VIDBE-Q Volume 65 Issue 1
standardize procedures to magnify year-round impact and continue to
provide professional development opportunities to professionals and pre-
professionals in the field.
Need
Camp Spark, in addition to our other programs with Northwest
Association for Blind Athletes, exist because the frequency and severity of
gross motor delays for children and youth with visual impairments is
alarming compared to their sighted peers (Haibach, Wagner, & Lieberman,
2014). Outside of Camp Spark, many of our campers are excluded from
sports and physical activity in their schools and communities. Their
teachers and coaches often cite lack of equipment, professional
development, and a lack of understanding of the camper's ability as the
reason. Research shows that children and youth with visual impairments
are marginalized from sports and physical activity due to deficits in
functional motor skills, leading to an increase in sedentary behavior and a
greater likelihood of obesity (Brian, Taunton, Lieberman, Haibach-Beach,
Foley, & Santarossa, 2018).
Camp Spark Procedures
At each summer session of Camp Spark, campers complete a
camper journal, which asks a variety of open-ended questions in order to
