Date of Defense
11-1-2024
Date of Graduation
4-2024
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Kimberly Ganzevoort
Second Advisor
Tracy Young
Abstract
The primary concentration of my project was providing education to promote inclusivity in dance for people with low vision. My objectives for this project were to create a literature review relating to my project, create an educational infographic for how to best support those with low vision in a dance class, and share the infographic I created with the WMU dance department and at the Barbra Rider Colloquium.
Dance has been an integral part of my life and in my experience, I’ve never seen dance opportunities provided to people with low vision. After looking more into dance with low vision I realized there is a gap in this area. There are many low-vision adaptations and modifications in other activities of daily living, but dance is an area that isn’t widely accessible for people with low vision. Here at WMU, there is a low-vision clinic along with a dance department creating many opportunities for collaboration.
My first step in this process was creating a solid foundation of knowledge on the common low vision disorders by researching low vision disorders and modifications. I researched the need for exercise in the low-vision community, and the current presence of dance in the low-vision community. From this information, I was able to create my literature review. Additionally, I gained more insight by talking to a low-vision specialist, Kelcie Douglas. Also, I talked with a person with low vision who grew up dancing to hear from their personal experiences. From there, I broke down the components of a dance class and discovered ways that the environment could be modified and methods that were best fit for people with low vision using an occupational therapy lens. To complete my last objective of defending my project, I executed a poster presentation of my project at the Barbra Rider Colloquium. In addition, I sent my infographic to the WMU dance department to be shared with faculty or anyone who may have an opportunity to teach dance classes while encouraging inclusion of people with low vision.
The WMU dance department strives to create an inclusive space, and this information can help further awareness and increase knowledge with the low-vision population. I feel that my project can help expand the dance community to include people who haven’t had the opportunity to be included before. Finally, I hope my infographic can help people with low vision build trust in dance teachers to increase dancers’ confidence in movement and enjoyment of exercise.
Recommended Citation
Winckler, Emma, "Dance Inclusivity for People with Low Vision" (2024). Honors Theses. 3930.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3930
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Open Access
Baccalaureate Project Dance Inclusivity for People with Low Vision
Dance Inclusivity for People with Low Vision.pdf (413 kB)
Dance Inclusivity for People with Low Vision