In The Wild

One of the activities that was always popular was a noisy spectacle known as The Partner Game. It was run on the first morning after the children had settled in (although “settled” wasn’t a word that anyone involved would’ve used). It got a lot of initial hyperactivity out of their systems — the manic energy levels that pushed some of them over the temper edge or confused their meds, or just made them miss out on essential information. Secondly, it broke down barriers between old and new kids — like the training exercises used with the counselors, everyone was equally disadvantaged. And finally, it served in a subtle way as a metaphor for some of the deeper lessons that Blind Camp was all about.

The gist was simple. After breakfast, before it became too warm, everyone but the Intensives and their kids gathered down on the Sports Field. A huge box full of toy musical instruments and noisemaking items was poured out on the grass and everyone had to choose one. There were cricket snaps, kazoos, harmonicas, hooting horns, duck calls, pennywhistles, town crier bells, tiny cat bells, bamboo sticks, Jew’s harps — two of each item. Then when everyone had a noisemaker, blindfolds went around so that those who were light sensitive or only partially blind were on the same footing as those who were completely blind. Same with the counselors. Everybody participated.

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