I arrived at the airport and used the excellent tips provided to me by the camp organizers to find the designated waiting area for interpreters and support service providers (SSPs) to gather for the bus taking us to Seabeck, WA. I of course knew I was in the right place because from a distance I could see people signing to each other, with the group increasing in number as it got closer to time to leave. As we checked in, we introduced ourselves to each other and chatted, but the last person to arrive, an interpreter from Boston named Rachel Judelson, ended up being the lady who sat behind me on the bus, and we struck up a conversation and an instant friendship.
When the group arrived at Seabeck, we started a crash course in responsibilities, procedures and information regarding our roles as interpreters and SSPs for the Deafblind campers that would be arriving the next day. There was much anticipation and nervousness about the coming week, especially from the new volunteers (like me).
The week unfolded flawlessly, with the Director, Team Leaders, and organizers (most of whom were themselves Deafblind) working together to ensure that all the interpreters, SSPs, and Campers had a fantastic experience. The campus of the Seabeck Conference Center was roped off so that Campers could navigate with or without sighted guides. There were daily activities scheduled from early in the morning until late at night, with everything from tubing to painting. There was tandem biking, an elaborate maze to crawl through, crafts, dances, hot-tubbing, hiking, ice cream making, workshops, shopping trips, and most importantly socializing for the Campers who many of them go an entire year without meeting another person like themselves. They chatted, hugged, cried, and laughed together all week, and I was privileged to be a tiny cog in the wheel of the volunteer effort that empowered them to have such wonderful freedom. As my new friend Rachel put it, "All things are possible through Seabeck Spirit."
It is a profound experience to witness another person live up to their full potential.
To get information on how to volunteer at Seabeck, email
DBRetreat@seattlelh.org
