5/3/2012 The Amazing Race

   Whew, it's the end of the semester and my final post. Today my group presented our long activity, a scavenger hunt for community integration. We had the groups go all over campus and do different tasks. Though I didn't participate because I was helping facilitate, it looked like it was fun. We were worried about the weather and having a storm, but it was sunny and beautiful. Group members were required to choose a different impairment which they had for all tasks. It was interesting to hear about their struggles at the end of the activity; I was surprised that I think I heard the most from the people who were not allowed to speak.
                       
  After the hunt, we watched "Shooting Beauty" a film about people with Cerebral Palsy taking photos of their lives. I was intrigued at how it was just taking pictures to me, but to the participants, it helped get them out into the community and out of their shells. I liked watching some of the people develop as the film went on like Tom, the man who wanted nothing to do with the project. Suddenly Tom was interested in photographing and it became an important part of his life. It was sad to hear that he died before the pictures were displayed publicly, but it was touching that the show was dedicated to him. What I liked most about the project was how something so small and average like taking a few pictures really changed the lives of some of these people. It made me want to start something that will affect people like that. If you get the chance "Shooting Beauty" is definitely worth checking into: http://shootingbeauty.org/
    Well, that's all I have left to say. Now I guess I need to go out into the world and be an innovator!

4/26/2012 Time slips so make a puppet...

    This week in class we had a presentation and a demonstration of TimeSlips TM. TimeSlips is improvised storytelling usually done with patients with dementia. I had heard a little about TimeSlips before, but I was interested in learning more about it. It turned out to be pretty much what I expected; a facilitator asks questions that lead participants to making a story. I can see how this activity would be fun for residents of long-term care, especially dementia patients. I could see how this would really be good for any population. I would like to try it with children because they are so imaginative that they would have a lot of fun with it. The only problem I see with TimeSlips is that you need training to assist with storytelling. This seems odd to me because it is such a basic concept and I don't see how someone could need extended training for this. Here is a link to their website to learn more: http://www.timeslips.org/
                              
    After learning about TimeSlips, we had another group presentation. We learned about dramatic arts in the form of sock puppets. We all had to make our own puppets and put on a short skit. At first I thought this was silly, but at the end I saw how puppets could be used in positive ways. It is a less threatening way of performing and like any other type of skit, can be used to tell a story with a moral. I think these could be used with teenagers because even though they would at first think that puppets were stupid or immature, teens would loosen up and have fun with them. Sock puppets are also cheap and easy to make.
   Well this next week will be our last class which means only one more blog. My group will finally be presenting and we'll be wrapping the class up. It's going to be a little odd not to be writing every week.

Innovative Activity #10: Music Therapy

    Music therapy is an activity that anyone can participate in. People of all ages enjoy and can benefit from music therapy. Even people with hearing impairments can enjoy music therapy because they can feel the vibrations of the instruments and play the instruments. Benefits of music therapy include: increasing self-awareness, improving reality testing and problem-solving skills, develop healthy verbal and non-verbal communication skills, learn relaxation and coping skills, exploring feelings and making positive changes in mood states, helping a child manage pain and stressful situations, and because the brain processes music in both hemispheres, music can stimulate cognitive functioning and may be used for remediation of some speech/language skills.
    Music therapy sessions can be one-on-one with a therapist and a client or they can be in a small group with one therapist and multiple clients that are there for similar reasons. One-on-one sessions might consist of a therapist playing and singing at a patient's bedside or the patient participating in a more active way. Group session might involve every participant playing an instrument and/or singing with the therapist. Sessions will be different for each client based on their personal goals.
    To participate in music therapy you first need a certified music therapist. These can be found online at websites like http://musictherapywisconsin.org/. The music therapist will use various instruments to facilitate the therapy session. Music therapy is facilitated by one therapist who is in control of the session. The therapist may take suggestions from participants, but the therapist is the leader the entire time. I found music therapy at http://www.musictherapy.org/. People looking for more information on music therapy should look at this website or the previously mentioned Wisconsin website. Here's a good example of music therapy in use in a hospital http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYLlfUTxOOk.

Innovative Activity #9: Adaptive Water Skiing

    Adaptive water skiing is water skiing intended for people with spinal cord injuries or other participants who cannot otherwise stand on their own. Water skiing can be therapeutic because it allows participants a sense of freedom that can only be experience in this way. Participants who usually use wheelchairs to get around have an opportunity to get out of them and experience speed on the open water. Depending on the style of sit-ski used participants will also work on their balance while enjoying the ride. Water skiing is a great activity for many populations including wounded warriors, troubled youth, and people with ADHD all of which may be able to water ski without special adaptations. Participants with spinal cord injuries, stroke, and cerebral palsy may all be able to enjoy water skiing in a sit-ski. People for whom water skiing may not be a good activity include people with heart conditions who have been advised not to participate in activities like this and possibly people with certain mental impairments. With the option of the sit-ski, water skiing is available to many more people, and even though participants may think that they can't do it, there are often ways to make skiing possible.
    Water skiing involves one person on water skis or using a sit-ski  being pulled behind a powerboat on an open lake. The skier can choose just to hang on for the ride, or to maneuver behind the boat. The following are pictures showing different types of sit-skis. In the first, the participant does minimal work, whereas in the second, the participant hangs on to the towrope his/herself.
 
This image is of a wounded warrior participating in an adaptive water sports clinic specifically for veterans.
                        

    Water skiers will need either water skis or a sit-ski, a tow rope, and of course a power boat to pull them. These can all be expensive, but there are many programs throughout the country for people of all abilities looking for ways to ski. It is easiest to learn to water ski one-on-one or with two teachers an one participant for a sit-skier that needs more assistance. There will need to be other people involved no matter who is learning because you need one boat driver and one spotter in the boat who watches to make sure everything is OK. I found several websites with information on sit-skis and adaptive programs that I would suggest other interested people should check out. The following are just a few resources though there are many more.
http://www.spokesnmotion.com/catalog/category.asp?category_id=102
http://www.adaptiveaquatics.org/
http://www.infinitec.org/play/water/waterskiing.htm

4/19/2012 Group Games and Physical Activity

    This week we were planning on doing presentations with three groups, one of which was mine. My group had decided to join with group 5 to make a two hour long activity and we were planning a scavenger hunt. Of all the days of the week, Thursday was the only one were the forecast stayed true and it ended up raining. This was disappointing and we ended up rescheduling our presentation for a day in May so check back to hear how our community integration scavenger hunt goes. Group 4 was the only group to present today and they taught us about physical activity for different groups.
    The first activity we did was sheet volleyball and was aimed at the elderly population. It was intended to help with fine motor skills. I can see this being beneficial to several populations like young children that need work on fine motor skills and people who have suffered some loss of function in their hands and are working on improving it. It was also good for teamwork because we had to work together to figure out the best way of getting the ball up and over to the other team. It could easily be an ice breaker for any group. Our second game was charades and was aimed at children with autism. We had partners and were in two circles that walked around each other. The facilitators would call out an act, and we had to get to our partner and act it out. Some of them were fun but others just made me feel silly. I'm not sure how well children with autism would like this game because they are all so different. I think it might be hard getting some children to get with partners and work together to act things out. We also played this game for a slightly long period of time in which I became bored. For children with short attention spans this game should not last as long. They also might enjoy coming up with their own charades. The last activity was humans vs. zombies and was meant for people with visual impairments. This game was fairly simple, but even so it was easy to forget which role you were playing because you changed so often. I think it was also easy to forget to change roles when you were supposed to because you were concentrating on remembering your part and not crashing into anyone. I think this game would work best with children and teenagers, but adults might feel awkward of silly.
    My favorite activity was sheet volleyball and is the activity that I would be the most likely to do again. This class period was beneficial because we had class in a racket-ball court which caused sounds to echo and was hard to hear in. This made us think up strategies to use in the future if we were to be in a similar environment. We decided that the best plan was to split a large group into smaller groups and allow different facilitators to give instructions to each group. Well that's all for now, who knows what next week will hold.

Innovative Activity #8: Letter Categories

    The game Letter Categories is a sedentary activity that involves participants using their cognitive skills to think of words to fit specific categories. This game can be focused toward patients in memory care as a memory exercise, but this game can be played with any age group because the categories can be adjusted to fit any group. It can be played with young children to work on vocabulary, or any other group as an icebreaker. Some participants may find this activity boring so the facilitator has to know the group to know if the activity is appropriate.
    The facilitators will give participants several categories that will later be filled in. These might be: color, food, sports team, cereal brand, title of book, etc. The categories given will vary with the group so they will be age appropriate. Facilitators then choose a letter at random out of a bag. Participants must think of a word beginning with that letter to satisfy each category. For example:
        Letter: B
        Food: banana
        Sports team: Buffalo Bills
        Movie: Bad News Bears
        Article of clothing: Bandanna
    There are no winners or losers in this game and it can go on for as many rounds as participants feel like playing. Each round a new letter is chosen and new categories may be chosen to. Participants often enjoy creating their own categories. At the end of each round the facilitator should ask participants for the most unique answer, most common, or if there was a category that was hard to fill.
   Resources needed are paper and writing utensils for all participants, letters on paper for facilitators, and a bowl or bag to pull the letters out of. Facilitators need to be active in running this activity, but can allow participants to help. I learned about this activity when I was in REC 200 and my partner and I needed to facilitate a quick activity. She had played it before and we were able to find similar games online. Other people looking to do this game can find it online under different names, and most people likely know someone who has played this or a similar game before.

Innovative Activity #7: Monkey Tail

    This is a game called Monkey Tail. It is a type of tag game or competitive game. It works best with energetic  kids from about 7 up to teenagers. This is a good activity for groups that need to burn energy. It is great exercise and can be played several times in a row so children can be involved longer. Groups that could benefit from this activity include children at camps, especially camps for children with special needs where the playing field might be leveled. Groups for which this activity would be inappropriate include young children because they may be easily confused by the game, adults because they likely feel to mature for the game, and groups of mixed ability levels because slower participants will easily become discouraged.
    Monkey Tail is a simple game of tag, but instead of everyone staying involved the entire game, players will be eliminated and a winner will be decided. Each player needs a piece of rope about one foot long taped to his/her back to be a tail. The object is for players to steal the tails of the other players. Once your tail is taken, you are out of the game. Players still in the game continue to steal tails until their own tail is stolen or all other players have been eliminated. The last player standing is the winner. The game can go quickly so facilitators should be prepared to play several rounds.
    The only things needed for Monkey Tail are pieces of rope or string, tape, and a large open space to play in. It is best for facilitators to provide instructions then let the game go on without further interruption. I learned about this game in my REC 200 class last semester from students who had played it in high school. More information on this and similar games can be found online.

4/12/2012 Chalking and New Games

    This week in class we started our long group presentations. The first group did a project where we went outside and drew with chalk about our days, our feelings on different things, and general reflection. They designed this as an activity for people with HIV/AIDS, but I can see how this would work for a multitude of populations. I think it would be beneficial for children who are experiencing bullying, victims of domestic violence, or patients with mental disorders. I feel that it would be best aimed at populations that want to focus on the mental aspect of therapy rather than the physical. I liked doing this activity because I've had a stressful week, and it gave me a chance to relax, look back on it, and vent my frustrations. It allowed me to look back on not just my day, but I looked back for several years. We had the chance to write a letter to anyone we wanted. Patients participating in this activity may write to their abuser, to their disease, or a person that they miss which is what I chose to do. There were times in the activity when I was happy, frustrated, sentimental, and finally at peace with it all. I can see doing this in the future as an activity with whatever population I work with.
   The second group led us in New Games. This is something I was familiar with from REC 200. They attempted to adapt the games to different populations. This is always a tricky task when participants don't actually have a specific impairment. We played several games where there was no winner or looser. This can be a difficult concept when working with competitive, college-age students. I like new games because they are good for children who are not good at competitive games and find them discouraging. They are best for children or participants with developmental disabilities. With new games it is important to make sure directions are explained clearly because participants often look for a motive or a winner in the game which is not what new games are about. Without clear directions the games can be frustrating, but when you understand the concept of the game, anyone can have a good time. I can see doing new games in my future career if I work with children with autism, but not if I work with the elderly.
    Next week my group will present and we will have the opportunity to see many more possible activities to do in the future.

Innovative Activity #6: Hooping

   
 Hooping is a new form of exercise and therapy that uses one simple tool found in any elementary school gym class and many childhood garages. Hooping is now starting to take off as a form of therapy most often found in clinical settings and settings where clients are working an increasing their self-esteem. The participant group can range from children in a pediatric unit receiving cancer treatment, to elderly patients in long-term care, to people in incarceration. Hooping provides low intensity exercise, but classes are offered that can burn a significant amount of calories. Hooping can prove therapeutic to people with low self-esteem because a hoop is something participants can control yet they can also learn from the hoop's changing ways. The rhythmic motion can be soothing to participants with sensory disorders. The exercise will help some participants gain self confidence because exercise physically improves bodies as well as raising endorphin levels making participants feel good about themselves afterward. This activity can be adapted to a number of populations because even if participants are unable to use the hoop around their waist, they may still be able to twirl it around an arm or wrist. Watching hoop dancers could also be a means of therapy in itself because watching them could be relaxing. I can't think of any populations that hooping would not be fit for.
    Hooping at its most basic involves revolving a hoop around your hips in a rhythmic pattern. Hoops can be twirled around arms and legs as well. Classes are offered in which hooping is done to music. Here is an example of what looks to be a beginner hoop fitness class: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijNWiqr9tHc&feature=related. Participants gradually become better at hooping and start to hone their techniques. Here is an example of a young woman on Ellen, proving how popular this activity is becoming for exercise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkaskuVeHos&feature=related. This is an activity that can be done alone or in a group session. Classes are becoming more popular as more teachers become certified. Classes are more commonly offered in larger cities, but soon there may be classes offered in the La Crosse area.
    The only resource someone needs to participate is a hula-hoop. These can be quite inexpensive, but prices go up as hoops become more decorative or heavier for more intense exercise. A participant can choose to take classes, purchase workout DVDs, or purchase books on the subject. These would be an extra cost, but they are not necessary because there are many informational videos on youtube.com.
   I learned about hooping from a guest speaker in our class. Much more information can be found online. Some resources I found helpful include the following: http://www.hoopgirl.com/index.php, http://www.hoopcity.ca/forum/topics/hooping-as-therapy-for-state-hospital-residents?xg_source=activity, and http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20110210/hula-hoop-workouts-burn-calories.

4/5/2012 Hooping!

    This week in class we were told that we were going to learn about therapeutic hula-hooping. I didn't really know what this meant, but I love hula-hooping so I was pretty excited for it. When I told my friends what I was going to be doing in class, they looked at me like I was crazy, but I just told them that I have the best major and have fun studying for your tests. We had a guest speaker named Alli who taught us why hooping is so great. It turns out that hooping is great exercise as well as relaxing when you are stressed out. She made me think about hooping in a way that I had never thought about it before. She showed us how to dance with the hoop and just let yourself be free. Her energy was contagious!
   Hooping is an activity that I had not thought much about previous to this class, but now I am thinking about the different ways I could use it in the future. I think you could use it with students in a residence hall as a de-stress program, with elderly participants as a gentle way of getting moving, with youth at risk as a different means of self expression, and so many more.
    I was surprised in myself during class because I thought I would fee awkward and uncomfortable during some of the activities, but I found myself letting go. I wish we could have done more with the hoops than we did. I think if a hooping class were offered on campus, I would be one of the first to sign up. I would really like to learn more about hooping and I think I might soon be doing some research on the topic. Hopefully I can find some helpful books and Alli said to check out youtube for great videos. Here's a pretty cool example of hoop dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j46ll2_jR7k. Now I'm off to find more about hooping!

3/29/2012 Presentations

    Today everyone presented their projects on different adapted activities. My group presented on adapted hunting and fishing. It wasn't the most exciting topic, but I think we put together an alright presentation. The first group presented their project on kayaking. They seemed truly interested in their topic and got the class to do an activity similar to what we do in class for other activities. The second group told us all about adapted cycling. This was a cool presentation because they brought in two hand cycles and we all got to try them out. This may have been the highlight of my day. That is definitely an experience I would not have gotten anywhere else. Group three did their entire presentation on goalball. I expected them to do a little more, but we did get the chance to play that too which made the presentation more interesting. Group four had extreme sports. Sadly we didn't get to participate in any sports for this one, but they told us about a lot of sports I didn't know much about. I think my favorite one was Hardcore Sitting. It involves using a wheelchair in many of the same tricks that people do on skateboards. Here's an example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWfw_uUrWC8. The last group to present before us taught everyone about chair yoga. It was a pretty simple concept to me because it is something I have learned about before. We also got to try that out.
   As I said, my group presented on hunting and fishing. I don't think our topic lived up to the exciting standard that had been set for us by other groups, but I think we shared a lot of good information with the class. In working on the project I learned a lot about different types of equipment used for adaptations. I also learned about organizations that had adapted fishing programs. I was excited to learn that there are several in Wisconsin. I don't know that I have a lot of interest in doing adapted hunting or fishing in my future, but one day I might use what I learned to help someone who is interested in it.
    Today I learned about a lot of inspiring activities. Hopefully in my future as a TRS I will get to try many of these out. Next week we are going to learn about Hula-Hooping; I'm excited to see where this goes!

3/22/2012 Day of Silence and Darkness

    This week's class was spent concentrating on not just people with visual impairments or people with hearing impairments, but instead we learned about people who deal with both at the same time. We watched several videos at the beginning of class about leading people with visual impairments and a video about deaf-blind theater. Our first activity was to lead a blindfolded partner around campus. Personally I found that it was easier to be led than to be the leader. Being blindfolded made me more aware of the unevenness of the sidewalks. The next two activities involved one group being blindfolded and the other group leading them without being able to vocally communicate. We did tape art and a project with modeling clay. I found leading my participant in tape art to be particularly challenging partly because I didn't know exactly what I was doing myself. The modeling clay activity was confusing both participating and leading. We were trying to make specific shapes, and it was hard to communicate that without words.
    I didn't have any goals at the start of class but was simply ready to learn. During class my goal became just to understand everything that was going on around me. I learned that patience is more important than I first gave it credit for. I expected it to be challenging to lead a participant without talking, but it was hard not to force the participant to do something and still stay on task. It was tricky to know when I needed to provide more assistance and when I should just let the person use their own creativity. I'm glad I got to have a little first hand experience working with a participant without being able to verbally or visually communicate. I would like to have more training in this area because I feel there is a lot more I could learn about communication. I'm glad that I do know a little sign language, but here that didn't even matter. As instructors we were all on the same playing field. Working with people with hearing impairments is something I had considered as a possible career field, but I had never thought further to people with a hearing impairment and another disability. I'm not sure that I would want to work with that population, but if I did I would certainly look to get as much training as possible.
   Here's an example of one of the videos we watched. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgcm83tyv3Y

Article Review: innovation in leadership

  The article I read was called "Innovation Leadership: how to use innovation to lead effectively, work collaboratively and drive results". It was from the Center for Creative Leadership. The authors are David Horth and Dan Buchner. I located this article before spring break by doing a search about leadership and innovation using Google.
   This article was written for business professionals who are looking to improve their workplace. The article focused on not doing the same things simply because they have always been done, but rather trying new ideas and not being afraid of failure. Economic instability meant that you don't know what the future holds so you can do what you did in the past and expect it to produce positive results. Doing the same things will only give you the same results; if you want improved results, you need to be open to new options.
    Leaders need to be open to listening to ideas of their employees and customers. Employees also need to keep their minds open and be willing to adapt their ideas to improve them. This is their two tiered approach: innovative leadership and leadership for innovation. There were six innovative thinking skills to help business people. These included: paying attention, notice what is going unnoticed; personalizing, using your own and customers personal experiences; imaging, using pictures and metaphors; serious play, exploration and prototyping; collaborative inquiry, pulling together multiple viewpoints; and crafting, not using either/or thinking, but using several ideas.
    I will apply this to my professional development because every client I work with will have different needs and abilities. I can't use the same approach for everyone. What works for one client may work for another, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't try something new that could be better. I also need to be open to combining my ideas with the ideas of others and to adapt and change as the situation changes.
    I would recommend this article to anyone who will need to work with a team and in a changing and growing field. It is a good article for TR students to show them that innovation is necessary in many professions, especially TR.
    Here is a copy of the article I read: http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/InnovationLeadership.pdf

3/8/2012 Being Innovative

    This week's class was all about using our creativity to actually make adaptations that we could use in real life. We had done research on adaptive art equipment and were given a bunch of random supplies and told to go for it. We adapted pencils, pens, stamps, markers, and scissors. In my opinion, the scissors were the most challenging and the thing I spent the most time on. We wanted scissors that easily sprung back open. The most effective way my group came up with was putting a sponge between the handles. I also tried to model a pair after real adaptive scissors by using a soda cup lid. This ended up making them a little harder to use, but I think with different materials it could have worked. With the pens, pencils, and paint brushes we added things like parts of egg cartons or bubble wrap to make the handles bigger. We also made stampers out of sponges.
    From trying to make different adaptations I learned that you don't need fancy supplies and equipment to make something usable. All you nee is a little effort and a few basic things. You can find anything that you need to make a simple adaptation lying around your house. This week I also learned that while I can start an idea, I might need someone else's help to make it work. This was true of my second pair of scissors. I tried taping part of a cup lid on, but it wasn't working like I wanted it to. Aden, one of my group members, took a look at the scissors and decided that he could help. I was skeptical because I thought the scissors were a lost cause without better materials. He kept working on them though and even though in the end they weren't perfect, it was still worth a try to have someone else work on what I started. Someone else may have knowledge or experience that I don't know about so letting that person share his/her opinion on a project can benefit a whole team. This week I strove for excellence by working on my scissors. Even though I couldn't figure out what I needed to do, I still worked on them to try to make them better.
                                           
    Here's an idea of the scissors that I was trying to recreate. These scissors are much easier to use than regular scissors, and if you haven't tried them, I recommend that you do. I can see how they would greatly help a person with arthritis or anyone who has trouble cutting.

Article Review:adaptive devices/equipment that may be used in TR activities

    The title of the article was "A review of innovative apps for students with communication needs" from the American Journal of Recreation Therapy. It was written by Lauren A. Menard, EdD. I found this article by looking up journals about therapeutic recreation. I was able to read  the American Journal of Recreation Therapy for free through the Murphy library. I paged through a few issues and found an article that sounded intriguing. There were many other interesting articles in the issue as well.
    In this article I learned about a few different kinds of assistive technology (AT). AT is commonly used by people with communication disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. I learned that this can be called augmentative and alternative communication or AAC and can replace verbal communication for people with cognitive and developmental delays, brain injury, speech and language disorders, and behavioral disturbances. In the past AAC was in the form of books or cards with pictures on them used by a person to communicate called Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). These cards were laminated and kept in a binder that must be brought everywhere by the person using them. As an individual's vocabulary expanded, the binder grew with more cards. This can become cumbersome and makes an individual stand out as being "different".
    We now live in an age of technology where iPhones, iPods, and iPads are becoming common sights. With this technology is the ability to expand communication. Several applications or "apps" have been developed specifically for people with communication disorders. The article I read discussed the benefits of these apps which are assistive technology vs. the standard Picture Exchange Communication System. Cost, accessibility, and "cool factor" were all considered. It was found that PECS is around $150 for a starter kit. This does not include adding cards as vocabulary expands. It was decided that PECS can become large and cumbersome especially during travel. Because of its largeness it came in with a very low cool factor. It made people stand out as having a disability. One iPad app that was discussed cost about $190 not including the initial cost of the iPad or similar device. These devices are small enough to fit in a pocket and less conspicuous to carry around. Because they are everyday devices users don't stand out as abnormal. They also come it with a high cool factor. Overall, an app was found to be the better option of AAC.
    I will use what I learned in this article in my future if I work with individuals with autism or other communication disorders. PECS are the common use for communication right now, but in the future many things will be moving in a technological direction. As a professional in the field of therapeutic recreation I will need to be aware of any technological advances that my clients will know about and potentially be using. The article mentioned that people who use this technology, such as special education teachers, are often under trained. In order to be more effective at my job, I may need to get special training and make sure I am up to date on new technological advances.
    I would recommend this article to other TR students because I did not know much about augmentative and alternative communication before reading this article, but now that I have, I am interested in doing more research on the subject. Other TR students should also now the most up to date information on AAC and laws about assistive technology.

Innovative Activity #5: Adapted Ropes Course

    The ropes and challenge course at the Adaptive Sports Center in Crested Butte, Colorado is a ropes course that is made to be accessible to clients of any physical ability or skill level. The course is built for clients with and without disabilities. It appears to be accessible to virtually anyone. They are also experienced at working with clients with behavioral and social issues as well as physical disabilities. Participants will go through the course in teams. This activity may not be appropriate for people who have a fear of heights, but I think that the staff would try to accommodate that as well. Elderly participants may not find this enjoyable, but that would be their personal choice because the course should be accessible to them as well. Ropes courses can be used for teamwork, trust, and as a team builder. A ropes course gives a person who uses a wheelchair a sense of freedom. For a participant with behavioral issues it can help them work on self-control and awareness.
    The ropes and challenge course consists of low and high elements and is made of ropes, cables, trees, and wood. Some elements included are the Leap of Faith, a Zip-line, a High Bridge, the Big Swing, and High Vines. Participants wear harnesses and helmets for all high ropes elements. Participants will be in groups being led by a staff member who instructs participants how to safely maneuver each element. Participants may do some elements on their own and some may be done as a team. Resources needed are all safety equipment including helmets and harnesses as well as a course to use. If someone is looking to participate in a ropes and challenge course they must go to a specially made course with trained staff. The ASC provided any specialty equipment needed as should most courses. Participants will need appropriate clothing that is comfortable to move in and tennis shoes. This activity is often done as a part of a summer camp, but it can be done on its own. Ropes and challenge courses can be expensive so participants need to be financially prepared. Because of the potentially hazardous nature of this activity if not correctly prepared for, a trained staff member(s) need to be present.


    


    The first picture is an example of the type of harness that might be used by a person who uses a wheelchair. The second picture shows a participant riding a zip-line.
    I learned about this activity by doing an internet search about ropes courses and found my information at http://www.adaptivesports.org/page.cfm?pageid=5134. Other people can research other ropes courses around the country. There may not be many ropes courses that are specified as adaptive, but other courses might offer some adaptive activities if clients requested them.

Innovative Activity #4: Chair Yoga

    Chair yoga is an adaptation to yoga that is designed for elderly participants and participants with arthritis. It is also beneficial for participants who use wheelchairs, are overweight, or simply inflexible. Chair yoga offers a means of exercise for a wide range of people who may find it difficult to find ways to exercise. Yoga strengthens both the body and the mind. Yoga is also known for its calming qualities which help relieve stress. Motions are slow and gentle so they don't strain joints, but holding poses strengthens muscles and joints, specifically arthritic joints. Chair yoga may not be appropriate for people who have conditions that make them overly active such as ADHD and turrets syndrome.
    Chair yoga is based on traditional yoga but with modifications for flexibility. Yoga practitioners move through a series of poses to work on flexibility, balance, and strength. An important aspect to any style of yoga is breathing. Deep breathing techniques are used to supply the body with optimal oxygen. There are four style of chair yoga. Single chair yoga focuses on correct posture in everyday situations. Double chair yoga uses a second chair with arms for extra support during poses. This helps participants achieve deeper stretches in many poses. Partner yoga allows for social support while doing yoga. Weighted chair yoga uses one or two pound weights  in each hand and provides for additional strengthening possibilities alongside the balance assistance of the chair.
                                      
Here is a video of a chair yoga session. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEgtWLrOkK8&feature=related
    There are some classes offered for chair yoga, but these are not available in every area. It is most likely offered at senior centers and assisted living facilities. Many DVDs are made so people can practice in the comfort of their own homes. All that is needed to participate is a chair. This can be an office chair while a participant is at work, a folding chair, or a dining room chair. An instructor is beneficial for beginners, but it is possible to participate in yoga on your own or with a video.
    I learned about chair yoga on http://getfitwhereyousit.com/. There are many websites that offer more information about chair yoga and its benefits.

3/1/2012 Getting Artsy

    This Thursday's class revolved around art projects. I had heard about tape art before, but this week I learned about tape sculptures. This takes tape art to a new level. We talked about the difference between arts and crafts and the therapeutic benefits of doing art. It wasn't something I had thought about much before, but crafts have a set plan and way to make them and art is more free. In art you can make whatever you want, and it can change into something else along the way. Each group got to pick some supplies from the table and start creating our own art project. After a few minutes we switched and got to try someone else's art project. We continued to do six projects total, and at the end we got to see what everyone else had done to our project. It was funny to see how a monkey in our original painting turned into a mermaid by the end.
    In all I participated in dot art, pipe cleaner creations, packing tape sculptures, duct tape weaving, mural drawing, and drawing a picture to add to a story. I learned to just "go with it" when making art because it probably won't turn out how you originally wanted it to look anyway. If my future clients become discouraged that they aren't artistic, I will now be able to explain that art can change and develop and still be beautiful. I didn't do any big thing to strive for excellence this week except to keep my mind open and participate in everything that came my way.
   Here's an idea of what I mean by packing tape sculptures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdZHbAU9UiQ&feature=related

Innovative Activity #3: Team River Runner

    Team River Runner is an organization for wounded veterans that allows them to use paddling sports as a form of therapy. Participants usually either kayak or are on teams for white water rafting. Team River Runner is specifically for wounded service members and veterans, but kayaking and rafting can be adapted to several populations including people with visual impairments and people with most types of spinal cord injuries. Team River Runner's goal is to provide both a physical activity and a place to socialize with other wounded vets. It can be either a team sport or an individual sport. For some veterans, paddling may be like an activity that they did before they were injured, but for many participants this is a new activity. This gives them a sense of challenge, but they also have teammates nearby to support and inspire them. With adaptive equipment kayaking can be done by people with spinal cord injuries as well as people with amputations of their arms. For people with visual impairments, a partner could be in the kayak for assistance with turning. Kayaking and river rafting may not be an appropriate for people with slow reaction times or people uncomfortable with water.
    Participants learn to kayak or raft in a pool to learn basic techniques and become comfortable with all of the equipment. After that they start practicing in lakes, rivers, or oceans. Team River Runner has chapters across the US so different chapters will go to different open water areas for practice. When participants have mastered the basics chapters will take trips to start to challenge them. Some trips are specifically for participants with visual impairments and some are for families. Occasionally there are competitions held to compete against other chapters. The following is a video to show more of what they do. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDGrxo88CCk
    Resources needed are kayaks, rafts, or other similar boats as well as paddles, life jackets, and helmets. Team River Runner chapters provide any equipment. Some participants may need special adaptations, some of which are specially made while others are homemade.
                                          
This is a home made device to assist participants who have had finger amputations. It is made from a bike tube and a zip tie.
    Other resources include an area to learn in such as a pool as well as larger areas to practice. Transportation to lakes and rivers for outings is also necessary.
    When first learning about paddling sports it is important to have an instructor who is familiar with the sport. Once participants are comfortable with kayaking or rafting they may be able to do this on their own or with a group on a trip. On a trip it is advisable to have a trip leader who makes the detailed plans. On a rafting team, a captain would be beneficial to take control in difficult situations where the team needs to be led through a tough part of the river.
    I learned about Team River Runner in my RTH 491 class from a former service member who participated in a TRR club. http://www.teamriverrunner.org/ was my main resource. For more information readers can check out the TRR recommended links page http://www.teamriverrunner.org/?q=recommended_links. This includes information on canoeing, surfing, and the paralympics, as well as other great resources for wounded veterans.

Innovative Activity #2: Judo for Blind Athletes

     Judo is a martial art that uses some of the same aspects as wrestling. There are pins, arm locks, and chocking techniques. What makes Judo unique are the special throwing techniques used. Judo can be adapted for visually impaired participants fairly easily. People with visual impairments are even able to compete with athletes without visual impairments. The main benefit of Judo is that it is a means of providing physically activity and exercise. This can be a way for several people with visual impairments to meet each other as well as people with and without visual impairments to get to know each other. Other groups that my benefit from this activity would include people with hearing impairments since hearing is not critical to the activity. People who are recovering from certain injuries may be able to participate as a way to regain lost strength. Those with severe physical disabilities and limitations would not find this activity appropriate. People with a history of violence may also not be good competitors in this sport because they could potentially harm their competition.
    Judo uses the same basic rules as wrestling that Americans are familiar with. There are 13 weight classes and competitors can be of any age or gender. Points are scored by executing different moves. The object of the match is for one competitor must throw the other to the ground, and the one on the ground must remain pinned there with both hips and both shoulders touching the floor for two seconds. If this is accomplished the match is over. If the person who was thrown to the floor manages to get free, the match may continue. One competitor may also end the match by submitting to the other competitor by patting the floor or the opponent to show that he is ready to admit his defeat. The only resources needed are an open space, preferably with a soft floor like a wrestling mat, and a person to referee the competition. For competitors with visual impairments the mat should have different textures to mark different zones. Contestants usually wear robes and belts similar to those worn in karate. For someone just leaning about judo, a coach or teacher would be important. The best leadership for this activity is a teacher who has been practicing Judo for many years to guide people who are still learning.
    I learned about Judo for athletes with visual impairments from an online search. My sources follow: http://judoinfo.com/new/, http://www.blindjudofoundation.org/. This is a new story of paralympic athletes competing in Judo http://www.blindjudofoundation.org/videos.php. This is from the 2009 Judo Open.

    For people looking for more information on Judo I recommend both of these websites as well as the paralympic websites.

2/23/2012 Now or Never

    Today was the day; we performed our flash mob for everyone to see. It was a little nerve wracking before hand: was the music going to work, would it be loud enough, would everyone remember the dance. In the end, all the worrying was for nothing. The performance went off without a hitch. Before we started the performance we arrived at the REC at different times and worked out so we didn't look suspicious. Having some activity to do made me less nervous but still anxious. Finally I heard our song come over the sound system. It was strange at first to think that I had to run out there and join the random group of dancers in the middle of the basketball court. When I got out there though, it was just like when we practiced. It was fun and I didn't care how silly we looked. After we were done we went back to the library to debrief.
   What I learned this week is that if you dream it you can do it. With a little bit of work you can make something that you can be proud of. I didn't know at the beginning of the semester that we would be able to pull this off. There were moments when I thought we might not come to decisions. There were also times when I thought someone might just walk out of the room and give up. My classmates surprised me in our ability to come together to make this work. I will be able to use this experience in my professional life as an example of our ability to come together and work as a team. Even with many different personalities we were able to compromise. Today I learned that it's great to go out there and show everyone what I have worked hard to do and be proud of it. This week I strived for excellence by leaving it all on the floor. It was a great time and I have no regrets. I'm interested to see what the rest of the semester has in store.
    Here's the final product, enjoy! http://youtu.be/0GS9FIr282Y

Innovative Activity #1: Goalball

    The game is called goalball and it is designed specifically for people with visual impairments. Goalball allows  participants that are visually impaired a way to compete in a sport with a level playing field. Many sports are difficult to adapt for visual impairments or could be dangerous even if adaptations were made. This is also a way for those with visual impairment to socialize with other people with the same disability. They are able to be a part of a team and feel camaraderie just like any other athlete. Though this sport is specifically for athletes with visual impairments it may be played by people without visual impairments. Most athletes without visual impairments would find this sport similar to the goal shooting aspect of sports like soccer or handball but potentially much quicker. Goalball may not be suited to people with limited motor function because of the speed of the game. With some adaptations it could be played by athletes that use wheelchairs; this may involve the participants sitting on the ground instead of in their chairs.

    Goalball (sometimes known as torball, thought the two are slightly different) is played on a rectangular court of 18 m in length and 9 m in width with goals at both ends of the court. There are three members of each team on the court at a time and only two teams play at a time. The three members of the team are one center and two wings. The ball is 2 kilograms (or 500 grams if it's torball) and has a bell inside so players can hear when in moves. The object of the game is to simply roll the ball across the court bowling style into the goal on the opposite side. The defenders then dive to protect their goal. Most players wear pants and knee pads since they spend a great amount of the game on their knees. Most also wear either long-sleeved shirts and/or elbow pads. Everyone playing must wear eye shades, which are often blacked out ski goggles, to make the level of visual impairment equal for all players. There are ways to be penalized and when this happens the opposite team gets to throw against only one defender. Here is a picture of what a court should look like.

    Resources needed for this game are proper padding to prevent injury, eye shades, and goals wide enough to cover the end of the court. Two referees are needed as well as people to stand at the four corners of the court to get the ball when it rolls out of play. If a court does not exist you can create one using duct tape for lines a a regular volleyball court. The duct tape should be several layers thick so players can feel where it is. Here is a picture of a court to better understand the game.

    Teams should have coached to help strategize, but during the game the room usually remains fairly silent except when goals are scored so players can hear the ball moving. It is likely that one player per team will take the lead as a captain during play.

    I found this activity on the website for the international paralympic committee http://www.paralympic.org/. I found more details for how to play the game on http://www.ibsa.es/eng/ and http://www.dhamilton.net/goalball/HOW_TO_PLAY_GOALBALL/How_to_Play_GOALBALL.htm. If anyone wants more information on goalball, I recommend these websites along with youtube clips of the sport such as this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTQ1ttL0diE&feature=related

2/16/2012 Practice Makes Perfect

    Last night's class was dedicated to practicing our flash-mob. Since we had extra people in class we practiced in the Graff Main auditorium for more space. We went through the song once so everyone could get an idea of how it should look, then we tried it with everyone. This week went fairly smooth because we had already established a leader. Everyone had a chance to give input, but by having one person in charge we stayed on track more easily.
    This week I learned that even thought at times there was a lot going on and we wanted breaks, a break that is too long can kill the momentum. All that dancing started to make us tired, but once we took a break it was hard to get started again. What I learned about myself is that letting lose and having fun makes the crazy dance party less awkward. Just like last week, my way of striving for excellence was to provide my input when ever I felt that something needed to be said. This was important when we were discussion where and when to perform because we weren't sure if the REC would still be the optimal place. I think we have it all figured out and we're ready to go. Crossing my fingers that next week goes off without a hitch!

Article Review: therapeutic benefits of a specific activity

    The title of the article was "War Narratives Veteran Stories, PTSD Effects, and Therapeutic Fly-Fishing" from the Therapeutic Recreation Journal. It was written by Rasul A. Mowatt and Jessie Bennett. I located this article when I was doing research on PTSD for another class earlier this week.
    This article was about research that was done on veterans from several wars spanning from Vietnam to Operation New Dawn who had been diagnosed with Post-traumatic stress Disorder. The vets were part of a fly-fishing program in Utah that was meant to help relieve symptoms of PTSD. After the program was done, the vets wrote letters to the person or company who financially sponsored their trip. This letter writing was part of the therapy. The researchers then did a studied the letters and broke them down to determine 1) what they say 2 how they say that and 3) what the readers reaction to the letters was.
    From this article I learned that the letter writing worked similarly to writing a journal, but in this case it was also the reflection for the activity instead of the activity itself. By writing letters vets were able to look back on their experience fishing and decide if it was something they enjoyed and wanted to continue, but they were also able to write about their experiences with PTSD. The fishing groups worked like support groups, but in a less formal manner. Vets were able to receive therapy while doing a recreation activity they enjoyed: exactly what TR means to me.
    I would recommend this article to other TR students because it told me about not just the activity, but how they analyzed it and used it for research. It showed how a study doesn't have to be solely a study, but instead it can be a TR activity that is already planned. They just took it one more step in looking at the letters that were written to evaluate how well the program worked.

2/9/2012 Skip to the Interlude

   So this was the week we were to choose our flash mob song. I figured this wouldn't be too hard; everyone would share a few ideas, we'd write them on the board, then take a vote.
   Oh no, of course it had to be much more difficult than that. We started off the class by taking a vote, about what I can't even remember because by the end we had voted so much that raising my hand had become a reflex. We all had the chance to state our group's case for our song choice along with location and a few other details. This is where the problems began. There were some groups that were in favor of totally creating our own dance and other groups that wanted something a little more prepackaged. There was debate and valid points were brought up on both sides. Just when it looked like a decision might be made something would change. This went on for quite some time and I learned that voting can be great when making group decisions, if you rush a decision and vote too soon you may have to re-vote later on because new arguments and problems will have arisen and everything has changed.
   Just when we were about to decide on a song for the third time(?) Kaylee had a new idea. She told us about a song called Interlude. She showed us a video of it and we all instantly decided it was the song for us. Sometimes all it takes is one idea to unite a group. The rest of the class was spent developing goals for the flash-mob and creating the actual routine. Once again this was a long process with a lot of discussion and more figuring it out as we went along and making adjustments.
   This week I learned that while I like democracy and voting, there is a point when it can be taken too far. Some decisions need to be executive decisions made by the most informed of the people who feel the strongest. My "striving for excellence" moment this week would have to be my small contributions when we were all offering our ideas. My ideas weren't anything new or exciting, but that's what makes this project a group effort, all of the little ideas put together.
   P.S. check out what we're planning to do in a few weeks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cuS_31zJ6U

2/3/12 Facilitation

   This week in class we got down to business. We talked about the basics of facilitating activities. A lot of it was review of things I have learned in previous classes, but we went much more in depth on the beginning stages of planning activities. 

   Our in class group project this week was to take two activities and do an activity analysis and a task analysis for each. My group worked on basketball and bicycling. We broke down the steps of how to learn to ride a bike and prepare yourself for biking. We did the same for basketball. Then we discussed limitations for each and how you could make each adaptable for different injuries. We decided that basketball was more easily adaptable because bicycles can be expensive and potentially dangerous with some people or populations. Other groups did the same thing for painting, journals, and kayaks. The entire class discussed the challenges and benefits of doing different activities with different populations. It really stressed the importance to me of how well you need to know the clients you are working with and how well prepared you need to be for activities.

   We also got to spend some time in our groups thinking about our flash-mob. We had to think about adaptability for that as well. We want it to be simple enough that everyone can learn it and have fun doing it. We also have to consider where we are performing and what we will perform to. I am hoping for an upbeat song that everyone who sees us will recognize and be able to sing along to. I would like to perform somewhere on campus so our classmates can see what we've been working on. For now we'll just have to wait and see.

1/26/12 Introduction to ... flash mobs?

So today being the first day of class I expected it to be the same old boring going through the syllabus routine. But no! Class started with a video of what else, a flash mob. Not necessarily a bad way to start off a class. The professor asked us why we thought he showed that to us. There were nervous giggles and a suggestion that we would be doing one. He skirted around the idea and we went on to do a group project about name games. After the silly name games were done, we went back to talking about the syllabus. Same old, same old; class expectations, assignments, and group projects, and then on the last page....the flash mob assignment. Yes class, we are indeed going to perform a flash mob as an assignment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDNOB6TnHSI Check it out because in a few weeks this will be my class. I think it's going to be a good semester : )