10. Wheelchair Tennis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmxpYYwJ330

I was searching for an adaptive sport since I couldn't think of any other interesting craft ideas so while I was searching I wanted to come up with something that looked like it could be quite challenging.  And then I found wheelchair tennis. WOW the athleticism that is required for this sport is truly amazing.  Not only do you have to constantly be moving the wheels but then also get there to hit the ball.  I think the people that play this sport are extremely talented.


Considerations and Facilitation:
The way I would facilitate this activity would be to find a person who already knows quite a bit about the type of specific wheelchair used in this sport and see if they knew how to loan or rent one to my client.  I would also make sure that the facility I work for would be able to pay for the wheelchair or that the individual would be able to pay or rent one of these wheelchairs.  Then I would research a tennis facility that either provided these chairs and could be accessible for wheelchairs.  Connecting the person with the disability to a person who already is an active participator in wheelchair tennis would be a major thing because it would allow the person to have a great lesson on how to play the game, and they would also be able to have more in common with this instructor verses an instructor that teaches regular tennis.  I would also take into consideration if the family of the individual or the individual themselves have transportation and make sure that they are ready for the challenges that this sport is going to present.  If I were working with someone who just recently was injured and has to use a wheelchair I don't think they would be ready for the challenges and frustration they may experience while playing this game, but maybe after they have accepted their disability. This sport would be great for people who were once very athletic and enjoyed sports before a spinal cord injury or disease they may have left them paralyzed. People who have paraplegia would be better candidates for this sport since you have to use your arms.

9. Making Playdough!!!!!

People may already have heard about this one, but I absolutely love making my own playdough.  It's a cheap and an easy project that really is a lot of fun and can provide numerous therapeutic benefits.  To facilitate this activity I would first figure out how many people would be participating in this activity and adjust the measurements of each of the ingredients accordingly.  I would have the ingredients pre measured for each individual and then tell them the basic procedure of first adding all of the ingredients together. The basic recipe for one batch calls for: 2 cups of flour, 2 cups of warm water, 1 cup of salt, 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 Tablespoon of cream of tartar, and your choice of food coloring , (the food coloring will be added later).  Therefore I would need the appropriate amount of pans or bowls and spoons. The next step would be to continuously stir the ingredients over low heat and stir until the mixture falls off the sides of the pan or bowl and starts to become a dry playdough consistency. For this step I would access to a stove which I would have to assist certain individuals depending on the population I was working with. Once the playdough has cooled down I would give each individual their playdough and have them choose which colors they would like to use, have them add a couple of drops of the food coloring and knead it into the dough.  Then they can play and enjoy their new creations.  Depending on the population I may use discussion questions in the end gain a grasp on how everyone felt about the activity.

The populations that I think this would be great for would be children who have cognitive disabilities, behavioral disabilities such as ADHD, emotional distress, and autism since it will teach them about different textures, shapes, and colors, and also it will help them learn how to socialize and work with others since they could work towards a common goal of creating the playdough and also the challenge of creating something with what they made.  It also could be great for people who have had a stroke since working with the playdough would be great therapy for working on fine motor skills that may have been lost or impaired. And finally this would be a perfect activity for adults with cognitive disabilities since it would give them a fun activity and also allow them to work and socialize with others. I actually did this activity at the Easter Seals camp I volunteered at.  The people there had a variety of types of disabilities that ranged from cognitive disabilities to spina bifida, to ADHD.

 Some things to keep in mind would be to make sure that I would help individuals who are not able to reach the stove or that using the stove would be dangerous for them such as children.  I would also double check that there weren't any allergies with the ingredients that we would be using. If I were working with kids that have attention or behavioral issues I would make sure that they would have volunteers helping them to keep them on track and make sure they do not bother any of the other children working on their playdough. 

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Playdough-Play-doh/#step1

8.Art and Clothes

The concept of this activity I partly came up with on my own and partly found on line.  The concept is using clothes as a way of creating art. As I found online you can use the actual clothes themselves to create designs and faces that express emotions or the part that I came up with on my own was that you could paint your own designs on to articles of clothing that you could wear or just have has pieces of art.  I think this would be a really unique way for people to express themselves especially if you are working in a nursing or group home where residents could be tired of the same old paint and paper activities. For painting on the actual clothes I thought this would be a great idea for people who have lost a loved one and are trying to move on.  They can create a piece of art on one of their loved one's articles of clothing and keep it as a memory of them, but also turn it into something new symbolizing how they are moving on but keeping them close to their heart. Of course this would be done with people who are experiencing depression because of a lost loved one. Painting one's clothes could also be therapeutic for someone battling addiction since it would keep their mind off of their cravings or if they want to wear those clothes it could be a reminder of all the progress they've made if they are put into a situation where the cravings start to come back.  As far as creating something out of the clothes themselves such as faces or a sculpture this could be used in group therapy with people who have bi polar disorder or are suffering from depression.  It will allow them to express their feelings in a different non conventional way.  Sometimes people may not want to discuss their feelings so openly and maybe creating a face through a sweater could be a fun and more relaxing way to do this.  I think this would also be fun for children since children may respond to describing their emotions through play.  Finally this would also be a great opportunity to give back to the community. For example if you have clients that have extra, old clothing they don't wear anymore you could have them bring these clothes in and after you have done an activity with them you can donate them to a Goodwill or a homeless shelter.

Considerations and Facilitation:
To facilitate this activity I would first take into consideration the population that I am working with. If it were children I would make sure that I have plenty of clean up supplies and have some examples of art work of the clothes pre made so they have some idea of what to do.  I would also give them a demonstration of how to use the fabric paints with sponges or stamps since brushes might be a little difficult for them to use.  If I were working with an adult population I would learn before hand how to make some of the folds and designs that are used to make the sculptures such as the ones pictured below so that I could have some idea of how to help them if they were struggling.  I would also give them plenty of supplies such as fabric paint, regular acrylic paint, with a variety of different sized brushes. Before I would get the group together I would notify the people in my group to bring articles of clothing that they don't want anymore, or in the case of a lost loved one, a piece of their clothing that you want to transform to keep as a memory of them.  I would also find some other articles of clothing in case anyone forgot. Finally I would come up with some debriefing questions to discuss with the group after we have completed the activity regarding how it made them feel, what they were trying to express through their creations, and if they learned anything about themselves through this activity.

 

Refelction on Internet Presentation and Reconstruction of Class 12/2/10

I thought that the presentation on the Internet was very interesting.  It is true that there are several benefits to the World Wide Web and now that it is getting to more people than ever, the stigmas about disabilities and new ways for helping people with disabilities are reaching people they never would have before.  The greatest thing about the Internet pertaining to disabilities is that people with them and their families can access resources cheaply and efficiently.  Not to mention that there is just a greater amount of information about inclusion, adaptive activities, and support groups for those who have disabilities and their family members.  Without being able to confide in others and share your fears and worries about your own or a loved one's disability then all of that emotion will create great turmoil inside causing more problems.  It is also important to share success as well to feel a sense a accomplishment and to give others hope. 

The next group activity that we did where we tried to come up with a new innovative way to use the Internet was more challenging than I thought.  I think trying to come up with something that has never been done with the Internet before seems almost impossible since there is so much technology these days.  Maybe a better challenge would have been how to use any form of technology for TR purposes.   I feel like you could do a lot with videos and the various apps from Apple. 

I thought the opportunity for reconstructing the class and having us share our likes and dislikes about the class this semester was very beneficial.  It is important for the professor to know what worked and didn't work so as to improve the learning experience for future students.  One thing that our group didn't get to elaborate much on was the reconstructing part of the activity.  For this I would have liked to have added how the debriefing part of the activities we did were just us coming up with our own ideas of how that particular project could be beneficial to a certain population.  But what what I would have liked to see are some facts from professionals that confirm that these projects actually do provide benefits.  I also think that having feedback on our group projects was much needed.  Not only so you knew how you were doing in the class but also so that you knew your hard work was appreciated.

Reflection on "Take Apart Art, Toxic Waste, Crossfire, Wheelchair Soccer" 11/23/10

I was not able to make it to this week’s class since I had to work but after looking over some of the other blogs I still want to comment on the activities that were done this week

The first activity described was called “take apart art” where groups were given cut up pieces of a puzzle or poster and had the task of recreating the original design.  I think this is a great activity for a variety of populations because it is not very physically demanding.  The only population that may struggle with this activity would be people with cognitive disabilities.  However other than that this could work for a variety of populations such as the elderly, kids with emotional issues, people recovering from addictions , or people that are clinically depressed. This activity not only teaches people how to work in group together but it also teaches them how to socialize.  By learning to socialize I mean learning how to communicate with group members, learning how to ask for help, listening to other people’s ideas and not being afraid to share your own. 

The second activity discussed was titled toxic waste.  This game was based on strong team work and communication.  Strategizing a way of making sure than no waste fell on the ground and thus polluted the earth would require a great amount of cooperation and brainstorming. From what I read it sounds like the leading group challenged everyone else by changing the size of the containers that the cup full of waste had to be transferred to.  I think that this would not only add a competitive edge to the game but make it more exciting as well. This activity did seem like it did have some physical demands so therefore it would be best used with kids or young adults. As CTRs we can use this activity to teach about how to deal with accomplishments and failures in an appropriate and constructive manner. We can help people express feelings of anger or frustration in safe ways and show how great accomplishment can feel when you put your mind to something.

The next was a presentation about the Crossfire program.  I had heard about this program through a friend and she basically described it as a place for troubled teens to come and work on projects and work on activities.  In one of the blogs it was mentioned that although this program has a religious affiliation there is not much about the program that deals directly with religion.  This person also commented on that this would be a great thing to notify people about since people tend to shy away from religious programs unless they are highly religious themselves.  I couldn’t agree more.  Especially when you are working with teens the subject of God and religion can be hit or miss.  When a teen is not looking for a religious outlet the worst thing to do is force them to listen to someone else’s ideas about faith.  This seems like a more neutral program which certainly attracts more people.

Finally the class got to participate in wheel chair soccer.  I am so jealous!! This seemed like it would be a lot of fun.  Using wheelchairs although they may be fun and entertaining for a while we have to remember that some people use them all day every day. This is a way of life for some people and I think that should definitely be respected. One person mentioned how it is very important that during the relay race they realized how much more challenging it was doing simple activities that we take for granted.  They also mentioned how as TR specialists we need to put ourselves in the position of our clients to better understand what they are going through.  I definitely agree, although we cannot fully understand what it is like to use a wheel chair full time, experiences like these can help us to connect with a client on a more personal level.