What is the purpose of the Awareness Games?
They are a series of fun filled activities and games to teach children and adults about disability. It’s a fun way to show that people with disabilities are just like them. They have feelings, dreams and live happy and fulfilling lives. They don’t want pity; they want to be accepted and not treated any differently because of how they look or act.
How long will it take?
The average program last approximately two hours to cover as many topics as possible. Sessions can be adjusted to fit your needs depending on time constraints and the age of the individuals
What size groups do you work with?
The smaller the groups, the more hands on experience individuals will get with adaptive equipment. The games have been done with as many as one hundred fifty students, and as small as forty students. Larger groups can be accommodated but it would be an auditorium experience with slide shows, videos and demonstrations.
How does the program work?
The event begins with some introductory material...
- Introduction to the Disability World:A disability video shows disabled musicians singing and playing music for a Paralympic commercial. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IocLkk3aYlk Video of Andrew walking and skiing gives a great visual of his challenges and how he overcame them.
- Group Activities: Introducing others to cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, visual impairments, dyslexia, autism and other challenges people with disabilities may face. Participants can also sign a banner to tell what they learned at the games.
- Book Andrew Can Ski: Read the book and talk about the writing and illustrating process. Written for children, the message applies to all ages. It tells the story of my son’s struggle to fit in, and how he found something he loved to do and could excel at. The book tells of Andrew’s persistence and endurance to follow his dream of making the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team.
What are the program options?
There are many ways to make the program fit your needs. You can do stations, games or a combination of both.
Disability Stations
Disability Stations:
Involves hands on learning about specific disabilities. Individuals rotate around room after participating in activities at one station for approximately ten minutes.
- Visual Impairment Activity…
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProId136df0bcfd- Using goggles to cover eyes, reach into a bag and pull out a wooden shape and match it to a wooden base of that shape.
- One person wears goggles while another is a guide. They will direct their charge around an area, picking up and stepping over objects. Safety is important because you are their eyes.
- Braille boards teach how blind people use their hands to read. Try feeling the shape and feel the bumps under the shape.
- Trying on different glasses to simulate the variety of vision loss.
- Cerebral Palsy/Mobility Activity…
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Balance Challenge
Balance Challenge
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Balance Challenge
Balance Challenge
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Walking Challenge
Walking Challenge
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Walking Challenge
Walking Challenge
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProIdb6ec6c2951- Balance Challenge: Using ski outrigger, put ball on top and slide across floor going around cones without letting ball fall off. For more of a challenge, race against a friend.
- Walking Challenge: Step on large feet in the center while pulling rope handle as high as you can. Try walking as fast as you can without falling off giant feet. This will give you an idea of how difficult it is for some people to walk.
- Walking Challenge: Tie two individuals’ legs together and try walking as one. For an added challenge, hold a badminton racquet with a birdie balanced on top.
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- Hearing Impairment Activity…
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProId4d5a369a70- Lip Reading: Sit on floor and line up colored cups while two others put on ear protectors and sit on floor. Have them close their eyes while you hide the turtle under one cup. After they open their eyes, say the color of the cup the turtle is under without using your voice.
- Sign Language Alphabet: Use cards to learn the sign language alphabet. Have each person learn the letter that their name begins with.
- Sign Language Words: Match signs with coordinating pictures.
- Lower Limb Loss/Paralysis…
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Wheelchair Challenge
Wheelchair Challenge
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Walker Challenge
Walker Challenge
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Hockey Challenge
Hockey Challenge
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProIdfdbe407da2- Wheelchair Challenge: Sit in chair and put seatbelt on. Pull up brakes and put hands on metal rim outside of the wheel and push to go forward. (do not use wheels to push forward) If you want to turn, hold hand on one rim while pushing the other rim to make chair turn. After your turn, put on brakes, take off seatbelt and switch with next person.
- Walker Challenge: One person drops the dice and the other person lifts one leg while holding onto the walker and hops on one foot according to the number on the dice. For an added challenge, race against another team.
- Hockey Challenge: Sitting on scooter, use two hockey sticks to hit hockey puck to other person on scooter. Legs can be used to only move forward. People in wheelchairs play hockey by sitting on a sled and pushing with ice pick at bottom of hockey stick.
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- Upper Limb Loss/Paralysis…
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProIdfddab05d47- Golf Challenge: Hit the ball into the hole using only the opposite hand you write with while putting the other hand behind your back.
- Apron Challenge: Put on apron or lay it on the floor. Using only one hand, try experiencing what someone with only one hand has to do to get dressed. How can you zip, button, snap and clip with only one hand.
- Sock Challenge: How does someone with one arm or paralysis put on a sock? One person puts sock on sock puller while the other puts the sock on. Switch jobs
- Spoon & Oven Mitt challenge: Drop spoons on floor and try picking up spoons with mitts on. Time to see how many and how fast can you pick them up?
The Awareness Games
The Awareness Games:
Involves hands on learning about different disabilities. Individuals divide into red and blue teams and line up on sides of room. We go down the line allowing as many people to participate as possible. Teams race against each other while sidelines cheer on teammates. Challenges are based on actual disabled people. Team participation and good sportsmanship are very important messages stressed in these events.
- Andrew Challenge (Cerebral Palsy)…
- Balance Challenge: Using ski outrigger put ball on top and slide across floor going around cones without letting ball fall off.
- Walking Challenge: Step on large feet in the center while pulling rope handle as high as you can. Try walking as fast as you can without falling off giant feet. This will give you an idea of how difficult it is for Andrew to walk.
- Walking Challenge: Tie two individuals’ legs together and try walking as one. For an added challenge hold a badminton racquet with a birdie balanced on top.
- Anna’s Challenge (Limb Loss)…
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Anna’s Challenge (Limb Loss)
Anna’s Challenge (Limb Loss)
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Wheelchair Challenge
Wheelchair Challenge
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Wheelchair Challenge
Wheelchair Challenge
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProId910d962421- Wheelchair Challenge: Individuals race against each other in wheelchairs while steering around cones.
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- Danelle’s Challenge (Visual Impairment)…
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Danelle’s Challenge (Visual Impairment)
Danelle’s Challenge (Visual Impairment)
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Visual Challenge
Visual Challenge
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Visual Challenge
Visual Challenge
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Visual Challenge
Visual Challenge
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProIdafcde10fd5- One person wears goggles while another is a guide that will guide direct their charge around cones picking up rings with ribbons attached.
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- Stephanie’s Challenge (Birth Defect)…
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Stephanie’s Challenge (Birth Defect)
Stephanie’s Challenge (Birth Defect)
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One Leg Challenge
One Leg Challenge
View the embedded image gallery online at:
http://sherylharaghey.com/awareness-games/hosting-an-awareness-games-event.html#sigProId501c1103e5
- Holding on to a small beach ball with one arm, racer hops on one leg to understand how Stephanie gets around when she doesn’t have a prosthetic leg.
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- Sam’s Challenge (Learning Disability)…
- Students work in teams to fill in the correct words in a paragraph that explains what it feels like to have a learning disability.
- Illustration Challenge…
- Volunteers are pre-selected to participate in an illustration challenge depicting a story on educating others about understanding disability. This is done half way through the games.
Depending on time, we try to cover as many of these challenges as possible. Some challenges have several teams take turns and participate to allow as many people as possible to take part in the activity. We also talk about service animals, autism and have a question and answer period. This is a fast paced event because of the amount of information to cover, but kids and adults are getting the message and they are having fun while learning. Having fun and participating in activities is a wonderful way for participants of all ages to learn important lessons and facts about disabilities!
