"Being Yourself": Self-Determination at a Summer Sports Camp for Youths With Visual Impairments.

This study examined the development of self-determination skills among youths with visual impairments at a mid-Atlantic summer sports camp, using the American Institute for Research (AIR) Self-Determination Scale to compare athletes’ confidence across home, school, and camp settings. Results showed that athletes felt significantly more confident in their self-determination skills at camp, attributing this to positive coach–athlete relationships, emotional support, meaningful inclusion, adapted sports, and structured goal-setting activities. The camp’s low student-to-staff ratio, opportunities for choice and self-advocacy, and normalization of visual impairment were identified as key factors fostering self-determination, which educators and families might replicate in school and home environments. Limitations include a small sample size, potential response bias, and the unique camp setting, which may limit generalizability. The findings suggest that targeted extracurricular programs can provide valuable contexts for teaching self-determination skills to youths with visual impairments beyond the typical school day.