Orientation and mobility on skis

For three day, a group of young people with deafblindness and multisensory impairments accompanied by their teachers and Sense International Romania staff, attended the annual Orientation and Mobility trip which took place in Predeal, a mountain resort in the center of the country.

Participants spent wonderful moments together, getting to know each other better through games and group exercises, learning from each other, trusting themselves and those around. They worked individually and in teams, created arts and crafts and carnival masks, enjoyed a raffle and the time spent together.

The novelty for this year’s activity was the fact that the young people, for the first time in their life, experienced skiing. With the support of four enthusiastic volunteer ski instructors, they had their very first experience on a ski slope: they learned how to slide, break and come down a small hill.

My skiing experience was both pleasant and fun. I am happy that I was able to learn something new, something I never thought I would ever try, says I.D., a 19 years old young man included in the Sense International Romania Vocational Pogramme.

Working with these special young people from Arad, Bucharest, Focșani and Timișoara has been a unique experience for me. I was pleasantly surprised by how fast they caught up on some skiing techniques, by their courage and their ability to learn. I am happy we had the opportunity to work together, says one of the skiing instructors.

The trip is part of Sense International Romania efforts to work with groups of young people with deafblindness and multisensory impairments on independent living skills, team work and youth leadership, providing them with the necessary tools to become a voice in promoting the rights of people with deafblindness.