Tandem Bike Club – Night Ride for Ice Cream

July is usually one of the hottest months to ride. Let’s beat the heat on bikes with a tandem bike ride with a pitstop for an ice cream treat. This is one of our favorite and most popular annual rides. We start in the evening and head to Culver’s for ice cream. By the ride back, it’s dark, but our bikes are laced up with lights that shine and twinkle down the Keystone trail. Standard and recumbent tandem bikes will be available. Riders can bring a volunteer bike captain with them. Otherwise, Enrichment will provide one.

*Registration closes on the Monday of the event week*

Directions for signing up for multiple rides at once:
We encourage you to sign up for any rides you are available for. To avoid having to register for each ride individually, please note the bike rides you are available for in the section below that says, “Anything besides vision loss that needs to be considered for adaptations.”

For riders with vision loss, please list the rides you want to sign up for and ensure the number of rides you’re signing up for is reflected in the quantity field of your registration, which is down towards the end.

Upcoming rides:

(You can copy, paste, and edit this list to make it easier)

If you want to commit to one ride at a time, you can always visit the website to sign up for rides individually.

Questions? Email our Community Events Coordinator, Megan.

Tandem Bike Club – Riverfront Ride

The new riverfront and Gene Leahy Mall are the talk of the town and it will be the start of our next tandem bike ride. Although parts of the official Riverfront Trail are closed due to flooding and construction, we will start in the heart of the downtown area at Omaha’s Kiewit’s Luminarium parking lot, bike through a bit of the park and head southbound past Lauritzen Gardens, the zoo, and turn around at Mt. Vernon Park in South Omaha. A total of 10 miles of trail riding! As always, we can accommodate brand new bikers or seasoned bikers. You can bring your own tandem, your own partner or Outlook can provide everything you need.

Questions? Email our Community Events Coordinator, Megan.

Embracing Community With Recreation

Family Activities

Outlook Enrichment hosts four inclusive family activities each year. These family activities are often the first interactions youth will have with us.

Families of blind children, as well as parents who are blind or visually impaired themselves, turn to Enrichment to provide accessible opportunities to engage in recreation opportunities and experience vision loss from the perspective of their loved ones.

Annual family events include:

 

Youth Activities

Physical activity is essential for everyone, especially kids. Studies have shown that blind children are less physically active than their peers. Once a month, we offer visually impaired young people an opportunity to get up and get moving through youth recreational adventures.

Program

Outlook Enrichment aims to provide a wide range of unique opportunities to keep visually impaired youth fit, engage in the community, and boost self-confidence.

Activities change every year to provide exposure to new and diverse experiences. Enrichment’s adaptive sports specialists lead all activities and can accommodate the various types of vision loss and a wide range of additional disabilities our youth may have.

Some of our past recreational events included Tree Top Adventures, skiing, paddle boarding, soccer, ax throwing, and more.

Other Benefits

Our activities provide social opportunities with peers their age, foster independence, and teach essential life skills. Additionally, youth develop relationships with other youth peers, providing friendship, a sense of community, and a sense of belonging that they may not have otherwise. Often, participants may be the only students in their school with vision loss, leading to isolation and loneliness.

 

Adult Program

In addition to our youth and family programming, we also host events throughout the year specifically for adults (ages 21+). These fun gatherings provide a great way to socialize and build community. Past events include nighttime bike rides, visiting the shooting range, and more.

 

Recreation Program Requirements

A nominal, non-refundable registration fee is charged when you reserve a spot. All participants must complete Image and Audio Consent and Medical & Liability Release Forms. News media or other media outlets not affiliated with Outlook Enrichment may be present at an event.

How Virtual Audiobook Clubs Create a Community for Visually Impaired Readers

We all know reading books is an inexpensive entertainment, an educational tool, and a time-traveling machine. Grabbing a book and diving into its pages is a pleasurable experience regardless of the day or time. September 6 is National Read a Book Day, a special occasion to read that new bestseller or book you keep putting aside.

Virtual audiobook club starts. 

Reading a good book is enjoyable and helps reduce stress and enhance mental concentration. Having someone to share it with is even more fun. When the pandemic struck last year, Outlook Enrichment developed a virtual audiobook club. Everyone was sheltering in place and practicing social distancing. Yet, people who were blind and visually impaired still needed community and socialization. This monthly club allows one to share a good read and connect with others. It also helps members to read consistently, read books out of their comfort zone, and see different perspectives.

“I value this club because it brings folks together amid the virus and specifically hardships of blind folks.  We pick audiobooks from many types like mysteries, thrillers, and suspense while having fun discussing them,” said Kathy Beers, an audiobook club member. “Audiobooks open a whole new world to the reader. You read at your own pace and on your own time. They are inexpensive to buy, and they belong to you after purchase.  Many audiobooks and podcasts are free.  Many different devices can be used to read audiobooks.  This book club is also a great support for visually impaired folks. I truly enjoy this club.” 

Although the club focuses on audiobooks, people with vision loss can read in various formats. Braille, large print, digital text-to-speech, and even accessible apps are available for reading multiple books. Members can choose the format based on their comfort. Computer-savvy members can help those who aren’t with downloading books. Or they can also call the technology helpline at 531.365.5334 for assistance.

“I enjoy listening to works where the narrator knows the perfect accent or multiple voices read the story. It brings various characters to life. When they are monotone, especially in the non-fiction genre, I’d rather just read the books in braille,” said Rachna Keshwani, another audiobook club member. I look forward to each meeting, discussing all our viewpoints about every novel, which sometimes changes my perspective. Without this group, I wouldn’t even consider psychological thrillers.” 

Connect with more people.

Once members start attending the virtual audiobook club, they will interact and connect with more people. This boosts camaraderie and decreases isolation. Transportation and location are not obstacles, meaning more people can join the discussion.

“I think reading books lets you travel to other places even when physical limitations would otherwise prevent you from doing so. Every time I read a book, I learn something about life and love, and the writer throws whatever else it is,” Heather Pfeifer, an audiobook club member, explains. “I love the opportunity to get together with other intelligent minds and discuss our take on what we read; each perspective is unique. Such a blessing to have meetings that don’t require Uber.” 

Connect with different people.

Traditional physical book clubs have the same faithful members who come regularly. But the virtual audiobook club welcomes new members. New members bring different opinions and perspectives, making for lively discussions.

“Before book club started, I had never listened to a book and had not physically read one since high school. I love how I can listen to audiobooks while cleaning or doing other things around the house,” said Megan Mackie, a club member. The best part about the book club meetings is that often, the books inspire the members to share personal stories and memories. We get to share opinions about the books, but more importantly, we share our lives and experiences.” 

The audiobook club is an excellent resource for visually impaired readers. It offers a place to discuss interesting books, share perspectives, build connections, and make friends. Sign up for Outlook Enrichment’s Art and Culture program to join the discussion. Avid visually impaired readers who want to enhance their technology skills can also contact the adaptive technology department for help.

Ultimate Guide to Accessible and Fun Things to Do This Summer

Summer’s officially here. After last year, many of us are ready to enjoy the sun and time with friends and family. There’s so much to explore outdoors.

State, campgrounds, and national parks now welcome visitors. Zoos, museums, restaurants, and water parks stand ready to entertain and delight. Movie theaters and nightclubs await patrons to fill their seats. Thankfully, many of these activities don’t require special accommodations. For those who do, locating the proper assistance is just a phone call or email away.

Here are activities for the visually impaired and others that will entertain and fill this season with fun.

Outdoor amusements

Whether you’re searching for light exercise in a local pool or park or more rigorous sports like paddle boarding or hiking, you won’t have to go far to increase your heart rate. Several of these sports aren’t accessible if you’re alone, but participating in a pair or small group can allow you or a blind child to enjoy themselves still.

Not every summer activity requires athleticism. If you like music, there are outdoor concerts like Jazz on the Green at Midtown Crossing, bridge beats, and Saturday Night Concerts at Stinson Park. Many local festivals are family-friendly, like the Maha Music Festival. Don’t want to leave your car? Head to a drive-in theater. Grab some snacks and kick back to enjoy the show.

Indoor amusements

Rather keep cool? There are plenty of indoor activities for visually impaired people. On those sweltering days, head to a local movie theater.

Title III of The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires venues like movie theaters to provide auxiliary devices for those with disabilities. They must maintain these closed-captioning and audio-descriptive devices. Movie theater chains such as Marcus Theatres carry them. Call before you arrive to ensure your location has them available.

Love to laugh? Here’s a list of the top ten comedy clubs in Omaha. Here’s more to do indoors:

Outlook Enrichment has a series of events planned every summer. There’s much more to do for every age group, fitness level, and activity preference that’s impossible to cover here. Teens can hang out at the video arcades, escape rooms, and gyms or play laser tag. Kids of all ages can occupy themselves at museums and exhibits. Adults can participate in more grown-up events like wine tastings and bands at local bars. The next time you’re feeling restless or wishing for something new to do, we hope you’ll refer to this post for helpful ideas and activities for visually impaired individuals.

A Parent’s Guide to Engaging Activities for Your Blind Child

Early intervention with blind or visually impaired children helps establish a foundation for future learning. Resources for visually impaired children can aid a blind child in five crucial areas:

With the pandemic still forcing some to remain at home, you might be running out of things to do if you have a child with low or no vision. Here are suggestions to help quell boredom and stimulate excitement.

Watch movies and shows.

Watching movies and television shows through numerous streaming services can provide hours of entertainment. Make sure the audio description feature is enabled. If you have very young children, Disney+ has over 300 movies and shows where the action is described.

Engage their senses to encourage play and imagination.

Make jewelry by stringing beads or braiding thread. Expose them to woodwork. Show your child how to build a small stool or statue.  Knit or crochet gifts for friends and loved ones.

Buy some play dough, or better yet, make your own. Make candles or a paper mache replica of a pet or your child’s favorite animal.

Play games.

Card and board games can be fun and educational resources for visually impaired children. Several online retailers sell UNO and Go Fish braille cards. The same can be said for buying braille Scrabble or Monopoly.

If screen time is more your kid’s thing, there are plenty of accessible video games available. Here is a list of educational games for the iPhone or iPad.

Have some fun in the kitchen.

Let your children get messy in the kitchen. Baking and decorating cookies and cakes with their siblings or friends can be a neat way to pass the time. If they have braille measuring cups and spoons, teach them how to measure ingredients correctly. Making bread can be both a sensory experience and scientific experiment—smelling the yeast as it is activated; getting your hands in the dough, stretching, punching, and kneading it; feeling it after it has proofed; anticipating that first taste of warm bread fresh from the oven slathered with butter or jam.

Start a garden.

The changing of the seasons brings nicer weather. Spring is a great time to prep your garden for planting. It’s also an opportune time to let your child get their hands in the fresh earth, planting seeds or flowers and harvesting what they’ve grown.

You can also start an indoor garden by planting seedlings in egg cartons before transferring them to pots. Herb gardens also do well indoors. They can be kept out of the way on window sills where light and fresh air can reach them.

Read books.

Cookbooks and other texts can be ordered online if your child reads braille. Better still, if they have a free membership to the National Library Service for the Blind, they can download them. Bookshare also allows members to download books in physical or electronic braille or through a Daisy reader.

Get outside.

Like spending time outdoors? Take a hike through the woods or strap your child in the seat on the back of your bike. Be sure to describe what you’re passing and what people are doing around you so they can fully enjoy the ride. Let them feel different rocks, plants, feathers, and trees – but be mindful of poison ivy.

To help people gain independence and expose them to different experiences, Outlook Enrichment hosts several monthly events to provide resources for visually impaired children. Virtual board game night and our tandem bike-riding club are just two upcoming events you might enjoy.

Since children with little or no vision need different activities to stimulate their senses, starting early by exposing them to experiences is an excellent way to teach and show them our ever-changing and fantastic world. Unlike sighted children, you can’t hand them their iPads and keep them engaged for hours. Get creative. There’s always something fun you can do. Keep this post handy if you run short on ideas.