VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 4
activities, for the benefit of other camps wishing to include more Native student
athletes in their programs.
As a teacher of students with visual impairment (TSVI), Vicki Numkena, who
lived and worked on the Navajo Reservation for many years, became concerned
with how often her students with blindness or visual impairments were left out of
sports and recreational activities at their schools, due to their impairment.
Numkena started planning a new Camp Abilities, so that athletes in the Four
Corners area (Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah), could have a camp "in
their backyard," while taking advantage of the outstanding recreational
opportunities afforded in the region.
Navajo Board and Advisory Board members, as well as Navajos in other staff
positions at Camp, have been vital to the success of CAFC. These Navajo leaders
assure respectful and appropriate activities and behavior and provide role models
for the Navajo student athletes. Please refer to Table 1 for ideas on ways to include
Native Americans, of any tribe, in your Camp.
Camp is immersed in Native culture, as lodgings and meals are provided at the
iconic Cameron Trading Post, located on the Navajo Reservation in northern
Arizona. During meals, diners are surrounded by expertly woven beautiful Navajo
rugs, some very large, hung on the walls. Walking through the gift shop to reach
the restaurant, Native crafts, jewelry, and more are on display. Cultural
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