Northwest Association for Blind Athletes (NWABA) is looking forward to Summer 2023, as we grow our partnerships in Idaho to offer expanded program to the area.
NWABA is partnering with the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ICBVI) to host a series of events related to team building through sports and physical activity. NWABA will work directly with students aged 15-20 and enrolled in ICBVI’s Visually Impaired Experiencing Work (VIEW) and Ready Set Go Work Programs. The programs aim to assist Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) students in their shift from high school into the workforce by introducing and practicing work-readiness skills.
NWABA will also host a three-series event to include cooperative games, Color Wars, and an adults v. youth beep kickball game to infuse sports and physical activity into their summer training.
Cooperative games will be held on Wednesday, June 21st at the Boise State University campus and will consist of games specifically targeting the enhancement of communication and social skills, as well as orientation and mobility skills.
Then on Saturday, July 8th, NWABA will be out at Julia Davis Park engaging students in Color Wars, a traditional challenge-style game, where students will be split up into two teams to complete various events. Through Color Wars, students will be encouraged to build cohesion between their pre-assigned team members in order to come out on top through a multitude of physical activities directly related to the Expanded Core Curriculum for Students with Visual Impairments (ECC) which include the following nine facets of blindness-specific skills: 1) assistive technology skills; 2) career skills; 3) compensatory skills; 4) independent living skills; 5) orientation and mobility skills; 6) self-determination skills; 7) sensory-efficiency skills; 8) social skills; and 9) recreation and leisure skills.
Towards the end of the month, on July Saturday, July 22nd, NWABA will join the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) in welcoming transition-aged youth at the Annual NFB Picnic at Cassia Park. There, NWABA will present an adult v. youth beep kickball game to unite students with adult visually impaired members of the Boise community. Using adaptive equipment such as foam bases, portable sound sources, and auditory (beeping) kickballs, NWABA’s adult athletes will serve as visually impaired mentors displaying that individuals with visual impairments are more than their visual condition; they’re athletes.
NWABA is looking forward to intentional summer fun and continuing to build momentum with youth programming in the Treasure Valley. Our mission is to provide life-changing opportunities through sports and physical activity for individuals who are blind and visually impaired, with the intention of exposing, educating, and engaging transition-aged youth in the importance of staying active and the affect being part of a team has on quality of life.