By: Seth Johnson
The Indiana Blind Children’s Foundation (IBCF) is excited to share that we’ve been awarded a $10,000 grant through the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation’s Sports Matter program, which will be used to fund an adaptive skiing experience for students at Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI) at Perfect North Slopes.
Previously, ISBVI would take students on an annual skiing trip, but close to 15 years ago that tradition halted due to a lack of funding and staff with the expertise to do so. IBCF would now like to give ISBVI students this opportunity once again, especially considering many sports activities are not applicable to students with multiple disabilities.
The Perfect North Adaptive Program specializes in serving individuals with a wide array of disabilities, including but not limited to vision and hearing impairments, amputees, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophies, birth defects, paralysis, and cognitive disabilities. As a vital part of Perfect North Slopes’ Snow Sports School, adaptive instructors are specifically trained and use Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) adaptive teaching techniques. In fact, Perfect North recently trained 11 staff members through the PSIA training program in February of this year as they wish to make a deeper impact on individuals with disabilities moving forward.
With this grant money, the goal is to take 4th-8th grade students from ISBVI (up to 24 in total) to Perfect North Slopes across dates in November and December to each participate in a three-hour adaptive skiing lesson. Each student will be assessed for either blind skiing, where sighted guides ski in front or behind visually impaired skiers providing verbal descriptions so that they can assist their skier in traversing the slope, or sit skiing, where individuals with mobility and cognitive disabilities sit in a chair on skis that is maneuvered by an instructor who is connected to the chair behind the skier. This approach gives all our students the opportunity to experience skiing no matter their ability.
In addition to equipment rental and a three-hour lesson, funds from the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation will also go towards outfitting each student with appropriate snow bibs, coats, boots, hats, and gloves, as 91% of ISBVI’s student population is eligible for free or reduced lunch. The remaining amount of the budget will be used to pay for lunch during each visit for students and staff as well as indirect IBCF administrative costs for oversight and logistics associated with the program.
We at IBCF would like to thank the Dick’s Sporting Goods Foundation for supporting this unique opportunity for students at ISBVI! Be sure to stay tuned to IBCF’s social media accounts in the coming months for updates on how the adaptive skiing trips went.
