CHAT Camp Sports Day
by Kate Battoe
Good things don’t often get better as they go, but day two of CHAT Camp, themed “Fun with Sports,” was even more fun than the first day! Today the campers got to play lots of physical games while their parents talked with councilor and public speaker Kathy O’Connell and CHAT’s Media Contact, Kate Battoe. Lead by Dr. Luis Columna, Associate Professor in the Exercise Science Department at Syracuse University, the campers got to try a variety of adaptive sports. They started off by using their communication devices to introduce themselves to Luis, and when Makenna introduced herself she called Luis a cheater and laughed hysterically. Way to make introducing yourself fun, Makenna! Jokes are always fun! Playing at the Archibald gym, the campers tried their hand at playing parachute games, tapping and chasing a big ball, going through a obstacle course, and many other sports related activities. When Leo went through the obstacle course, he wanted to make his own course and headed right towards the finish line, avoiding al the obstacles. That was funny too. Addison cheered everyone on, and Graham said his classic “You cheated’ but then told Matt “Good game.” After they were done playing, the campers got to meet real, live SU football players, Clay Cleveland and Jarrod West, and got to interview them. Later in the afternoon, they went to a football field, took a picture with the entire team and watched some of their practice from the sidelines. Meanwhile, the campers’ parents enjoyed their talks with Kathy and Kate. They first spoke with Kathy about the emotions that arise from having children with disabilities. Barb, Graham’s mother, told a story that showed that anyone can get through hard times if you just learn how to listen. When Graham was younger, he cried all the time, which put a lot of stress on Barb and her husband Greg. Why couldn’t they make their son happy? Finally, instead of trying to comfort him, they asked Graham what he was trying to tell them. This started the process of finding communication for Graham and as that progressed, Graham started to smile and cry less. During the second hour, Kate talked about her own experience with augmentative and alternative communication. Kate has a speech impairment do to cerebral palsy. She talked about the many communication devices she has had and how her ability to communicate grew through her childhood and early adulthood. After her presentation, Kate opened the floor for questions, which quickly became a round table discussion about topics such as Individualized Education Programs, backup ways of communication and the importance of not pulling children out of classes to get services. Day 2 of CHAT Camp was a great success! What wonderful stories will Day 3 bring?