OC HIGH: STUDENT NEWS AND VIEWS : Working at Camp for Blind a Time of Learning

When I accepted a summer job in New York working at a camp for the blind, I didn’t know what to expect.

I arrived jet-lagged and tired from traveling all day, but I felt ready for whatever was ahead. I met the other helpers at Vacation Camp for the Blind in a large room where we gathered in a circle to introduce ourselves. As I observed the faces of all these smiling strangers around me, I felt welcomed. They were people who had traveled from around the world to work at the camp. I knew it was a special place.

The staff training began. It was a difficult week, but I can’t remember another time when I learned so much and got to know so many wonderful people. We came from different backgrounds, but we all learned to depend on one another during the strenuous summer ahead. By the end of camp, we had crossed all race and class boundaries and became lifelong friends.

To help us learn what it is like to be a camper, we ate our meals blindfolded and did all of the activities blindfolded. I really learned to appreciate my sight, yet I realized that there are many things you can do without it.

The first week of training flew by and it was time for the campers to arrive. I was so scared. Suddenly, I had forgotten everything I had learned and thought for sure I would mess up everything. But I surprised myself and did fine.

The first camp session seemed to race by, but it was hard not to notice the campers’ excitement. This was their paradise, a place where they could be free of the crowded city and staring strangers.

All of the campers were visually impaired, but some also were mentally or physically impaired. I learned that these campers were capable of swimming, bowling and much more. Lack of sight didn’t stop them from anything at this camp.

I worked frequently with the children. Some of them had visually impaired parents or siblings. The children were very accepting and understanding of each others’ needs. Working with children was the most rewarding part of camp because of the “blindness” they had to each other’s differences.

Toward the end of the summer, it was obvious that I was being taught more than I could ever teach. My ignorance of people with handicaps was shattered.

In a sense, I felt like I had come to a place where people can’t see so that I could learn to see. Vacation Camp for the Blind taught me more about understanding and giving myself than anyone or any place ever has.

I will never forget the memories of VCB or lose sight of how fortunate I am in life. I hope that everyone can some day have such a life-changing experience as mine.

* Vacation Camp for the Blind, located in Spring Valley, N.Y., is sponsored by Manhattan-based Vision Services for the Blind.