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Camp Eureka!
This summer the Montana Conservation Science Institute (MOCSI), in partnership with the National Federation of the Blind's Jernigan Institute and National Center for Blind Youth in Science (NFB NCBYS) and the Montana Association for the Blind (MAB) offered Camp Eureka!—A Summer Natural History Camp for Children with Visual Impairments. We had two goals for the program: (1) to acquaint vision-impaired children with their natural environment by encouraging mud-and-boots adventure and investigation, and (2) to empower the children—through such study and exploration—with a greater sense of independence and a realization of unlimited personal potential. The camps offered children 8-13 years old an opportunity to explore Montana's wetlands and forests under the guidance of blind mentors and expert educators and naturalists specially trained in learning strategies for blind children and introduced to a positive philosophy about blindness. Our camp residence was a historic home on the Teller Wildlife Refuge in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, Montana. Here, and at the nearby Tent Camp, the children gathered with peers in an environment surrounded by mountains, rivers, forests, and marshes.
Our special guest for Camp Eureka! 2006 was Dr. Geerat Vermeij, Distinguished Professor at the University of California Davis and 1994 recipient of the MacArthur Foundation's prestigious "genius" fellowship. Blind since youth, Dr. Vermeij is the author of some 160 scientific papers and five books in the field of ecology, evolution and paleontology. Moreover, he has been a tireless leader in promoting intellectual curiosity and independence among vision-impaired children. Our approach was to draw on the power of nature, science, art, and music to help children learn about their world and themselves. Our ongoing challenge is to empower children who are blind with a strong sense of their potential and the unlimited opportunities that await them.
The camps are made possible in part by a generous contribution from the National Federation of the Blind's Imagination Fund
If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact:
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