Interviews

Ice-Skating with teenagers who are visually handicapped or blind

On Wednesday January 18th 2006 we went ice skating with seven teenagers who are visually handicapped or blind.
It was the 5th time that they came to the small ice skating rink in Almere and we were allowed to interview them and make pictures of them.
They all are very enthusiastic and ‘fly' over the ice as if they have never done anything else.
In the beginning they used a little rack for support but later on they all wanted to skate ‘free'.
Of course all of the students were attended by a skating volunteer because of the safety and to tell them which way to go.

the whole group and volunteers

The teenagers are between 15 and 20 years old.
They all attend the school at VISIO in Huizen.
This town is about 20 km from Almere.
The group we interviewed attends school at Visio for a few days per week.
Most of them stay over for the night because they do not live close to the school.

You can read the interviews by clicking on one of the names.
When you click on this link you can see a movie with parts of the interviews (in Dutch) and the teenagers skating.


Visio

Visio is a Dutch organisation which helps people who are visually handicapped or blind.
Adults and children can get information or help.
Children and teenagers can also attend a special school at Visio.
There are several Visio Institutes in the Netherlands.
You can find more information (in Dutch) at: www.visioweb.nl

Ashna and Afton are resting

At Visio in Huizen there are 3 group homes.
In every group home 9 children or teenagers can live.
Most of them stay at Visio during the week, and go home during the weekend.
There are people who organise several things after school time.

Christien and her colleague are helping Melanie

Christien Peters is one of these persons.
She also is a friend of the family of Sonny, one of our team members.
She skates together with Anton (the father of Sonny), and Laurette also knows her from her skating lessons.
Christien works at Visio and is a personal assistant of several young people who are blind or visually handicapped.
Together with Anton they thought it would be a challenge to go ice-skating with these young enthusiastic students.
And what great fun it was!!!

Melanie and volunteer Lisanne
"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision"

© - Site Seeing - Sonny, Lotje, Laurette en Femke, The Netherlands 2006