Innovative Activity 10

Activity: Swinging with the wheelchair accessible glider swing

Target participant group: This activity is for participants who are in wheel chairs.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: Swinging on the glider swing is therapeutic because it gives participants the opportunity to get outdoors an feel the fresh breeze as they swing.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? Anyone can benefit because the glider swing has an accessible side for wheel chairs and bench on the other side for a facilitator or friend to help pump the swing.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? Like I stated earlier, the glider swing can be appropriate for anyone who would like to use it.

Activity description: The glider swing has a ramp that cranks down and up that allows for a wheelchair to have safe an easy access to the swing. Once the wheelchair has gone up the ramp a facilitator or friend will lock the wheelchairs break and crank the ramp up which now serves as a back to make the swing more secure. The facilitator will then remove the swing breaks. After that they can hop on and rock back and forth to get the swing moving.

Resources needed: You will need a glider swing and an area to put it.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style I to help the participant get on and off of the swing and also to help them move of instruct their friend as to how to make the swing move.

Where did you find this activity? We use this swing at Central Wisconsin Center.

http://www.whisperglide.com/

Innovative Activity 9

Activity: Snowball/Marshmallow throw.

Target participant group: This activity would be best for youth at risk.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can promote social interaction, release pent up energy or anger, it can help to teach cooperation and of course it encourages laughter.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? Any group that has mobility in their upper extremities can participate and benefit from this activity.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity is not appropriate for participants who are unable to use arms such as someone with quadriplegia.

Activity description: For this activity you will instruct the participants to be seated in a circle with a bowl of ten marshmallows on their lap. The participants will then have two minutes to throw their marshmallows into other participant’s bowls. When time is up each participant will count the marshmallows in the bow and the winner will be determined based on who has the least marshmallows in their bowl (or most, however you choose).

Resources needed: Bowls, Marshmallows and flour (to dip the marshmallows into so they do not stick to each other).

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style is for the facilitator to introduce the activity and then stand back and let them play while keeping track of the time.

Where did you find this activity? http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txactive.htm

Innovative Activity 8

Activity: Vestibular Bowling

Target participant group: People in wheel chairs who have limited mobility in all extremities.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity gives participants who normally don’t have the chance the opportunity to move swiftly. They also may enjoy feeling the impact of knocking over the pins. The sound can also be pleasing to the participants.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? Any participant who is in a wheel chair can benefit from this activity.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? Participants who are scared easily by loud noises and fast movements would most likely not enjoy this activity.

Activity description: For this activity you will either use bowling pins or other durable items that can handle being knocked over. You will set them up however you like (you can adjust the difficulty by setting them up in different formations. Next you will help your participant by lining them up in a good position and giving them a big push towards the pins or other object you chose. Have another facilitator stand behind the pins/objects to help slow and stop the participant after they hit the pins.

Resources needed: Pins or other durable object and a big open area.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style is hands on. For the particular population I did this with, a facilitator was required because of the limited mobility of our participants.

Where did you find this activity? During my summer job at Central Wisconsin Center we used this activity.

Innovative Activity 7

Activity: Seated Soccer

Target Participation Group: Children, Older Adults

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can be social and a good physical activity.

Some other groups that may benefit from this activity:  Children with autism, children with behavioral problems, and older adults may also benefit from seated soccer.

Some groups this would not work well with are participants who may have spinal cord injuries and/or no movement in their legs.

Activity description: Chairs should be arranged in a circle in a large room. Allow residents/clients to gently kick the ball across the room to one another.  This activity promotes team spirit, exercise, and fun.

Resources needed: Large exercise ball, chairs, and participants

Leadership style: The best leadership style for seated soccer is someone who is able to facilitate the activity and be helpful when needed.

Where did you find this activity? http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txactive.htm

Innovative Activity 6

Activity: Scuba Diving

Target participant group: Wounded warriors with Spinal cord injuries.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity has the potential to decrease symptoms of spasticity, increase positive moods, increase physical fitness and provides the opportunity to be social and makes friends

What other groups may benefit from this activity? People with amputations are also likely to reap the benefit from scuba diving.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity involves using air tanks and regulators for breathing so it may not be appropriate for people with COPD’S.

Activity description: Scuba diving is an activity that involves using a variety of different pieces of equipment to allow yourself to dive deep under water for extended periods of time. In order to scuba dive one must become certified through an accredited certification course such as P.A.D.I.

Resources needed: In order to scuba dive you need equipment such as a wet suit, regulator, and oxygen tank, mask, fins, buoyancy controlled device and an octopus.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style for scuba diving is direct hands on leadership initially. Then gradually give them more independence over time.

Where did you find this activity? I have been a certified scuba diver since I was 15 years old and have gone on multiple dives with my father.

Where can others find more information on this activity? http://paraplegicscuba.blogspot.com/

Week 12: Thursday December 5th- Relaxation

This was our final class and group presentation so it was fitting to have it be the relaxation group. We started off by participating in Laughter therapy by watching a comedians skit on you tube followed by a video about laughter yoga. We then made stress balls out of balloons and play dough. I love this idea because it is so simple, fairly cheap and feels just like a stress ball you would purchase at a store. I will have to use that idea again. After that we did some chair yoga that was lead by a youtube video. This would be perfect for when I work with participants who are in wheel chairs. Next, we were lead through a breathing relaxation exercise  I have done theses many times before and find them so relaxing. Following that we got into a circle and gave massages. This was the perfect last class because I was able to learn a lot of new activities while also de stressing myself. Taking care of yourself is so important, especially in our practice so having these skills is vital. Most, if not all, the people I am going to be working with will find activities like these useful.

Week 11: Thursday November 28th-Grad Students.

This week out class got a break from presenting to have Dr. Lewis's class of graduate students facilitate activities with us. His class was broken up into three groups who each focused on a different population and activity/program that they thought to be beneficial. The first group focused on people with ADHD participating in a program that involved a series of nature scavenger hunts. This group did a great job but growing up with ADD and having a brother with ADHD led me to question whether this activity would really have the results they were expecting. The activity was fun but I think it would be a lot more difficult than they think to facilitate this activity with this population and to get the anticipated results.

The second group was geared towards women making the transition for incarceration to homelessness. I had never heard of this as a population before but was impressed with their idea for a zumba program. I have been taking zumba classes for the past couple years and have loved every minute of it. The exercise  the company, and the music are infectious! Before we started dancing one of the members of the group gave us a brief overview of the different kinds of music and dance moves zumba includes and a very interesting history of a few moves. For example I believe she said the Cumbia is performed where one foot doesn't leave the ground because it originated in the fields in Columbia where people had an ankle chained to something or someone at all times.To me this seemed like a great activity for this population because working out gives you endorphin's that will often improve your mood and it also has the ability to improve there self esteem.

The last group focused on Wounded Warriors and how they can benefit from art activities. They chose to have us make a Mendalla which is a circle that you draw or paint in. The Mendalla is supposed to have a great deal of meaning about your current life situation. The activity was interesting and I have never heard of it before. I feel like it could be very good for some warriors who have a hard time expressing themselves vocally.

Week 10: Tuesday November 19th- Dance Group-Flash mob

This week the dance group had to facilitate their project and they chose to do a flash mob. They selected the son cupid shuffle an decided that the flash mob would take place on the basketball courts  in our Recreational Eagle Center. They had the fun idea to include chancellor Joe Gow as well. We met in the class room where we went over the simple dance moves. Then in small groups headed over to the REC. After arriving we were instructed to blend in until we heard the song come on. Once we heard the song we all slowly joined in. When the song ended we all casually walked away as if nothing had happened. I have a lot of experience dancing and performing in front of crowds because of cheerleading so this was not uncomfortable for me at all. I could tell some of my classmates were not as excited about it but I was impressed to see that everyone chose to participate and appeared to have a lot of fun. Dancing, for me, has always been a huge mood booster. I do not feel like it is possible to be unhappy while dancing to good music. The hardest part about dancing is getting over insecurities. You don't have to be a great dancer to reap the benefits but so many people are afraid of the way that others will look at them that they don't even give dance a chance. I think including someone like Joe Gow takes a lot of the pressure off of the people who are more shy or insecure because they know most of the attention of onlookers will be directed towards him. A flash mob is really a perfect activity or anyone because it involves being physically active and it pushes you to get out of your comfort zone for a little while.

Week 9: Thursday November 15th- Games and Holiday's.

This week we had two presentation, games and holidays. We started off with games which was a blast. We were broken into groups by playing a game where we had a famous name taped on our backs. We had to figure out what the name was by asking others yes or no questions. I was Batman and ended up in the superhero group.In our groups we rotated between four games; pictionary, jenga, banana grams, and twister. After playing the game our group had to come up with ways to adapt the game for people with visual impairments. We said the best game for people with visual impairments would be jenga because it called for the least amount of adaptions. On the other hand we said that banana grams would be the worst because it is all about speed and if you can't see the letters to process them right away you are at a huge disadvantage. They were very creative with the debrief and had us play spin the bottle to fidn out which card we had to answer a question on.

After games my group did our presentation on holidays. We started off by playing some halloween music and having the class dance around and pretend to be different halloween characters. After we did a skeleton craft using q tips followed by a game where the class had to listen to lines from scary movies and try to guess what movie they are from. Next, we did another craft and then a bone scavenger hunt. Lastly we had the class decorate halloween cookies using a plastic spoon because it has more surface area than a knife would.

Week 8: Thursday November 8th- Classroom switch!

This week we switched classrooms and teachers. To help professor Savarese remember our names she had us go around and tell our name and something she can remember us by. It was really interesting to hear some of the things people said. After that we broke into our groups to plan for our projects. My group is holidays and we present next week along with games. We were then dismissed for the day.

Article Review 3: Innovation and Leadership

Article review one: Innovative and creative leadership.

Name of article: The Eight Pillars of Innovation

Name of journal: Think Quarterly: The Innovation Issue

Name of author(s): Susan Wojcicki 

When and how did you locate this article? I located this article on November ^3rd 2012 and found it through google.

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:

This article was written by one of the first Google employees and is about ways they stay innovative. She talks about how much the company has grown over the years and how they have been able to do that through creative innovation. She says it is always a struggle to make the decision whether to invest in a new product or put money towards improving something that is already there. She then goes on to talk about the Eight Pillars of Innovation. According to her these are: Have a mission that matters, Think big but start small, Strive for continual innovation, not instant perfection, Look for ideas elsewhere, Share everything, Spark with imagination, fuel with data, Be a Platform, and Never fail to fail.

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?  Though these principles were about an internet search engine I feel it can be applied to almost any profession. Having a mission that matters really stood out to me because in TR we often work at agencies that have mission statements and like she states it is important that it matters. If we don’t understand or care about our mission statement it is meaningless. Looking for ideas elsewhere was another I could really relate to because I often look for ideas for different programs and activities through other sources and try to change it a bit to make it my own.

Would you recommend this article for other TR students?  Why or why not?  Yes, because it provides another angle of looking at TR and also it helps to break innovation down into a way that we can see how it can relate to us.

Article Review 2: Adapted Equipment

Article review one: Adapted Equipment.

Name of article: The effect of eating utensil weight on functional arm movement in people with Parkinson’s disease: a controlled clinical trial.

Name of journal: Clinical Rehabilitation 2009

Name of author(s): Hui-Ing Ma, Wen-Juh Hwang, Pei-Luen Tsai, and Yung-Wen Hsu

When and how did you locate this article? I located this article on November ^3rd 2012 and I found it through ebscohost.

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:

This article is about a study that was done with people who have Parkinson’s disease. The study aimed to find if there are benefits of using a lighter utensil when eating for people with Parkinson’s disease. For this study they used 18 people who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and 18 people in the same age matched controls. They then used three spoons with different weights and proceeded to measure the maximum grip strength.

The study found that the participants with Pakrinsons were able to move the lighter spoon faster and with more ease. They also, as expected, found that they had to exert for power (strength) with the heavier spoon. They also concluded that the people with Parkinson’s had smoother arm movements when using the light utensil

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development?  I will use this knowledge in my professional development by remembering to utilize simple adaptions that don’t need to cost extra money. Simply buying lighter utensil will help can help certain participants and will also work just fine for participants that don’t need the adaption.

Would you recommend this article for other TR students?  Why or why not?  Yes, because they will likely be in similar job situations to me and knowing simple fixes such as a lighter spoon will help them be more innovative and won’t hurt their budget!

Article Review 1: Specific Activity

Article review one: Therapeutic benefit of an activity.

Name of article: Psycho-social impact of participation in the National Veterans

Wheelchair Games and Winter Sports Clinic

Name of journal: Disability and Rehabilitation

Name of author(s): MICHELLE L. SPORNER, SHIRLEY G. FITZGERALD, BRAD E. DICIANNO, DIANE COLLINS, EMILY TEODORSKI, PAUL F. PASQUINA & RORY A. COOPER

When and how did you locate this article? I located this article on November 1^st 2012 and I found it through ebscohost.

Two paragraph synopsis of what you learned in this article:

This article is about veterans who participate in in in wheel chair games including; National Veterans Wheelchair Games (NVWG) and Winter Sports Clinic (WSC). The goal of the study was to see how these events impact the veteran’s lives. They had 132 veterans participate in this study some of whom participated in one of these two wheel chair sport events.  They looked at all of their demographics, sports participation, community integration, self-esteem and quality of life and compared and analyzed the results.

The researchers used different assessment techniques to collect there information. They ended up finding that “participation [in NVWG and WSC] positively impacts their life as the majority of the participants expressed that their lives have been improved”.  They also expressed that they had gained confidence and motivation from participating in their various sports. When compared to the veterans that did not participate in wheel chair sports they found that the athletes had “higher mobility and social integration scores” than the non-athletes. They were surprised that the veterans who participated in NVWG and WSC and lower physical and cognitive scores but they attributed this to the fact that those who attend may have additional functional limitations.

How will you apply this knowledge to your professional development? My ultimate goal is to eventually work with wounded warriors in a VA. I have always thought that participating in a physical activity is extremely beneficial for people of all ages and abilities and this article has confirmed that belief. No matter where I work as a CTRS I plan to incorporate physical activity and more specifically sports.

Would you recommend this article for other TR students?  Why or why not? I would recommend this to other TR students because we will all likely work with people in wheel chairs at some point in our careers if we haven’t already. I believe that it is important that people know that anyone can participate in sports and reap the benefits. 

Week 7: Thursday November 1st- HULA!

I had seen and heard about the Hula Hoops from my friends who had been in this class and have been anticipating making my own for quite a while! We started off class with an introduction to hula hooping by a past TR student named Ali. She was so full of life and passionate about hula hooping that I couldn't help but get even more excited to create and use my own. After she shared her personal journey we were able to create our own. This was a blast, especially picking out different colors of tape and patterns to design my hoop. After we finished our hoops we went outside to put them to use. Ali had some creative activities for us to do with our hoops. Everyone there was smiling and laughing, it was great to see how a childhood toy can still bring so much joy to all of us. I love how simple and seemingly cheap they were to create. I actually volunteered at Easter Seals in the Dells the weekend following this activity and while there we made Hula Hoops with the adult campers! They had the mot fun decorating them but also enjoyed some games with them outside. I plan to use my hoop and hopefully find some hula hooping events to attend!

Activity Research 5- What Do We Have in Common?

Activity: The name of this Activity is What do we Have in Common?

Target participant group: This activity is best for any age of participants that are getting to know each other.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity is a great ice breaker and allows a group to get comfortable with one another while getting to know each other and seeing what they may have in common.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? Groups that have been together a long time but do not know each other well can reap a benefit. Also, sports teams can benefit from this by getting to know each other on another level and to relieve stress.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? It may be difficult for groups in wheel chairs because you have to move quickly from place to place but could be adapted by having a bigger area.

Activity description:

1.    Set up chairs or spots in a circle (enough for everyone in your group except one person).

2.    Choose one person or have the facilitator start in the center while everyone else sits on a chair or stands on a spot.

3.    The person in the center of the circle will state one thing about their self so the whole group can hear it.

4.    Anyone in the surrounding circle that has that thing in common with the person in the center must leave their spot and find another that is at least one spot away from where they were. The person in the center will also run to get a spot.

5.    Whomever is left without a spot will go to the center of the circle and say something about their self.

6.    Repeat steps 3 through 5 until everyone has been in the center at least one time.

Resources needed: You will need at least 6 people and a place marker for all but one person. You will also need an area large enough to accommodate your group size.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style for this activity is simply giving the participants’ instructions and encouraging them throughout the activity. Joining in can be beneficial as well if you have a shy group so you can go first.

Where did you find this activity? Learned and played it in a previous course.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

Week 6: Thursday October 25th- Sports

This session was hands down my favorite. I loved how we were all able to actively participate in a variety of adapted sports. I have had other classes where we talked about adapted sports but I never had the opportunity to learn the rules and play. The group facilitated adapted volleyball, basketball, bowling and gave us a taste of what a game of beeper ball would be like. I liked how all the sports were very simple to adapt. With volley ball and basketball the only equipment changes were lowering of the basket and net, other than that the court was just made smaller and a few rules were changed. Despite the changes I found both activities equally, if not more, fun than the non adapted versions. Like I stated earlier we also did bowling as if we were blind. They had us have a partner that helped us to line up our throw. This was fun but difficult and I don't know if I would enjoy playing this if I had a visual impairment because it is hard to be very independent. We also were lucky enough to have the adapted P.E. professor do a quick lesson on how to play beeper ball, which is an adapted version of baseball for people with visual impairments. After that we had the chance to try hitting the beeper ball while blind folded. I did surprisingly well at that. I think I am better at hitting when someone tells me to swing than when I can see and decide for myself! I have always loved being active and participating in sports and plan to use these adaptions and more in my future as a CTRS.

Activity Research 4- The Chain Gang

Activity: The name of the activity is The Chain Gang

Target participant group: This activity can be great for most groups with 10 of more participants.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can be cognitively beneficial because you have to get used to using your body in a new way. It also can be socially beneficial because you have to work with a team.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? A participant with an arm amputation can benefit from this activity because it puts everyone in the same situation as them and they can impress the others by showing how well they can do things with just one arm.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity involves cutting with scissors, most likely with your non dominate hand, so this activity would not be appropriate for children under 6 years old.

Activity description:

1.    Divide participants into groups of five.

2.    Direct groups to go to designated location in the room.

3.    The leader will then instruct everyone to raise one hand, and then sit on the hand that they raised.

4.    Instruct participants to create a paper chain with the supplies on the table (scissors, paper, glue).

5.    Explain that each participant can only use the hand that is free to construct the paper chain.

6.    Give groups a time limit, with the goal of creating the longest chain.

7.    End activity when time is up and see who has created the longest chain.

Resources needed: You will need 10-20 sheets of construction paper per group, one bottle of glue per group, and one pair of scissors per group.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style for this activity is simply giving the participants’ instructions and encouraging them throughout the activity.

Where did you find this activity? Learned and played it in a previous course.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

Activity Research 3- Rope Knots Game

Activity: The name of the activity is Rope Knots Game

Target participant group: This activity is best for pre-teens to adults with moderate or no intellectual disability.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can improve an individual’s problem solving skills and encourages socializing.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? This activity could also benefit younger children but will likely require help from the facilitator.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity would not be appropriate for people who are in wheel chairs because it often involves weaving in and out of small spaces.

Activity description:

1. Purchase a rope that is at least 40 feet long.
2. Gather 8-20 participants.
3. Fold rope in half.
4. Secure center to a solid object or it can be held by a facilitator.
5. Spread ends of the rope into a V-shape.
6. Tie one knot (overhand or in a figure eight knot) two feet from the secure point and another knot approximately 10 feet from the first knot on each rope.
7. Split the participants into 2 equal groups.
8. Line up teams along the length of each half of the rope.
9. Instruct them to grab the rope in one hand.
10. Instruct them to figure out how to untie their teams’ rope without letting go.
11. The first team to untie their knot wins.

Resources needed: You will need one rope measuring at least forty feet long and a facility big enough for your group.

Best leadership style for this activity: The best leadership style for this activity is starting off with the facilitator directing and then eventually handing it over to the participants.

Where did you find this activity? I found out about and participated in the activity in my REC 200 class last year.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

http://www.teambuildingportal.com/games/rope-knots-game

Week 5: Thursday October 18th- Arts and Crafts

This week in class the Arts and Crafts group presented. We did four activities; drawing with chalk while in a wheel chair, made gods eyes while blind folded, made sensory bags and did marble paintings. All the activities did a great job of showing how arts and crafts can be great for anyone. The gods eye is a great activity for someone with a visual impairment because it relies mostly on on tactile sensation. I really liked the adaption using the dowels instead of the Popsicle sticks so you could have a better feel of where you were and it was easier to push down. The sensory bag was a really fun and cheap idea that I will definitely use as a CTRS someday. During these activities I realized how much fun arts and crafts can be for any age group and how therapeutic they can be. Overall, this presentation really showed me that arts and crafts can be inexpensive and easy to adapt for different populations.

Activity Research 2: Story Cards

Activity: The name of the activity is “Story Cards”.

Target participant group: This activity can be used with any population that can communicate verbally, with sign language or in the written form.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This activity can improve expressive language skills and exercises the short term memory. It is also a great social activity that can be full of laughter.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? This activity could also benefit children and adults with cognitive disabilities.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity might not be appropriate for people with dementia because it may become too frustrating trying to remember what the other group members have said.

Activity description:

1. You will need to purchase, print or draw pictures on 20 or more cards (about the size of an index card or bigger if you are working with people who have slight visual impairments)
2. Form a group of 3-5 participants and have them gather in a circle.
3. Give each participant at least 3 cards.
4. Have a volunteer or choose someone to start the story.
5. That participant will then choose one of their cards and use the picture on it to inspire them to give a few sentences to open the story.
6. That participant will then set there card on the floor or a table in the middle of the circle so everyone can see it.
7. The next participant will restate the first part of the story, and then use their chosen card to creatively add another few sentences to the story.
8. The process will repeat with each participant trying to retell the story from the beginning each time they add to the story until they run out of time or cards.

Resources needed: You will need 20 or more cards with fun pictures and a space large enough for your group to sit in a circle.

 Best leadership style for this activity: Democratic (participatory) leadership is best for this activity.

Where did you find this activity? I discovered this activity during my summer job at Central Wisconsin Center but it is very common and you can purchase games at most toy stores.

Where can others find more information on this activity? 

Activity Research 1: Special Candy Game

Activity: The name of the activity is “Special Candy Game”.

Target participant group: Youth at risk, adults and children both with and without developmental disabilities could all benefit from this activity.

Therapeutic potential of this activity: This game is aimed to increase participant’s self-esteem and help a group get to know one another.

What other groups may benefit from this activity? Anyone who is able to fully participate in the activity can reap a benefit.

What groups may not be as appropriate for this activity? This activity may not be appropriate for children under the age of five, who this could be a choking hazard for.

Activity description:

• 1.     You will need a minimum of 5 participants and ideally no more than 12.
• 2.     Participants will gather and sit in a circle
• 3.     Each participant will be given 10 small pieces of candy.
• 4.     Choose or have someone volunteer to go first.
• 5.     The participant will then state one thing interesting or fun thing about themselves.
• 6.     The rest of the group will listen and throw one of their pieces of candy to the participant if they do not have what was stated in common with them.
• 7.     Repeat steps 6 &7, rotating around the circle until everyone has about the same amount of candy.

Resources needed: You will need 10 pieces of small candy for each participant and a space big enough for your group to sit in a circle.

 Best leadership style for this activity: Democratic (participatory) leadership is best for this activity.

Where did you find this activity? I found this activity at Recreationtherapy.com and I also participated in it my freshmen year of college at Edgewood.

Where can others find more information on this activity? You can find out more about this activity at: http://www.recreationtherapy.com/tx/txself.htm

Week 4: Thursday October 11th Music

This week was my groups presentation and our Topic was music. After we chose the topic we were informed about a man named Joe who loved to introduce groups to an instrument known as the ukulele. We decided that would be a fun activity and scheduled to have him come in. His goal was teach us how to play in 60 minutes. He did a great job but I found it to be very difficult to play. I have never been talented musically so this did not come as a surprise to me. I had a hard time moving my fingers from string to string to change notes, especially when he told us not to look at our hands. Even though it was extremely difficult for me I found that it did lift my mood quite a bit. Just hearing the sounds that it made and seeing the joy on others faces really made it a wonderful time! I would like to spend more time learning how to play the ukulele (maybe even go play at the food court in the mall on Wednesdays) and eventually share it with the participants I work with.

After that part of our session was done we each briefly talked about a different population we may work with and how music can be beneficial to each. My population was youth at risk which I feel music can be so beneficial for. Cognitively it takes so much brain power to operate any instrument and if started at a young age I feel like this could positively impact the rest of their lives. There are so many different ways to participate in music that it doesn't discriminate against any population or fit any stereotype, so they would never need to feel out of place. Music can really benefit anyone whether you are playing an instrument, singing or just listening it can make your mood do a complete 180!

Week 3: Thrusday, October 4th- Adaptive Golfing

This week our class met at Forest Hills Golf Course where our class was led by the head of the Sister Kenny golf program. She began by giving us an overview on how the golf program came to be and what it looks like today. The program seems wonderful and has seems to be a real hit. She showed some of the adaptive equipment they use including longer club, clubs that are angled and and adapted golf cart that can be driven on the green and has a rotating seat. After that we got to do some experiential learning on the golf course. I had never golfed before so this was really exciting for me. She set up four stations, all representing a different disability. My first station represented a right arm amputee which was extremely difficult considering I am right handed and have never golfed before. I was able to eventually get a hit but it wasn't easy because I couldn't get the club lined up just right and the club was somewhat heavy for just using one arm. The next station was left arm amputee. This was much easier but I still struggled with controlling the weight of the club. The other stations were supposed to simulate what it is like for someone in a wheel chair to golf. It was not easy to line up the chair so that the club would reach the ball just right and it was hard to get a powerful swing with my legs in the way. Though, all of these things were difficult and somewhat frustrating I always think it is good to get a little taste of what the people I will work with will go through. After this activity I realized I enjoy golfing and would like to try to play a game sometime. Also, after hearing how much the clients at Sister Kenny enjoy it and seeing how easily it can be adapted think I would like to incorporate some sort of golf program in my future as a CTRS.

Week 2: Thursday, September 27th- Dining

This past week we had our second presentation, Dining with Disabilities.

The group started by offering us some food, juice with thicket and blended pizza. This was a fun idea and it definitely took us all out of our comfort zone! I tried a tiny bit of the juice with thicket and found the texture to be extremely unpleasing! I was unable to try the pizza because of a food allergy but I could tell from the reaction of my classmates that it was not even comparable to eating a slice of pizza. I think it is really important that we experience and try things that we will be serving to our participants. I do not generally consider myself a picky person when it comes to the texture of food but this activity made me realize how much it really can effect how much I enjoy something.

Next, the group had a power point. They focused on the struggles and adaptions that can help minimize these struggles for people with different disabilities. For almost every population that recommended a plate that suctions to the table to prevent unwanted movement and spilling. They also showed utensils with bigger handles to make gripping easier. One of the more unusual things I have seen was the "Neater Eater" which is basically a robotic arm with a spoon on the end that helps people to eat while maintaining as much independence as possible.

After the power point we rotated through four stations, each one giving us a disabling condition and a task to complete. My first was supposed to give us a glimpse of what it would be like to have Parkinson's Disease. We did this by wearing a bracelet on each wrist with a rope connecting them. We then had someone else in our group pull the rope, as if they were a puppeteer, while we tried to pick up and put food in our mouth. The next station we were told to pretend we were missing a thumb. We then had to attempt to get spaghetti on our fork. The third station we were visually impaired and had to try to eat with silverware. The fourth and final station we had to pretend our dominate hand was amputated and try to eat. All the stations were frustrating but extremely educational to help me even remotely understand some of the struggle people I will be working with go through.

The last activity we participated in was mini skits. Each skit demonstrated a situation you may encounter while dining with someone who has a disability. We had a lot of fun laughing because none of us were very good actors but we all knew the seriousness of each of the situations. Afterwards the group encouraged everyone to share stories of things that have encountered in dining situations. It was amazing how many people had witnessed or even been a victim to some of these situations.

This group taught me a lot, while making it very fun and interesting  I am excited to try some of the adaptions they mentioned someday!

Week 1: Thursday September 20th- Camping group

In class today we had our first presentation, which was on camping. The group started out by having us participate in an ice breaker, similar to rock paper scissors but adapted it into an outdoors themed game. After that we were all given a a sheet of paper that contained disability that we were going to have during the days activities. My disability was a visual impairment. They then randomly grouped us into groups of four for the first activity, a scavenger hunt. Our group had it pretty rough considering two of us had visual impairments and the other two group members were non communicative. Since Kelly and I were blind we were basically jut along for the ride and let our other two group members lead us to different items. It was very confusing at times because I had no idea where we were and no one to tell me where we were. I was really tense at first and walked really slow but as time went I began to trust my group member to lead me in a safe manner. From this activity I learned that it is possible for anyone to participate in a scavenger hunt if you just make a few simple adaptions. I also learned that how you group people is really important because the activities can become very boring when you are in group that does not make it possible for you to understand what is going on. As a person with a visual impairment it would have been nice to have someone who could give me detailed descriptions of where we were and what we were going.

After that we did an activity that involved setting up a tent while maintaining our disabling condition while one group member acted as a CTRS. This seemed to be a little overwhelming for her but she handled it well. She did a great job of keeping everyone involved. It may have been easier and gone more smoothly if there had been two staff members.

In an attempt to achieve excellence during these activities I stayed completed commited to my disability and did not remove or peek through the blind fold at all. I also tried to remain trusting and patient when I did not know what was going. This group did a great job of giving us a taste of the obstacles we may face as CTRS's and how we can overcome them.