Dreamscape’s Mission Takes Shape at Hannibal YMCA
Dreamscape’s Mission Takes Shape at Hannibal YMCA
In 2018, Hannibal YMCA’s Group Fitness & Aquatics Coordinator reached out to Dreamscape Foundation seeking guidance and assistance on how to make their YMCA facility – and its programs – more accessible. The effort was inspired by one of their wheelchair-bound members, Audrey Pickett, who wanted to be more involved but was facing accessibility challenges at their facility.
Dreamscape Foundation immediately responded, and has since been providing advice on accessibility options and resources, as well as contributing funds to support the programs and equipment that would make accessibility possible.
The collaboration sparked a movement; one driven by Audrey’s determination to make the world more accessible for herself and others. She experienced firsthand how the fitness equipment and programs at the YMCA can improve her life, her personal strength, and her mobility.
Beyond that, she found a sense of community at the YMCA that accepted her, encouraged her, and offered opportunities to be involved with the organization. She wanted other individuals in her community with disabilities to have these same opportunities. Thus, Dreamscape Foundation remained in contact and continued to support her in these efforts.
Below is an update on her story.
From Student to Instructor: Audrey is an Invaluable Asset to the YMCA
In addition to her attending her physical training sessions, Audrey is now an instructor teaching Pound classes at the same YMCA that she helped evolve to accommodate accessibility needs. The class is a high energy cardio, conditioning, and strength training program that utilizes special drumsticks called “Ripstix.” The exercise uses these sticks to combine rhythmic beats with Pilates- and Yoga-inspired movements, and is easily modified to suit participant’s unique level of abilities.
“When I first started taking Pound two years ago, I didn’t ever think I was going to be teaching it,” Audrey confessed. “I didn’t even think I was going to last a class. But then I kept going back.”
When asked about how the last two years have impacted her, she said, “It’s made me a better person, and it’s made me stronger. I realized that I can do more than I thought I could do.”
Audrey has always enjoyed teaching and has desired to do so in some capacity. However, being a Pound instructor at the YMCA is an opportunity she never imagined would be a reality when this all began. She attributes her growth to both her dedicated practice and effort as well as the support of the people around her.
Beyond teaching, Audrey is also an active YMCA volunteer. Recently, she helped assemble food boxes for their USDA-funded food program called Meals On The Go. The program provides one week’s worth of food per box for youth ages 18 years and younger.
“I love this place,” Audrey said. “It’s my second home.”
Audrey continues to serve as a huge driver for accessibility at the YMCA. Her voice has led to several changes, including adapting the handicap restroom to be more accessible.
“Audrey mentioned that the stall was very tight, and she really couldn’t get in there, turn her chair and shut the door,” said Hannibal YMCA CEO Eric Abts. “And we appreciated that perspective. We moved on it pretty quickly, and got it switched over. Now it’s better for everyone.”
Looking forward, Audrey aspires to continue to grow, expanding her capabilities as a Pound instructor and possibly return to school to expand her education.
“I wanted to say we’re extremely thankful to Dreamscape Foundation for making this possible,” Eric said. “You guys have been wonderful. We’ve had this relationship with Dreamscape for well over a year now and it’s just been a blessing.”
« PreviousNext »The Truth about Quadriplegics
The Truth about Quadriplegics
Quadriplegia, also known as Tetraplegia, is a type of paralysis that causes partial or full loss of use to the persons body and four limbs. Quadriplegia can be caused by a Spinal Cord Injury, or be a lasting effect of another illness. (Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, etc.) Simply put: Quadriplegics can’t move anything below the neck. A common question that comes up will always be: How does one find happiness through such hardship?
How Disabling is Quadriplegia?
When is comes to which Disability is the most “disabling”, Quadriplegia is high up on the list. In fact, not having control over most of your body is the clearest cut definition of a visible disability. (See our article on Invisible Disabilities) Caregivers are of utmost importance due to the lack of mobility. Interactions like getting out of bed in the morning, eating a meal, even going to the bathroom may give someone the sense of dependence. While it seems like you are living a completely different life, there are some things that are still available to the disabled. Due to the mouth being above the neck, speaking is still an ability Quadriplegics maintain. (varying from from person to person)
The ‘lesser’ diagnosis of Quadriplegia, where the person is only paralyzed below their hips, is known a Paraplegia. This gives people the use of their arms and torso, which luckily allows the person more independence in life. With the use of their upper body, Paraplegics are still able to drive a car, make food, use the bathroom, and overall live a mostly private life. There’s one thing every ‘-plegic’ has in common though.. those dang stairs!
Can Quadriplegics feel pain?
A common misconception people have about Quadriplegics is that they do not feel pain under the neck. While this may be true about the external stimuli, Quadriplegics can still feel the sensations internally in areas that do not respond to external pain. We advise anyone who feels these sensations to speak with their doctor as pain medication will be available for prescription.
Finding Happiness in Loss of Functionality.
This can be one of the hardest challenges being a Quadriplegic. (Depending on the person) Happiness and joy is one of the most sought after emotions for every living being. The struggle of ones challenges in life will always be that, a personal battle that one must overcome. Some things just come naturally to people, like the ability to find happiness in a dark situation. To others, they may have to search for a reason to keep waking up in the morning. Sometimes it is easier to just see happiness in action: With so many different curve balls happening in ones life, you might just want to step back and think “I’m so lucky to be alive right now”. Nothing can prepare you for a life altering injury, or radical changes to your health. What you can do though, is stay positive through hard times, and find support in loved ones and health professionals. With the right willpower, anyone can go through anything, and come out a better person in the end. « PreviousNext »The Game Docs Take on Dreamscape’s next Charity Stream
The Game Docs Take on Dreamscape’s next Charity Stream
Bryan and Tom are two longtime friends, who share a love for gaming. In college, they used to get together on the daily and play various games, in some cases up to 5-6 hours a day! The way they put it, to say the least, they were addicted! Super Smash Bros was always their go-to game while in school. But Bryan is the big Nintendo fan of the group. Today, he has been focusing much of his time to Smash Ultimate but in the past played a lot of Pokemon, which was always a favorite. While Tom, on the other hand, loves them all! However, Tom’s favorite game hands down is Overwatch. He also plays Rocket League, Subnautica and other indie games such as Rime on stream.
The Early Days of Youtube and Twitch
While attending college at Seton Hall University, before Bryan and Tom took the Game Docs name, Tom went to Italy for a study abroad program. While he was there, since he didn’t have his daily fix of gaming, he went to Youtube and started watching Youtube channels dedicated to gaming. After watching for a while, he had an idea and thought to himself “I could do this”. Then started thinking of who could join him and after a phone call to his friend Bryan, he knew he found his partner. Thus, the Game Docs Youtube Channel was born! In 2017, after about 2 years of consistently adding new content to their channel, Bryan began pushing the pair towards Twitch. They decided it would be best to ease their way into the transition. So, little by little, they started phasing out their content on Youtube and increased their time streaming on Twitch. Today, they focus almost entirely on Twitch, except for adding some highlight footage to their old Youtube Channel.The Game Docs and Charity Streams
Tom and Bryan have always been up for helping out those in need. Before they became the Game Docs, they did their first few events for Extra Life. Extra Life helps bring thousands of gamers worldwide together, to help support their local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. Once the Game Docs were founded, they completed their first official stream for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Overall, in a 3-year time frame, they raised $3,000 for Extra Life and over $1,500 for St. Jude’s. An incredibly generous gesture for kids of that age. Additionally, this isn’t their first time working with the Dreamscape Foundation. Our founder, Joseph Sehwani, also attended Seton Hall University and met them first as friends. Sehwani used to join them on occasion to play some video games or just hang out. Dreamscape Foundation, being in its early days, was eager to start doing some fundraising events and partnered with the two for its first Charity Stream events. Both the Dreamscape Foundation and the Game Docs are excited to bring it back to the beginning again on Saturday, April 20th, with a much higher goal of $600 in mind! But overall, the main focus as always is to make sure everyone has fun and enjoys themselves!Where are the Funds Going?
This time around, the Dreamscape Foundation is looking to help Audrey Pickett. Audrey is a local and dedicated member of the Hannibal YMCA in Missouri, who has lived her entire life in a wheelchair. She has been attending personal training sessions at the YMCA for about 6 months now and has seen a tremendous improvement to her physical and mental strength! The biggest benefit besides just gaining some muscle in her upper body and “toning up for bikini season” as she likes to joke, is she can stand noticeably longer when she has the opportunity to stand out of her chair. This was a major motivator for Audrey and it made her want to continue with her training at the YMCA. Our campaign is going to help her pay for additional training sessions and if any is left over, to helping the YMCA obtain more accessible equipment to benefit all their disabled members.Giveaways for our Selfless Donors!
We are no stranger to charity streams, and we a super appreciative to our donors! In the past, we’ve given away Amazon gift cards along with streamer specific prizes. This event is no different! If you donate at least $10 during our stream on Tiltify, you will be entered to win a Super Smash Bros Gamecube controller, along with a mystery amiibo figure! Take a look at our entire prize list, and the gift cards we will be raffling out to our wonderful community:
We urge everyone to tune in this Saturday, April 20th starting at 12 pm EST, to the Game Docs Twitch Charity Stream event and support this amazing girl! Every little bit goes a long way and all we can ask is to give what you can! Even if you cannot afford to donate at this time, we would still love to see you all there to enjoy the fun and just have a great time!
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Audrey’s Determination Sparks a Movement in the Community
Audrey’s Determination Sparks a Movement in the Community
The Hannibal YMCA is home to many locals looking to get in shape and increase their overall wellness. But some of these members are there for more than just losing weight and toning up. These members are pushing themselves to the limit everyday to fight back against the disabilities trying to keep them down. To them, going to workout with a personal trainer is about achieving goals they once thought to be impossible. However, it is hard for them all to get the most out of each session because of the limited equipment they can utilize.
The Hannibal YMCA has a complete training center but very little accessible equipment. The 10+ members with limited motion or who are wheelchair bound can only use the free weights and cables that are open underneath and accessible to them. Anyone who has gone to a modern day gym knows that very minimal machines allow for free and full range of motion. That is why the Hannibal YMCA Team and one of their most dedicated members, Audrey Pickett, have teamed up with the Dreamscape Foundation; to raise money for the accessible equipment they need to support all of their members and their community as a whole!
Personal Training and a need for Accessible Equipment
One of the Y’s main programs in their facility is personal and group training sessions. The sessions and classes are instructed by their elite team of Certified Personal Trainers. But what they are in need of most, is new accessible gym equipment. Accessible gym equipment is all your typical machines but with a slight variation and guideline standards. The accessible gym equipment is specially designed to be usable to people with disabilities. For example, most machines are surrounded by other machines or walls, creating limited space to approach it. This makes it extremely difficult for someone in a wheelchair to access (if they can at all). Similarly, certain machines have set seats or back supports that can also inhibit access to those unable to stabilize themselves in the proper position. The only issue in acquiring new equipment is costs. Gym equipment is costly enough as is, but when you add the addition of accessible accommodations, these costs skyrocket. Currently, the Y has no equipment that is accessible by design. Only equipment that is naturally accessible, such as cable pullies, triceps and lat pulldown machines, and smith machines. They have done extensive research into all different kinds of accessible equipment and decided on two pieces that would benefit their facility as a whole. First is a Signature Series cable column, a Life Fitness product that has a two handle pully system that is open underneath and adjusts for all different movements. Second is a wheelchair accessible Scifit Bike, complete with two handheld rotating handles on the sides. This bike was designed with accessible features including a removable seat, true step through design, swivel seat that rotates 360° and much more. In order to raise the funds needed to help all members get the most out of their training, Dreamscape Foundation has teamed up with the folks at the Hannibal YMCA to conduct a series of fundraisers.Audrey’s Progress and Determination
I had the opportunity to speak with Audrey Pickett, a local and dedicated member of the Hannibal YMCA, who has lived her entire life in a wheelchair. She started attending training sessions last October, going three times a week. She had a goal in mind to strengthen her body to help her in all aspects of her every day life. For example, in the six months shes been training she reported, “it’s gotten me a lot stronger. I’ve noticed when I get to stand, I can stand for a longer period of time and I am not as tired!” To emphasize her progress even more, she now attends sessions six times a week! Twice as much as she was able to when she first started. Another major accomplishment she achieved in one of her classes, “I have gone from 5lb weights to 11lb weights in each hand.” To more than double your starting weight in a matter of months is a huge accomplishment for any new weight lifter! To Audrey, the YMCA has become an extended family of hers. In addition to training there she has grown so close to the staff and members, she even volunteers at the front desk to help give back. The rest of the Hannibal YMCA team describes her as, “a ray of sunshine”, always happy and spreading joy to everyone she comes into contact with. Despite her disability, Audrey is always positive, motivated and definitely has a sense of humor. In the brief conversation we had, much of that time was spent laughing and cracking jokes. She did have a few words of motivation to share with anyone who is trying to get started but might be scared or worried. “Just take a leap of faith. Don’t be afraid with it, its easier said then done, but once you start you won’t regret it and if you have that dedication or drive don’t just let it sit. A lot of people have told me no in my daily life, here no is not an option. If I find a no, I find a way to make it a yes”, Audrey said. On a final note, Audrey is driven and dedicated to better not only herself but everyone struggling with their own lives and disabilities. She knows that people are defined by their abilities and what they can achieve not what they can’t and that’s what we need to focus on! If you would like to help out, we urge everyone to contribute what they can to our Hannibal YMCA campaigns, dedicated to funding accessible equipment for their facilities and to help Audrey continue her training programs. « PreviousNext »MissSunshyne plays CS:GO & Cooks in 12 hour Stream for Charity!
MissSunshyne plays CS:GO & Cooks in 12 hour Stream for Charity!
Charity events are known as an epicenter of joy and selflessness. While the number of donations raised is the only obvious differences, the memories made by these events and the support given are all mirrored from past fundraisers. Whether you’re seeking a relaxing yet entertaining way to spend your day, or just looking for a place to hang out, we’ve got the event for you! Our next fundraising campaign will be hosted by Sierra aka MissSunshyne, on Friday, April 5th starting at 10 am and finishing at 10 pm!
The rise of Twitch.tv
Did you know that fundraising events are evolving with new technology? If you aren’t an avid gamer or a casual member of an online community, you may not be familiar with the online streaming service known as Twitch.tv. The website is formally known as ‘Justin.tv’ decided to stick to gaming content, as they witnessed most of their live streamers were in fact, playing video games. Streamers and viewers are able to interact with each other (through a twitch provided chatroom) while playing some of their favorite games! When a streamer rises themselves through the ranks, gaining their own specific fan-base, the options of entertainment are almost limitless. Here, streamers can find their niche to really build a following that understands them as a person, and also as a gamer.About Sierra aka MissSunshyne
We met Sierra earlier this year and could instantly feel her vibrant charm. The 25-year-old full-time streamer from Melbourne, FL started streaming back in September 2017. We conversed with Sierra over her twitch history, and says she “started [streaming] for fun, and it eventually turned into a full-time job”. Sierra continues, “I have a background in marketing and graphic design”, and “I really enjoy working with people”. This came as no surprise. Sierra’s energy, humble atmosphere, and personal interactions are all second to none. When you typically enter Sierra’s chatroom with a ‘Hello’, she almost instantly acknowledges you and makes you feel welcome. “Streaming is a really good way to use a lot of my talents, and it’s been a great experience!” She even has a movie viewing experience with her subscribers, one Sunday a month. Now that’s valuing your community!Where are the donations going?
Have you ever been stuck at home with no possible way to explore the land around you? Unable to experience a new setting due to the lack of immediate funds? These thoughts are a reality for Anita Rutland, who was diagnosed at 38 with the rare disease called Porphyria, that left her in a wheelchair. As a former Emergency Medical Technician, she is now in need of your support! We are hoping to make a big dent into Anita’s fundraiser with your help! All of your donations will be going towards a wheelchair accessible vehicle, so she can finally get out of the house and live her life again.What we have planned for the Stream!
A typical Twitch stream definitely does not run over 6-8 hours. Sierra will be putting 12 uninterrupted hours into this charity stream! This will only be her second 12 hour stream, as well as her very first stream dedicated to charity. This brings her quite the excitement. We are in high hopes to raise at least $1,250 for Anita Rutland! Over the 12 hours, she plans on streaming the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Rated M for Mature). We also plan to have a few donation goal incentives, such as pieing her husband in the face! That’s not even all of it. Sierra also regularly hosts a cooking segment on her stream! When coordinating for this event, Sierra went out of her way to ask what Anita’s favorite dish was, so she could make it LIVE on stream. A gesture we did not expect!
Giveaways are a standard for charity events on Twitch. Dreamscape Foundation’s fundraiser is no different. We plan to giveaway CS:GO and Dreamscape merchandise, random steam keys, and even a $250 Amazon Gift Card! (Depending on your donation tier) MissSunshyne also plans to host her own giveaways, one of a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Gun Skin (AK47 – ‘Bloodsport’ Skin) and one of her home-baked cookies! (Only ships to North America) All one needs to do to enter, is to donate to Anita’s cause during the stream and we will work out the rest! We so look forward to all the fun happenings April 5th, 10am-10pm EST, and we hope you are too. We look forward to seeing you there!
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Finding Freedom In Your Wheelchair
Finding Freedom In Your Wheelchair
When you think about wheelchair accessibility, what first comes to mind? A parking space, wheelchair ramps, or maybe even an elevator may brush your thoughts. Although these are great examples that help give the disabled a way at living a normal life, these practices merely scratch the surface when it comes to wheelchair accessibility.
Typically, the disabled do more than just transport themselves through the use of ramps, cars, and elevators. In this article I will be explaining more accessible techniques used by those bound to a wheelchair.
Open Says Me
Have you ever tried to open a door with your hands full? It’s almost impossible! Now imagine you can’t move your bottom half. Interactions that may seem easy to everyone else can be extremely difficult and frustrating without the proper accessibility. According to The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the law requires that a wide variety of private business’ need to provide access to their programs, goods and services. Places of public accommodation and buildings constructed by state or local governments must be fully accessible to people with disabilities if built after January 26, 1992.Which doors should be accessible?
At least one door should be accessible at these locations:- Each accessible entrance (at least 60% of public entrances in newly built facilities must be accessible to individuals who use wheelchairs or have mobility impairments).
- Each tenant space in a mall or other building with multiple business
- Accessible rooms and spaces within buildings.
- Entrances to buildings from all parking structures, tunnels or elevators
- At least one restricted or secured entrance (if applicable).
- Along each building’s required route of escape
- Public entrances serving different fixed routes within transit
Exercising your Right, the Right Way
You may not think it, but the disabled are just as into exercising as everyone else! We published a blog article about Audrey, a woman who reached out to us, in order to help fund more accessible equipment for their local YMCA. With just as much energy as the rest of us, those bound to a wheelchair must find more creative ways to break a sweat.- Gripping gloves are great for those with impaired hand movement or strength. The glove allows you to hold an object to perform a lift or pull when using dumbbells or a weight machine. The Active Hands gripping aids are designed so that the user can put them on independently.
- Speedbags and Heavybags are so accessible, you can even use them sitting down! These punching bags can be the perfect stamina workout for those looking to build some muscle. With the right angle and height, implementing this equipment into your workout routine can elicit a positive change to your physique and overall attitude.
- The VitaGlide is a great way to work on strength and cardiovascular endurance. Use your gripping gloves to secure your hands on the handles and begin working on pushing and pulling movements on a cycle of high and low intensity. You can even track your progress with the machine’s interactive digital display! Distance (miles or kilometers), time (stopwatch or timer mode), and resistance will help you develop a workout routine that works for you. Overall, The VitaGlide is the go to for wheelchair exercise equipment.