Amputee Surfing

Surfing has always been something Ive always wanted to try! Ever since I can remember going to my first beach and seeing people surf I wanted to give it a go.  So I came to thinking how people with physical disabilities or amputees are able to surf.  I cam across this website which is the AmpSurf Association and it's a non-profit organization made up of amputees, veterans, friends and families of disabled.  They are solely dependent on donations to keep this association up and running.  Their main goal is to promote, inspire, educate, rehabilitate people with disabilities, especially our veteran heroes through adaptive surfing.  One in five Americans struggle with a life long disability and nearly two million men and women have served our country overseas and coming home and looking for ways to feel good again.  Whether they are an amputee, blind, suffer from PTSD, have quadriplegia or TBI this association is looking to help those people.  AmpSurf offers a unique program to bring the healing power of the ocean and adaptive surfing together for an experience that is both mentally and physically one of the rehabilitating.  They also offer clinics and lessons for a majority of people who don't know how to surf.  This is a great non-profit organization that truly wants to make a difference not only for amputees but for any populations or veteran. 

http://ampsurf.org/

Wheelchair Rugby

I ran across this sport of wheelchair rugby and it caught my eye because I would've never thought it would be possible and there is actually a US Quad Rugby Association.  Wheelchair rugby is played indoors on a hardwood court.
The rules of the game are kind of similar to wheelchair basketball, or ice hockey.  Its actually played with a volleyball on a basketball sized court.  The  object of the game is to cross the goal line with possession of the ball, the team with the most points when time runs out wins.  Quad rugby is a full contact sport but no personal contact is allowed like punching, slapping, scratching, or biting is allowed.  Penalties are enforced and are time deducted just like the game of hockey.  It looks like a pretty intense sport for more information head to their website!!

http://www.quadrugby.com/

Wheelchair Dancing

The American DanceWheels is an artistic organization that trains people with disabilities and their able-bodied partners different types of dances.  Melinda Kremer and Ray Leight are the creators of American DanceWheels.  They have been developing and performing wheelchair dances for almost five years now.  They have received national recognition for their innovative style, artistry, and presentation.  These two are actually the first and current wheelchair dance champions.  Melinda got started with wheelchair dancing when her daughter became physically disabled and needed to use a wheelchair where she then met Ray.  Ray also needed to use a wheelchair from a past accident he had.  With both of their athleticism and support for each other they formed the perfect team.  They have traveled throughout the country promoting wheelchair dancing so that people with and without wheelchairs realize everyone and anyone can dance despite them being in a wheelchair.  You can use either a manual wheelchair or a power wheelchair the sky's the limit!
After trying wheelchair dancing in class it is a blast!  It takes a lot of hard work and talent but it comes to show that anyone can dance whether they can walk or not. 

Here is the website for the American DanceWheels Foundation:
http://www.americandancewheels.com/

Here is a short YouTube clip I really enjoyed on a wheelchair dance competition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ9NqyChCA0

Just Dance!

In this generation a new gaming system has come out that has opened a world of new technology and gaming techniques.  The Wii was introduced as not only a gaming system but also as a therapeutic intervention.  Nursing homes and other facilities are starting to integrate them into their facilities.  They can be very beneficial to any age and population for either means of exercise or entertainment.
Just Dance is a game for the Wii that is all about dancing and following the moves that scroll across the screen.  Its a music and rhythm video game that allows you to escape your daily routines by mixing it up with a little dance.  This is a very innovative game because you don't have to necessarily be standing to dance and do the moves.  The controller is the sensor and you hold it in your hand so even people who are in wheelchairs can dance and have a good time too!  This dancing video game can be used for exercise to get your heart pumping and to have a good time while doing it, or it can be used to get people out of their shell.  When you are in the mode and mindset of the game everyone looks silly doing it and it can boost your self-esteem.  This is something I would like to see incorporated in more facilities for different populations.  Its a very easy thing to facilitate you pick and song and pull it up on a big screen and many people can dance along!  The thing i thought was pretty cool is they even have it available on YouTube now so you don't even need the Wii and controllers, which makes this activity a fun and cheap therapeutic activity!

Wheelchair accessible Swings

There are many types of swings out there but one type of swing I found very innovative was the wheelchair accessible swing.  I noticed this swing at camp and it was pretty cool because I've never got to see one before.  Its a metal platform with front and rear ramps for the wheelchair to get up then the ramps are folded up and the wheel chair is locked in place.  It gives individuals who are in wheelchairs a chance to do a very basic thing such as swinging.  Its an activity that most people enjoy its very relaxing and it gives you a chance to think.  I feel this would a great modification for all parks to have because most parks these days aren't wheelchair accessible.  So having a swing set with a wheelchair accessible swing would be the first step in right direction for a leisure pastime that is accessible to everyone.

Biking

A new bicylce design was created for people with disabilities to ride the bike more independently.  Disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Intellectual Disabilities, and Acquired Brain Injuries can affect basic motor functions such as balance and strength, hindering their ability to operate a bike as an individual.  This specific bike helps support the rider by helping them balance.  This design also instills confidence so that they can ride the bike without any assistance.  This design looks very mainstream and modern.  This bike helps increase the riders self-esteem and encourages them to be more active in society.  This specific type of bike looks like a normal bike but it has two slanted wheels in the back for stability. 

There are also several other types of innovative bikes for people with disabilities.  Another type of bike is one where there are arm pedals that move the bike rather than foot pedals.  This specific type benefits people who are paraplegic and don't have leg control so they use their arms.  There also is another type where there is a seat in front of the bike for an individual who can't physically bike, to be able to sit in the front for the feeling like their biking but someone else actually is behind them.  

Here is the link for adaptive bikes!
  http://www.brucefreemanrailtrail.org/trail_plans/universal_access.html

Innovative Hula Hooping

After Ally came to our class and talked to us about her passion for hula hooping we came to talking about different ways of hooping for different people.  It got me thinking how innovative that is, that you just don't need to hula hoop around your hips.  You can hoop around your arm, neck, or someone can simulate hooping around your wheelchair.  This is a great activity that anyone can benefit from and have a good time!  The hula hoop is a really simple toy that can be modified and you can use it in many ways.  It can benefit and entertain many populations.   

Paper Keyboard

I was at Easter Seals Respite Camp this past weekend and I specifically noticed one camper who was non-verbal and had Autism.  His way of communication with his parents and other people is a laminated paper keyboard so he can communicate.  So all you do is hold out the keyboard and he will take his finger and type in the letters that spells what he wants to say.
I thought this was very innovative because it gave him an outlet to express what he's thinking instead of trying to point or write it down on paper.  It was quick and easy for him to type it in, and for the coulselor or one of his parents to find out what he was trying to say.  Its a great, quick, cheap, innovative technique!

One Handed Woodwind Musicians

A lot of people are musically talented, especially growing up everyone wants to try out an instrument.  Well not everyone has the ability to play a woodwind instrument because they don't have full functioning of two hands.  Well the One Hander Woodwind Program was created for people with disabilities to play instruments. 
Dr. Nabb a musical professor at the University of Nebraska Kearney.  He had passion for the saxophone and after a massive stroke, one side of his body became paralyzed.  After his rehab he designed a one-handed saxophone "toggle-key" saxophone with a repair show owner (Jeff Stelling) and returned to his teaching job.  The personal experience is what motivated Dr. Nabb and Jeff Stelling to create a one-hander woodwind program at the University of Nebraska.  Yamaha has agreed to donate the parts for future one handed instruments.  Starting this program has also set up an international forum on musical instruments adapted for persons with disabilities.   

Here is a link to their website with a great YouTube clip!
http://onehandwinds.unk.edu/

Hula Hooping!

In class on (4/26) Ally Surber a fellow classmate in TR came in and shared her passion for hula hooping with us.  She started introducing herself and how she got into hooping and just how therapeutic it really can be.  She showed us a couple YouTube videos which were really cool and got me really excited to make my own hoop and try it out.  After introducing us to hula hooping and its benefits we actually made our own hoop and decorated it with colored duct tape to fit our own liking.  You start out making a hoop by cutting irregation tubing to the perfect size for you, then putting it together with a coupling and blow drying it to melt it together.  Then the fun part, decorating it with colored duct tape.  After we decorated them we took them out to the parking lot where we practiced and had a fun time hula hooping! This is a very beneficial and cheap project you could do at like a summer camp with kids and they would have a blast.  It really gives you time to yourself when you are in your own "hoop" to focus on yourself physically and mentally.

Long Presentations Con't

In class on (4/19) the last three groups presented their long activities.  We started off the day doing team sports, we did a variety of different activities while working in a group.  My favorite activity was the spider web game where we had to pass the hula hoop through our group while we are all linked hands.  It really challenged us when we came together as a group and some of us had to balance on one foot while everyone else had their eyes closed.  This is a great activity to use with groups of people because it really focuses on people working together as a team.  Following team sports the next group presented drama, where we started off making a commercial based on a random item then wheelchair dancing.  Wheelchair dancing was really fun because it was an innovative activity that a majority of us haven't tried before so it was something completely new.  It also gave us the chance to be in a wheelchair and try it out to understand what its like to be in a wheelchair.  Finally my group presented relaxation where we started off making stress balls out of balloons and sand, followed by guided imagery and breathing techniques.  We really wanted to stress the breathing techniques because its an important aspect in relaxation and you can focus on breathing anywhere in any place and it can relax you.  We also showed guided imagery because it can benefit any population and put anyone in a better mood and relaxed state, its also really easy and doesn't involve much planning.  We thought this could benefit the geriatric population, or youth population especially youth in the hospitals because its a really new unfamiliar environment and peoples stress and anxiety levels are usually increased.  Also making stress balls was really easy, fast, and cheap.  Its definitely useful for finals coming up!