is something that many people seek to be involved with in their spare time. Sports provide enjoyable experiences where the body and the mind
are challenged differently than other types of activities. Individuals who are blind and visually impaired need to be exposed to many options for
recreation and leisure as they are not able to incidentally observe these activities by sight. Thus,
skiing fits nicely into the recreation and leisure
category of the ECC. Participants and families reported that the Foresight Ski Guide Program provided an enjoyable and relaxing experience for
them where they were challenged, but also able
to relax and enjoy all that the sport and the ambiance of the sport had to offer (e.g.: Après Ski,
companionship, peer interaction, etc).
Social Skills and Self-Determination
Social and self-determination skill development were the two areas that were most often reported as the main benefits of the program by the
participants and their parents/teachers. Participants reported that the exhilaration of learning to
ski can be an empowering push past limitation
and that feeling the movement does much to
build confidence and self-esteem. To get on skis,
be in control, and feel the speed that you are creating is empowering and unique to the sport of
skiing. Not many sports can do this. The Foresight ski experience was reported as "life changing" as kids learned and grew in their overall confidence and in their movement abilities. Individuals who participated in the Foresight Ski Program
two or three times during the season reported
that the experience of skiing empowered them to
challenge themselves and be more independent
in making choices not related to skiing. Each participant and parent reported that skiing helped
them have the confidence to try other sports and
take on challenges they previously avoided. This
is evidence that developing skills on the mountain
may result in developing self-confidence that can
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