thought was pretty self explanatory. I mean, just make the handles of the art materials bigger or change the height of an easel and voila, instantly adaptable! But, I learned that there is definitely a lot more to it! I did not know much about how blind people were able to paint with different colors by using the raised paint. It was so cool to see the guy on the youtube video that was blind but was able to determine the differences between the paint colors based on the texture of the paint itself! Way cool! After seeing all of the new ways to adapt art materials, I  know I will be creating my own art supplies for my clients as a future CTRS.
     Finally, my group presented on High Ropes Courses. The process of investigating ways to make ropes courses adaptable for people with disabilities wasn't too difficult as there is a lot of information out there on how to do so. High Ropes courses are becoming increasingly popular as part of the "extreme" adaptive sports along with water skiing, and outdoor rock climbing. I learned that while doing research, you should try to find as many sources of information as possible about your topic to get the best consensus possible. Also, I found it very helpful to look up different organizations/companies that provide the service you are looking for, because they may have more information that you didn't find on your regular internet search. It was interesting to read up on all of the new things different camps and organizations throughout the country are doing with the idea of a high ropes course for people with disabilities!

Here's a cool website from Camp Kostopulos in Salt Lake City, UT that explains more about their individual High Ropes Course!