‘The kids are loving it:’ Students with visual impairment experience the joy of skiing at Mt. Bachelor
(Update: adding video, comments from visually impaired students, High Desert ESD, OAS)
REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Mountain View High School student Evie Moffitt is legally blind, but that didn’t stop her from snowboarding at Mt. Bachelor.
"Snowboarding and skiing is really nice for visually impaired people, just because it's more of a feel instead of seeing." said Moffitt.
She's participating in a special visually impaired student ski day, a partnership with High Desert ESD, Oregon Adaptive Sports and Mt. Bachelor.
Some of the kids went skiing or snowboarding for the very first time. High Desert ESD says the students come from all over Central Oregon.
HDESD teacher Nancy Abbott said, "Usually, they're the only one in their school with a visual impairment. So they get to see other kids that are visually impaired, socialize and be outside, doing a really fun thing that their peers can do as well."
The visually impaired students were guided around by family members, and guides from Oregon Adaptive Sports.
Moffitt said, "It's been amazing, actually -- even with my vision problems."
The visual impairments range from blindness to only having one eye. OAS says there are a variety of different adaptations they use to help the students.
OAS Program Coordinator Jesse Brown said, "It could just be verbal cues, it could be some visual cues, depending on their impairment. Could be using tools such as like, a bamboo stick, skiing next to them and they're holding onto it, and the instructor's side by side."
Abbot said, "Our weather is fabulous, and we have the best guides from Oregon Adaptive Sports. The kids are just loving it!"
Here's more about the program, which continues next Friday, from the OAS news release:
The High Desert Educational Service District is partnering with Oregon Adaptive Sports and Mt. Bachelor to make skiing possible for students with visual impairment. The special VI student ski days, part of a long-standing tradition designed to create equitable outdoor experiences for students with disabilities, are taking place at Mt. Bachelor on Friday, March 15 and Friday, March 22 from 10 am to 12 pm.
“This incredible partnership with OAS and Mt. Bachelor allows us to create richer learning experiences for our students with visual impairment,” said Nancy Abbott, teacher of the visually impaired at HDESD. “We know that students learn best through real-world experiences in which they can have a direct, first-hand understanding of something and not just a verbal explanation. Fun and playful movement activities like skiing help build gross motor and fine motor abilities, and exposure to other kids also helps build the foundation for communication and social development.”
According to Abbott, HDESD offers a number of services for children ages birth to 21 years who experience visual impairment. These services --provided by professional educators who have postgraduate training in education for the visually impaired -- include evaluation, assessment, and specialized instruction. She also added that HDESD is recruiting for another teacher of the visually impaired.
“Participating in outdoor recreation delivers an abundance of mental and physical health benefits,” said Pat Addabbo, executive director for Oregon Adaptive Sports. “It provides experiences of joy, satisfaction and meaning, opportunities for fitness, and connects individuals to each other, to their families and their communities. Outdoor recreation is flush with transformative powers and it is critical for all individuals to participate in such healthy activities.”
Addabbo added that experiences like skiing can be difficult to access without the added resources needed to ensure a safe and successful program.
“Mt. Bachelor has partnered with OAS for over two decades to provide adaptive skiing and riding opportunities for guests with disabilities, both locals and visitors alike,” said Lauren Burke, director of marketing and communications for Mt. Bachelor. “OAS provides the expertise, training, volunteer, and other resources to fully accommodate the needs and goals of these athletes and Mt. Bachelor provides operational, in-kind, and financial support to OAS. This partnership allows us to provide increased access to the outdoors for hundreds of adaptive skiers and snowboarders each season.”
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More about HDESD and support for students with visual impairment
The High Desert Education Service District is Central Oregon’s publicly-funded, regional service provider that partners with families and local school districts to provide programs for children with special needs. The vision services team includes itinerant teachers of the visually impaired, orientation and mobility specialists and specially trained para-educators. All staff have expertise in early intervention and early childhood special education, multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness, assistive technology, behavior concerns, and much more. The team provides direct instruction to students and consultative services to parents and educational staff. In addition to serving students with visual impairment, HDESD also works with families and educators to support student learning and development related to autism spectrum disorder, deaf and hard of hearing, early childhood special education, occupational therapy, physical therapy, traumatic brain injury and assistive technology.
More about OAS and ski opportunities for individuals with disabilities
OAS was founded 28 years ago when individuals in the community noticed that when school groups would visit Mt Bachelor the students with disabilities would stay in the lodge. These individuals gathered the resources to start getting these kids on snow. Our partnership with the HDESD is part of our larger "Ski For Life" program which involves more than 10 regional education institutions including all of the high schools in the Bend La Pine School District as well as groups out of Redmond and Sisters. This program will support over 100 youth and young adults with disabilities this season and is only possible thanks to generous support from donations and grants.
More about Mt. Bachelor and OAS
This year, in addition to its long-standing partnership with OAS, Mt. Bachelor sponsored two tables at OAS’s First Chair fundraiser and provided two old Skyliner chairs to the live auction, which raised over $11,000 for OAS. Mt. Bachelor also made a $5,000 grant to OAS through the Play Forever Oregon Community Foundation donor advised fund and selected OAS to be a beneficiary of the Play Forever Thursday initiative on January 25th. A portion of all ticket sales that day were donated to OAS and they set up a table in the West Village lodge to collect additional donations and share information about their programs with guests. On March 1st, Mt. Bachelor launched a fundraising campaign for OAS that will run through May 31st. During this time frame, guests who purchase tickets and season passes online will have the option to contribute $1 (or more) to OAS upon check out. Mt. Bachelor will match up to $10k of guest contributions. Mt. Bachelor is also hosting OAS’s 7th annual Ski for All fundraiser on March 16.
