Newport Aquatic Center Welcomes Beyond Blindness for an Inclusive Summer Camp Outrigger Outing
By Guest Contributor Jasmine Jenkins – August 11, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/newport-aquatic-center-welcomes-beyond-blindness-for-an-inclusive-summer-camp-outrigger-outing/
On August 1, the Newport Aquatic Center welcomed Beyond Blindness, a nonprofit in Santa Ana providing support for visually impaired children and their families, to their facility as part of Beyond Blindness’ inclusive summer camp, taking the campers on outriggers in the Back Bay.
This six-year partnership through the NAC’s Makapo program provides the opportunity for the children to play in the water with the proper accommodation.
Makapo is the name of the NAC’s outrigger paddling program for those with disabilities, named for the Hawaiian words maka (eye) and po (night).
Kristin McKay and her son, Charlie, aboard the outrigger canoe. Photo by Chris Trela
The project began in 2006 when a group of five blind men, under coach Billy Whitford, became the first all-blind team to complete the Queen Liliu’okalani Outrigger Canoe race in Hawaii. Whitford, now the executive director of the NAC, continues to support disabled athletes and community members through his work.
He asserted that Makapo is “absolutely one of our top programs because of what the place was built for: to give back to the community.”
“It’s unbelievably humbling,” said Whitford about the Beyond Blindness partnership. “It’s rewarding, yes, but it’s just so humbling to be able to help the kids and to show them that there’s so many opportunities out there for special needs kids. All you gotta do is look at their faces, look at the parents. Everybody is so happy. The vibe is so cool when these programs are down here.”
The inclusive summer camp is only one of many services Beyond Blindness offers for visually impaired children. Between infant/toddler classrooms, a preschool program, various therapies, and even a teen social group, Beyond Blindness offers comprehensive care for people with a wide range of disabilities.
According to Jacob Garcia, family support associate and teacher of the visually impaired at Beyond Blindness, “The Beyond Blindness inclusive summer camp provides children with a unique opportunity to participate in activities they might not typically engage in. They are also able to participate in a safe and inclusive environment that promotes their confidence and independence.”
Ashley Yee, MSW, director of family support at Beyond Blindness, said the inclusive Summer Camp has a positive impact on children with visual impairments and their families.
“The camp provides a space for families to send their kids to enjoy a typical camp experience with inclusive and accessible activities,” said Yee. “The kids can also interact with other peers who share similar challenges and opportunities. The camp helps them develop confidence and social skills in a fun and supportive environment. We design our activities with tactile and sensory elements that enable the participation of campers with different degrees of visual impairment and blindness.”
Kristin McKay, a Beyond Blindness board member and parent, spoke on her family’s experiences and how Beyond Blindness changed her son Charlie’s life. Charlie has a genetic disorder called Hunter syndrome along with cerebral palsy and cortical vision impairment, which is blindness caused by damage to the parts of the brain that process vision.
Kristin McKay, a Beyond Blindness board member and parent of Charlie, being interviewed about her family’s experiences. Photo by Chris Trela
When the McKays lived in Orange County, Charlie attended the Beyond Blindness daycare program. However, at that time, the preschool program was shut down due to COVID. The McKays moved to Los Angeles County, and just a month later, the preschool reopened.
“I was trying to go back to work, finally, and I had called around to all these places, all these daycares, preschools, everywhere, no one could take him,” explained Kristin. “Beyond Blindness was the only place that not only could take him but took care of him well and loved him.”
Kristin McKay helping her son, Charlie, get ready for his outrigger experience. Photo by Chris Trela
“A lot of–well really, all–preschools or daycares…they don’t have the staffing, they don’t have the knowledge, they don’t have the equipment, so they just say no” to children with more complex disabilities such as Charlie.
Left with nearly no other childcare options, Kristin drove 40 miles each way four times every day so that Charlie could attend the preschool in Santa Ana and receive the support he needed to thrive.
McKay shared how Charlie grew leaps and bounds from before they found Beyond Blindness to now. In the past, Charlie’s conditions prevented him from interacting with other people, but now “he loves being around other kids. He can interact with people in a different way than he used to be able to.”
She acknowledged that the Beyond Blindness staff also taught her to “challenge him and let him explore new things,” particularly in the way that they adapt activities to include all abilities.
She continued, “the world can accommodate my son, and he shouldn’t ever have to hear the word ‘no’ just because he has disabilities.”
About the Newport Aquatic Center, she was relieved that “they’ve done this before, they love making those accommodations, and they’re ready to go. They’re all set for all the kids because they’ve seen them before.”
For more information, visit https://newportaquaticcenter.com and https://www.beyondblindness.org.
By Guest Contributor Jasmine Jenkins – August 11, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/newport-aquatic-center-welcomes-beyond-blindness-for-an-inclusive-summer-camp-outrigger-outing/
The Newport Beach City Council approved an agreement with a firm for federal advocacy services related to harbor dredging efforts and programs, Feb. 27. Carpi & Clay was retained to represent Newport Beach at the federal level in hopes the firm would help bring the city’s issues to the forefront when it comes to harbor dredging.
“The city has been actively working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers … and to a limited extent, federal elected representatives, to present and educate them on our dredging needs in Newport Harbor, as well as to get our project on the Corps’ upcoming project funding list,” city staff told council members in a report. “Keeping our project in focus and on the recommended funding list of both the Corps and the many elected representatives that need to review and approve it is, and continues to be, a significant challenge particularly because we do not have a presence in Washington, D.C.”
An Army Corps study in 2017 revealed there is about 650,000 cubic yards of sediment remaining in federal waters and must be dredged to “maintain adequate navigation.”
By Devon Warren
Inventor of the electric Duffy boat addresses his plans to improve the Newport Beach Harbor as city’s new mayor.
NEWPORT BEACH — In the efforts to track down Marshall “Duffy” Duffield, the new mayor of Newport Beach, it seemed quite ominous his reply to an email correspondence about scheduling an interview stated, “I’m around,” with his phone number attached.
The Duffy name is certainly “around” in many corners of Newport Beach Harbor, as it’s literally everywhere you turn – in the form of a “Duffy” electric boat.
As a long-time Newport Beach resident (more than 50 years) and the inventor of the electric boat bearing his name, many of us would consider Duffield the quintessential image of the dreamy Southern California yachting life.
A car insurance agent once told me we pay such catastrophic prices because “it’s a privilege to live” in Southern California. In a lot of ways, Duffield has taken such privilege and created an empire from it – him, and most other residents of California’s coast, live in a Technicolor world of scenic beauty that others across the country may never see in their lifetimes.
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