Activities for Students with Additional Disabilities

Activities for Students with Additional Disabilities

We have also posted some ideas for physical activities on our BC Blind Sports website. Please select an activity that is appropriate to the participants age, skill level, interests, and physical capabilities.  Remember if this is a new activity for them or something they have not done for a while, start slowly the first time and gradually build upon what you are doing and enjoying. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@bcblindsports.bc.ca. We are here to help you be more active. 

To complement the activities which have been posted for students and members to try during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are sharing share with you some physical activity ideas for participants with who have a Cortical Vision Impairment.  You can modify the already posted activities or try some of the new ones listed below.

General Suggestions:

• Decrease any visually distracting items from the activity area
• Use paper, material (or a towel or piece of cloth) of a preferred colour or add something shiny (like tinsel or tin foil) to attract the participant’s attention. This can be added to an implement – or to a target (see below for a photo).

Shiny or red paper added to a ball

• Soft materials may be easier for some individuals to grasp – try a ball made of old pairs of socks, squishy things like a sponge or soft toy can work well also.
• Individuals who are not able to grasp can push an item off a platform or down a ramp made of a board, plastic, or other material. Try a longer piece of cardboard as a ramp.

Easy to Grip Toy

Scarf/cloth drop

Take a light scarf or piece of material and grasp it then raise your arm up as high as you can then drop the scarf to float down to the floor or on to their lap.  Pick the scarf up and repeat – changing to drop the scarf in different areas and at different levels (floor, table, chair) – causing you to move in different directions.  A target can be placed for you to try to drop to, move the target or ask a helper to do so.

Target Throw/roll

A ball can be thrown, pushed, or otherwise propelled by the hands, arms, feet, or other body part.  Use a ramp or other item to set the ball on.  Set up targets on the floor – a large circle or square (try a favoured colour or shiny target or highlighted with light – e.g. with a flashlight).  Targets can also be put on a wall, table, or elsewhere. Try propelling the ball with different body parts by throwing, kicking, or pushing.  Try different sizes and textures of balls. 

Target with body part or bat

Create six targets in a circle by balancing six brightly coloured balls (such as soccer balls or volley balls) on different sized plastic cones. Use any body part, a light plastic bat or a pool noodle to knock the target ball off the cone. For variety create a maze pathway where participants must knock the ball off the cone in order to move on in the game.

Football with a shiny bat made with a cardboard tube and tin foil

Homemade Parachute

Use a large piece of cloth, old bed sheet, beach towel, or similar large piece of fabric.  You can add handles or cut holes for easier grasping if you wish.  A beach towel works well if there are two people – use a large sheet for more participants. As the parachute is lifted up, you can make waves by alternating one hand up and one down. Participants can also move under the parachute – particularly fun if you have a colourful parachute outdoors on a sunny day.  Hand over hand guidance can be used to facilitate how to grasp and develop an understanding of the movement. *( Hand over Hand is the participant’s hand over the helper or activity leader’s hand – where the activity leader’s hand is gently guiding the participant’s hand)

Parachute

Movement to Music

Free movement to music and dance are always lots of fun.  Start slow, with large muscle/body movements, gently stretching to warmup and activate the muscles first – use slower music for this.   Different movements, counting to the beat, singing along, humming, clapping or tapping, and the use of musical instruments such as drums (pots) or just banging two sticks together can be added to enhance the experience.  Have student sit on a balance ball or Bosu Ball to bounce up and down to the beat of the music.  Warm down or cool down with slower music also.   Do this activity in a comfortable position which provides the physical support necessary for the participant.  You can make this part of a daily routine, or warmup/cool down for other physical activities.  You may wish to develop a play list of favorite music for this.  Everyone should start at a pace appropriate for them and gradually build to the routine as appropriate for their individual circumstances. 

Large Tactile Ball

Advanced Games

Modified disc golf

Use a hula-hoop for the target. A helper holds the target and the participant throws or places a brightly coloured frisbee, beach ball or beanbag, through the hoop. The

hoop should be a high contrast colour to the background, preferably a yellow hoop placed in front of a darker background.

Follow the Path

Create a path using brightly coloured pool noodles. The colour should be a higher contrast to the colour of the floor. Place objects at different points along the path that the participant must reach for.  For extra motivation, use the participant’s favorite toy or object.

Pool Noodle Hockey

Use a foam pool noodle (placed between the arm and torso for those participants who cannot grasp the noodle) to push a beanbag or light toy or object along a smooth surface into a goal. A lightweight hockey stick would work if available

Dropping Game

Place six solid round dots in high contrast colours in a semi-circle. Participant drops a beanbag onto each dot. Ensure that background colours are in high contrast to the dots and the beanbags.

Websites

Take a look at the Boccia Day “Boccia for Students with CVI” section on the PRCVI website for some photos of the colourful parachute and parachute activities, different sizes and colours of balls, and ramps made from PCV pipe, as well as targets set up with different coloured cardboard and cones.  There is also a description of Boccia – a target game. 

There are lots of parachute ideas on this website. Here is one for all ages Pick something which you think will work for you. 

Do-it-yourself ramp for bowling or Boccia

Many thanks to Sofeya Devi for contributing to this! Our collaboration with the teachers and other professionals in the field is especially important to us at BC Blind Sports