Sports Camp Meant To Empower Blind And Visually Impaired Children To Be Featured On HBO's 'Real Sports'
Camp Abilities, an annual one-week sports camp for visually impaired and blind children, is set to be featured on HBO’s Real Sports Tuesday night. Founded by Dr. Lauren Lieberman, a professor of adaptive physical education at SUNY Brockport, Camp Abilities has been empowering youth with sensory impairments for over 20 years.
Compared to those with the ability to see, visually impaired and blind children are at a greater risk of health issues due to their lack of physical activity. Camp Abilities, however, is a one-on-one instructional environment that teaches these children how to participate in sports such as baseball, gymnastics, and swimming — this in turn helps them build confidence. More than 100 specialists and instructors, many of whom are visually impaired themselves, serve 50 kids at SUNY Brockport over the course of a summer.
As seen in the trailer above, HBO’s Real Sports correspondent Soledad O’Brien visited Camp Abilities for the series’ newest episode. During her stay, O’Brien met with Lieberman, who showed her around the camp grounds and introduced her to some of the camp’s most promising athletes — each of them defying stereotypes in their own way.
During the two-minute-long clip, we meet 8-year-old Anneka Pray, one of the youngest campers, who excitedly told O’Brien that she was able to complete 7 miles during her first bike ride. We also meet Braden, who’s apparently a natural when it comes to the balance beam, a feat that could intimidate kids with even the sharpest sight.
To learn more about the children and the camp, watch the full segment of Real Sports Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.