Introduction

This year we introduced new workshops and recreational activities as well as upgraded some of our sessions from last year. The campers were highly energized and totally immersed themselves in all camp events.

Another new element that was introduced to the camp this year was team competition and awards for Team of the Year, Team Leader of the Year and Camper of the Year.

There were 4 persons per team. Each team was led by one member who was selected by camp staff. However, campers had the option to select their own leader if they did not like their appointed leader. The teams were given names taken from the first four letters of the Greek alphabet. The teams also had the option to change the names as well. Even though some initially grumbled about their names no team changed their name or overthrew their leader.

The campers and teams were judged based on their performance in all camp workshops and recreational activities, their performance on assigned camp duties, and popularity among campers and staff. There were 16 campers, 15 from Trinidad and Tobago and 1 from Jamaica.

This year we were especially pleased that RBTT Bank and British Gas, two of our sponsors, not only sent representatives to visit the camp, but were also co-presenters at our workshops. This was a clear demonstration of their interest in, and commitment to the program. We were all very surprised and impressed by this gesture.

The Science Workshop

This year our science workshop was led by Dr. David Wohlers, Chemistry Professor at Truman State University in Missouri. He brought along several adaptive computerized instruments sponsored by Dr. Cary Supalo, President of Independence Science LLC of Indiana.

The two-day chemistry class featured the techniques and tools developed by the ILAB team at the Pennsylvania State University. Both high school and college students have benefited personally from this cutting edge development in technology and pedagogy. Workshops for both teachers and blind students have been conducted over the past five years to encourage distribution and dissemination of these new tools and techniques.

On the second day of the science workshop we were visited by Ms. Tricia Raghoo and Stacey-Ann Warrick, two science educators from the British Gas science bus project. British Gas is one of our original funders of the camp program and we were very pleased that they were willing to visit the camp and actively participate in the program.

The presenters conducted several hands-on science exercises with the campers. It was also very noteworthy that British Gas ensured that many of the items used in the presentation were labeled with braille and fully adapted to accommodate the blind. Some of the science exercises included:

A cooling curve and a freezing point determination experiment. The campers added ice to warm water and monitored the temperature drop by listening to the JAWS synthetic speech readings, while the software collected the time-temperature data.
A brain wave monitoring experiment that had the campers use their brain activity to move objects
A remote control car assembly exercise where campers were required to build a robotic car with the component parts provided

As expected, the campers were all very enthusiastic and remained highly engaged with the various exercises throughout the workshop. There was one camper who always wanted to pursue a science degree but was frequently told that this career path was not a viable one for a blind person. After attending this workshop and meeting Dr. Wohlers who happens to be blind, the camper was reassured that he could still pursue his dream. He has already started his university search.

The Career Development Workshop

CCD 2010 placed a heavy focus on providing campers with some basic fundamentals in career development and blindness. Some of the major topics that were covered included:

Selecting a career path
Identifying the skills and qualifications required for that career
Identifying the assistive technology tools required to perform the job
How to write a cover letter and resume including completing an on-line application and resume

Paul Edwards, Accessibility Director at Miami Dabe College, led the career workshop. He provided campers with specific recommendations for discussing disability in a job interview. He worked with the campers on developing a career action plan. Campers were also required to write resumes and cover letters based on Mr. Edwards’ guidelines.

In Addition, two human resource senior managers from RBTT Bank visited the camp and participated in the career development presentation. They both gave the campers a real world understanding of the interviewing process.

During their visit the managers were given a personal tour of the camp facilities and met with our horseback riding instructors and Dr. Wohlers, the science presenter.

At the conclusion of the visit RBTT made a generous donation to CCD 2010 and pledged their future support to the program. They also participated in our closing ceremony.

The Technology Workshops

Campers were provided refresher training on the JAWS screen reading program, and were introduced to the MAGic screen magnification program and a number of other cutting-edge assistive technology devices that could be of benefit to them in the classroom and workplace. Sonia Torres, Senior Assistive Technology Trainer at the Torres Foundation led the technology training and demonstration sessions. Portable and desktop CCTV magnifiers, a Braille display, Braille embosser, speech and Braille notetakers, are just some of the devices that were demonstrated. This year the majority of our campers had low vision so there was a significant interest in the screen magnification technology.

Campers Lindy and Shaquila Working on Their Resumes

Freedom Scientific donated all of the assistive technology software that was required for the computer training sessions.

The Music Workshops

There were two music workshops conducted at CCD2010. The first workshop was lead by Stephanie Matthews, Violinist with the Orchestra of Trinidad and Tobago and music educator at the University of Trinidad and Tobago. Ms. Matthews focused her presentation on some of the fundamentals of modern music production and accessibility for the blind. She also provided us with a truly memorable violin performance at the end of her presentation.

Both the campers and staff were profoundly inspired and amazed by Ms. Matthews’ mastery of the violin and her willingness to give generously of her time to share her gift with us.

Ms. Matthews’ passion for the music arts and her performance was infectious. A number of campers have expressed interest in taking lessons.

Patrick Lafayette Conducting His Presentation on Reggae Music

The second music workshop covered the history and evolution of calypso and reggae music. Mr. Joseph La Placeliere, aka the Mighty Lingo, Extempo Calypsonian, and Mr. Patrick Lafayette, Broadcaster and Director of Twin Audio Networks Jamaica, were the co presenters for the workshop.

The session was highly interactive, detailed, and captivating. The Mighty Lingo spoke in depth about the origins of calypso from the days of slavery in Trinidad when the slaves would ridicule their masters in riming song. This evolved into calypso that became a commentary on everyday life with a heavy dose of political editorial.

Mr. Lafayette did a very theatrical performance with his presentation on Reggae music. He had the campers fully engaged and singing along with the popular tunes that illustrated his various points while he danced to the groove.

He explained that reggae began its evolution with American 1950s jazz which influenced the development of Jamaican ska, which lead to rocksteady that was eventually altered by stressing the second and fourth beats and slowed down to create the reggae sound that we know today.

Horseback Riding

This year all the campers had the opportunity to receive horseback riding instructions, but there were a few who could not ride for medical reasons.

The riding sessions were lead by Veronica and Lennon La Fortune. They also recruited several volunteers to assist. In addition to learning to ride the campers were also instructed on how to groom the horses.

Many campers did enjoy the lesson, but there were a few who felt that while it was a good learning experience that taught them a few things about themselves, they did not think that horseback riding was in their future.

Mobility

This year Mobility Training was added as one of the workshops at the camp. That workshop was lead by Mrs. Sandra Tamby-Russell, O&M Specialist with the Ministry of Education of Trinidad and Tobago. She gave a very thorough presentation and at the end the campers learned new cane techniques and had a better grasp on how to navigate independently on the camp compound.

Swimming

Mr. Michael Baker, retired Chief Lifeguard of Tobago, conducted our swimming sessions with the campers. He brought along two newly recruited Tobago lifeguards to assist him. Two camp counselors were also assigned to serve as an extra set of eyes to ensure maximum safety.

Even though there were only five campers from last year the number of campers that did not know how to swim was still very high. Nonetheless, they were all eager to learn and Mr. Baker and his two volunteers made sure that it was a very fun and entertaining experience.

He began the session with a very serious discussion on safety, emphasizing the basic dos and don’ts of water recreation. He then took the campers into the swimming pool located on the camp compound. He instructed them on very basic swimming techniques that would help to, at the very least, keep them afloat.

There were three swimming lessons. On the last day the four camp teams competed in “swimming” races. Many of the campers still could not swim after the three lessons so they had wading races. On the last day of the camp everyone went swimming at Store Bay Beach which was within walking distance of the camp facility.

Camp Can Do has Talent

One of the major activities at the camp this year was our Camp Can Do has Talent contest. The show was hosted by Candice John, Camp Counselor, and the Mighty Lingo. Stephanie Matthews, Patrick Lafayette, and Nyol Manswell, musician and composer of the CCD camp song, were the judges. Dr. Wohlers delivered the opening act with a very respectable rendition of the song “To God Be the Glory.”

Candice John, Camp Counselor and Co-Host of Talent Night

The campers performed various acts including calypso, Indian, and pop songs; their own musical compositions; comedy; and Jamaican dance from the 1960s.

Stephanie Matthews, Talent Judge Reading Out the Results

Campers Kareem Paul and Sonja Guevara tied for first place and the audience was then asked to cast the tie breaking vote. They selected Kareem as the winner.

Kareem Paul Speaks After Being Declared the Winner of Talent Night

Environmental Excursion

One of the important events at CCD is the environmental excursion. The aim of this activity is to give campers an opportunity to learn about their environment and simply get out and enjoy nature in all its splendor. We also attempt to challenge campers to explore new activities that they have not done before and perhaps never thought that they could do.

This year the campers were taken on a nature walk through the Grafton Caledonia Bird Sanctuary, and then taken fishing in the blue waters off the coast of Buccoo, Tobago.

Mr. Evans from Frankie Tours was our guide for the day.

Our first stop was the Grafton Caledonia Bird Sanctuary near the village of Black Rock. Mr. Evans explained that Tobago is home to over 220 species of birds and is a popular destination for bird watchers.

He explained that the Bird sanctuary was originally a cocoa estate that was damaged by Hurricane Flora in 1963. This caused major disruption of the feeding ground for several of the rare species of birds that nested in the area. The owner of the estate decided to come to their rescue by feeding them daily. As a result this gave the neighborhood birds a reason to stay and attracted other birds from around the island.

Campers were treated to a rich and diverse set of bird songs as they walked among the trees and tall grass of the sanctuary. Mr. Evans took his time to discuss and identify several of the birds by their distinct whistle. One of the birds he highlighted was the Chachalaca, more commonly known as the Cocrico, one of the national birds of Trinidad and Tobago. Many of the local campers had learnt about the Cocrico at school but they had never actually heard its signature turkey-like gobble sound.

After the nature walk the campers were taken on the fishing trip on board the boat Paradise Bay captained by Nick Blondie. Prior to the trip there was great excitement and talk about all the fish that we were going to catch. There were several suggestions as to how we were going to distribute the fish and who was going to clean, season, and cook our catch.

The campers were divided up into their teams and competed to see who would catch the most fish. Well, after two hours out on the water and sitting on top a reasonably large school of fish, no one caught anything. One camper from the Gamma team got a strong bite, but it was just a teaser. The fish got away.

The campers were all good-natured about the whole thing. Everyone made lots of jokes, and the Mighty Lingo even did an extempo calypso about the situation.

It was still a very enjoyable outing because we got perfect weather and sea conditions. The sun shone very bright that day and there was a gentle summer breeze. The waters were very calm and as a result Captain Blondie took us on a speedboat ride which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Volunteers, Campers, and Camp Staff Picnicking at Store Bay

A Picnic, a Movie, and a Little Controversy

As a thank you gesture to our volunteers, presenters, and camp counselors, we hosted a picnic at Store Bay Beach. No one actually got into the water; it was more of an informal get-together, one that involved local Tobago cuisine and that gave the campers an opportunity to socialize with the Camp Can Do crew as the sun went down over the horizon. From all accounts everyone had a good time and the weather was perfect.

Sun Going Down at Store Bay, Tobago

After the picnic we returned to the camp facility for movie night, complete with popcorn and soft drinks. The movie selected was the 2007 film “Blind Dating” starring Chris Pine and Jane Seymour; directed by James Keach. The movie told the story of Dannie, a blind young man, and his various challenges – some funny, some serious – as he tries to date in a sighted world. The movie was played in Descriptive Video Service (DVS) mode: a feature that provides audio description of the screen visuals for the benefit of the blind. Some of the profane dialogue had to be muted because of the audience.

Ancil Torres Leading a Discussion on Blind Dating After the Movie

At the end of the movie, Mr. Ancil Torres, Camp Director, moderated a “town hall” style discussion on the merits of the movie. The exchange opened up a broader discussion on the controversial issue of pros and cons of a blind person dating another blind person versus a sighted person. Everyone, including the sighted volunteers and camp staff, participated. The exchange became quite heated at one point, but the moderator kept everything under control.

The points made during the discussion were:

The movie did not truly capture the blind reality because Dannie did not have a job, was not shown interacting with other blind folks, and none of the women that he dated were blind.
The movie was very good for the image of blind folks because Dannie was depicted as just another young man dealing with the same dating issues as any other young person. He played with sighted kids his own age as he was growing up and was not given any special treatment by his friends; he did have several funny and awkward moments during his dates but at least women wanted to date him; and he did not just settle with the first woman that came along, but kept dating until he found the right one for him.
There are blind individuals who will not date another blind person because a sighted mate provides several benefits that help them to make it in a sighted world (i.e. travel assistant, shopping assistant, reading assistant, etc.)
There are blind folks that believe that deciding on a mate should only be about love and not about whether or not their mate can see.

Ancil Torres, Camp Director Gives Closing Remarks

The Closing Ceremony

The closing ceremony brought down the curtain on another spectacularly successful CCD camp. Patrick Lafayette was again our Master of Ceremonies. He did an outstanding job of providing his special insights and commentary on the CCD experience as well as keeping the event moving along.

Our guest speaker was Ms. Loraine Guevara, Human Resource Analyst at RBTT Bank. She gave very uplifting and motivating words of encouragement and shared her inside knowledge and expertise for success on the job as well as in life. She also spoke of how much her thinking on disability issues had changed for the positive after her very short visit to the camp. Ms. Guevara was quite impressed and moved by all she had witnessed. As a direct result of her experience, Ms. Guevara expressed her interest in returning to CCD next year as a volunteer.

Arron George Says Thanks on Behalf of the Campers

Arron George spoke on behalf of the campers. He talked about how much of a tremendous and profound experience he had at CCD 2010. Specifically he mentioned how exciting it was to meet blind mentors like Dr. Wohlers, a blind chemistry professor. Mr. George is interested in pursuing a science career. He talked about the fact that he learned to ride a horse and now knows the sound of the Cocrico. Mr. George was truly “wowed” by all the events of the week and was quite effusive with his expressions of thanks and appreciation to all the sponsors as well as camp staff, presenters, and volunteers.

Ms. Stephanie Matthews spoke for the camp counselors. She was the only counselor who had never worked with blind folks before. She said that the CCD experience was both fulfilling and rewarding even though at times it was quite exhausting.

This year awards were given out for the first time. The categories for awards were Team of the Year, Team Leader of the Year, and Camper of the Year.

Carlon Nixon Receives Prizes and Awards from Ancil Torres, Camp Director

Carlon Nixon, the Delta Team Leader, made a clean sweep. He won the Team Leader of the Year and Camper of the Year awards. In addition, Delta Team was awarded the Team of the Year prize.

Nyol Manswell, one of the two visually impaired camp counselors, spoke eloquently of his deep appreciation for the camp and how much it means to him to be able to make a meaningful contribution to the development of others. And oh what a contribution he made. Mr. Manswell is a master musician and composer. He is currently studying music at the Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. He and Ms. Matthews put on a performance that will not be forgotten in a long time. With Ms. Matthews on the violin and Mr. Manswell playing the keyboard as well as vocals, they did a spectacular moving rendition of Summer Time from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

From Left to Right: Nyol Manswell, Stephanie Matthews, and the Mighty Lingo Performing at the Closing Ceremony

The mighty Lingo then joined them with his guitar and he did an extempo calypso composing rhyming lyrics on the spot from topics provided to him from the audience, demonstrating his truly extraordinary prowess with extemporaneous singing.

Mr. Manswell then brought the proceedings to a highly emotional end by leading everyone in the singing of the very powerful camp song, We Can Do; a song that he composed over night for CCD 2009. The lyrics follow:

WE CAN DO

Life is a journey

With roads that we must walk

Who said it would be easy

Who said it would all be fun

No matter what your challenges

No matter what you have to face

This is not for the swiftest

It is for those who complete the race

And remember you can always do

Nothing will ever be if nothing starts

Remember that life would never change

If nobody shares what’s in their hearts

So we will take all we learn at Camp Can Do

Life long lessons and friends to take us through

Assistive technology leading the way

Don’t tell me I can’t, that’s yesterday

We can do

We can reach beyond the stars

We can do

Working Hand in hand to raise the bar

We can do

We can stand on equal terms

We can do

Don’t tell me I can’t

Tell us we can

And remember that you can always do

Nothing will be if nothing starts

Remember that life would never change

If nobody shares what’s in their hearts

So we will take all we learn at Camp Can Do

Life long lessons and friends to take us through

Assistive technology leading the way

Don’t tell me I can’t, that’s yesterday

We can do

We can reach beyond the stars

We can do

Working Hand in hand to raise the bar

We can do

We can stand on equal terms

We can do

Don’t you tell us we can’t

That’s yesterday

Finances

The financing for Camp Can Do was achieved through a three-month fundraising effort by the Torres Foundation.

Our largest single donation was given to us by the Hilton/Perkins Program of Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts. The Hilton/Perkins Program is funded by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation of Reno, Nevada.

Sir Ellis Clarke, the first President of Trinidad and Tobago, and a Torres Foundation patron, raised 10% of the funds required for Camp Can Do. We are very appreciative of his continued support of CCD.

Following is a percentage breakdown of the donations received:

Corporate, 37%
Organizations/Foundations, 29%
Government, 23%
Private, 10%

(See Appendix B for thank you notes from the campers.)

Appendix A: Acknowledgements

Financial Donors, Organizations/Foundations

Perkins School for the Blind

Financial Donors, Government

National Lottery Control Board, T&T
Ministry of Education, T&T
Ministry of Social Development, T&T

Financial Donors, Corporate

RBTT Bank
Scotiabank
First Citizens Bank
First Caribbean Bank
BP, T&T
British Gas, T&T
PetroTrin
PowerGen
Sagicor Insurance
Signature Construction
C&I Seeterram

Financial Donations, Private

John, Robert, & Joseph Hadad
Peter George

In-Kind Contributions

Tobago Division of Health (Ground transportation)
Port Authority of T&T (Sea transportation)
Caribbean Airlines (Air transportation)
Neal & Massy Auto Rentals (Ground transportation)
Carib (Soft drinks)
Michael Baker (Recreation)
Lennon & Veronika La Fortune, Being With Horses (Recreation)
Frankie Tours (Recreation)
Joseph Richardson, Iron Eagle (Photography)

Volunteers/Presenters

Brent Emmanuel
Loraine Guevara
Stephanie Matthews
Dr. David Wohlers
Joseph La Placeliere, Mighty Lingo
Candice John
Patrick Lafayette
Paul Edwards
Nyol Manswell
Boyde Winchester
Sandra Tamby-Russell
Tricia Raghoo
Stacey-Ann Warrick

Torres Foundation Staff

Sonia Torres

Kashmir Mitchell
Ancil Torres

Appendix B: Camper Thank You Letters

Arron K. George

Point Fortin, Trinidad

July 21^st, 2010

Dear Sponsors:

This letter is a reflection of the appreciation that I feel toward you, for the input of fun and other aspects of this camp.

This camp has enabled me to be a citizen fully functional in everyday life. It has also opened a lot of new doors and ideas of opportunities that I could attempt and be successful at. Everything is so well coordinated and executed, from the food to the various activities. I especially like the new experiences that I get to undergo such as horseback riding and swimming. I am learning something new daily and I love learning. Through your contribution you have enabled me to become more proactive, I have more confidence in all that I do, and most importantly, I am more capable of working in a group as a leader or follower, whichever the case may be.

Not only academically has this camp enriched me but also socially. I am being exposed to new people of all different cultures and attitudes, and I’ve learned how to work alongside them and make flexible changes to accommodate situations. Camp Can Do is a camp of all smiles; everyone is enjoying it more and more everyday. The great variety of technology that I have been exposed to has shown me that all jobs are accessible to the blind, such as science in which I take a special interest. It has shown me that giving up is not an option – this I learned through a fishing trip we had that was very fun. We didn’t catch any fish, but we learned patience and how to keep trying even though things don’t look very good. That is just one of the many values that I have learned during the camp along with a great deal of others.

This camp has also shown me that there are still people that care for and wish for the growth and success of people that they don’t even know. I intend to pass this along any way that I can, so by their sharing with me I intend to share also and more so more than ever before. The administrative team is very proactive, loving, and they all are very good at organizing and managing activities.

After this camp I’m sure that I will return as a better prepared citizen for life than when I started. This letter is just a miniature reflection of what my heart would like to express. Please accept my sincerest thanks.

Kareem Paul

Diego Martin, Trinidad

July 21^st, 2010

Dear Sir or Madam:

I would like to express how pleased I am to experience an event like this. In many parts of the world, I know that people with disabilities do not always get a chance like this to learn about what materials are available for people with disabilities. By having a camp like this, I think you will reach and touch many people in many ways. I would like to take this time to thank you for all of your generosity in making this camp possible for people such as myself. I’m coming to this particular camp for the second time. My experience the first time was amazing; I am almost at a loss for words. I have learnt a lot from attending, such as social skills, being able to depend on myself instead of others, and teamwork skills. I’m positive that I’ll be learning even more this time. I can assure you that I’ll use these skills that I have obtained during this camp to the best of my ability. Once again, thanks for what you have been doing and keep at it. God Bless.

Shakila Augustine

Meruga, Trinidad

July 21^st, 2010

Dear Sponsors:

I am writing this letter to express my appreciation and gratitude for the opportunity that you have given me through your generosity.

This camp has equipped me with a great variety of skills and techniques that will help me to overcome challenges that I may face in all aspects of life. I have learned to work in a group, which will help me at a work site. It will make it easier to work and will make me better able to adjust to new environments quickly and easily. There are so many aspects of everyday life that this camp has addressed that I had overlooked. Also, I have been exposed to things that I had never done in the past, such as horseback riding, swimming, and different types of food and dining preparations. Camp Can Do has also exposed me to the various accessible technologies available to me to make my life easier and I have many more options now as I know that no job type or class is unavailable.

Words cannot express the gratitude I feel because I am overwhelmed with appreciation. So to you, with my humble and simple words, I say thank you, and for you and your family I pray for great blessings, as you have blessed me.

Carlon Nixon

Toco, Trinidad

July 21^st, 2010

Dear Sponsors:

My name is Carlon Nixon and I recently completed secondary school. The subjects that I studied were English, mathematics, physics, history electronics, and office administration. I love going out and meeting new people and I am now confident thanks to Camp Can Do. I attended the camp in 2009 and it was a great experience. I learned more about myself in a week than I did in 18 years of life.

I repeated Camp Can Do in 2010 and it was a privilege to be there. My main intention for this camp was to learn about jobs that are available for blind people. I would like to extend my greatest appreciation to all the sponsors who made this dream possible. I would also like to say thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Torres.

Sonja Guevara

Belmont, Trinidad

July 21^st, 2010

Dear Sir / Madam:

I am writing this letter to thank you for your sponsorship. I am really happy and excited to be a part of Camp Can Do 2010. I am learning so many new things and I am very grateful for this opportunity that has been given to me. At Camp Can Do, we campers are partaking in so many different activities and we are all so excited. We also feel so lucky and very special. I attended the camp last year and it was a great experience for me. It helped me to be more independent and it also motivated me to do whatever I want as a visually impaired person. I just want to say thank you so much for your contribution and for helping Camp Can Do become a success.