Month: April 2013

My Karate Experience

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I know I’ve been talking a lot about adaptive sports, so, I figured in today’s post, I’d tell you a bit about how adaptive karate changed my life.

When I was about 17 years old, I was lucky enough for my mom to enroll me in Karate classes.  That’s right, Karate.  My mom had taken Karate herself for many years and I’m not exactly sure how, but I became interested in it too.  I do remember feeling a little nervous when I went to check out the class.  The kids all had different disabilities and they were much younger than me but, I decided it would probably be something exciting for me to do.

At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to do any sort of Karate since for the most part, I need my cane to get around outside my house.  I had no idea how much it would help me in the long run.  After a while, I was running around the Karate studio in the routine warm-ups the instructor had us doing and even sparring with him!

I didn’t realize how much I could actually do, not only in class with different stances and punches, but, it even started to help me outside of class.  My stamina increased and my balance got better! I couldn’t believe it! Yes, I was exhausted after class and did have some discomfort in my feet because I had to stand for longer periods than I was used to, and be barefoot, but, after a while, it wasn’t so uncomfortable.

I believe that staying as active as you can, even when you have a disability does help you in many ways.  No matter what your limitations may be, there are always options out there in the form of different activities for you to do and things for you to see.

What activity would you participate in if given the chance?

Thanks for reading..

cr

Derek Hough Dances with Brilynn Rakes

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I was watching “Dancing with the Stars” last night and heard that the “AT&T Spotlight Performance” was going to feature Derek Hough and a legally blind dancer.  If you follow my posts, I’ve talked a lot about different adaptive sports.  Adaptive sports are a way for people who are disabled to go out and participate in different activities such as basketball, bowling and martial arts.  I feel like it’s important to get out there and be as active as you can, no matter your limitations.

When, I saw Brilynn dance with Derek, it was amazing!  Hearing her story about how she adjusted to learning dance, because she can’t see in mirrors at the studio was just great.  She didn’t go to any adaptive dancing classes but, instead, made modifications to the way she learned to dance on her own.  The way she’s found alternatives to accomplishing her goals just shows how we can all be inventive when we have something we want to achieve.  She even has problems with her balance but, that didn’t stop her either.

No matter what obstacles she’s faced in life, she found a way to make her dream of becoming a dancer come true.  We shouldn’t limit ourselves in what we want to do.  There are always ways to reach our goals.  Sometimes it just takes the encouragement of those who love us most and a belief in ourselves to make it happen.

To find out more information about Brilynn Rakes you can go to the link below:

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/spotlight-performances/s16-brilynn-rakes-bio

Thanks for reading..

cr

Dolls for Downs

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

While browsing the Internet the other day, I saw a story about a doll that’s fashioned like a disabled child.  To be a bit more specific, a child with Down Syndrome.  While I was growing up, I used a wheelchair.  Although I knew most of the kids at my school didn’t have a disability, it didn’t bother me.  This isn’t necessarily the case for all disabled kids.  I think having dolls with differences is a great idea for children with disabilities so they’re less likely to feel left out when it comes to their non-disabled peers, which can sometimes be the case.  If there are dolls with different eye, skin and hair colors, it only makes sense to have dolls with different disabilities too.  It’s great that dolls can be made representative of real life.

Having these dolls available can help kids feel like they’ve got someone to identify with.  They can also help build self-esteem.  It’s a great idea for children with out a disability to have a chance to be exposed to these dolls too.  That’s because it could help them become sensitive to others no matter their circumstance.

When I started thinking about this, I remembered that when I was about 17 years old, Mattel came out with the first Barbie doll in a wheelchair.  It was really cool to see that a toy company seemed to be catching up with the rest of the world, but then, it kind of disappeared from the market.

I really like that this doll encourages things like occupational therapy.  I remember when I was younger, I was really not interested in doing the exercises that were assigned to me by my physical or occupational therapist in the least.  Maybe these dolls can help make a not so fun thing a little bit more fun to do.  All in all, I feel like these dolls have the potential to make an impact on many people.

What do you think about creating different dolls to exemplify the differences of people in society?

Thanks for reading…

cr