Emma Papariella met her future college roommate at the Envision Blind Sports Camp in 2011.

A visually impaired person herself, she seldom had the chance to meet other visually impaired people before attending the camp.

"It helps kids connect with other visually impaired people," said Papariella, who lives in the Pittsburgh area and is a counselor at the camp. "The first time I came here I got homesick, but I got to meet people who were just like me."

The Envision Blind Sports Camp, which is based in Slippery Rock, brought youths ages 5 to 18 to La Roche University this week for its annual camp. The camp was canceled last year due to coronavirus.

On Friday, the group traveled to Moraine State Park for a day of kayaking, paddleboarding and other park activities.

Wendy Fagan, executive director of Envision, said the weeklong camp is not only meant to connect visually impaired youth with one another, but also to get them to participate in sports and athletic activity they may not get to do on their own.

The day at Moraine is always a highlight.

"Being here at Moraine is a blessing," Fagan said. "They give us the opportunity to do kayaking and paddleboarding and things they wouldn't get to do otherwise."

Fagan said the camp counselors lead youths through about six sports per day. Despite the high amount of physical activity, the youths are happy to have the chance to participate.

Papariella herself competes in blind ice hockey, and she said she enjoys skiing. She also said she enjoys taking part in the camp's daily activities.

Jillian Stringfellow, the camp's director, said visually impaired people have just as much athletic ability as anyone else, they just need the opportunity to participate.

"Some kids don't have access," Stringfellow said. "But these are people who are just as capable, they just need some modifications."

The camp caters to different levels of visual impairment. Fagan said the categories the camp uses are B1, which designates a completely blind person; B2, which designates a person with limited vision; and B3, which designates a legally blind person.

No matter their level of sight, Lake Arthur provided a perfect haven for the campers. They were able to traverse the water in kayaks, using sound from the shore to guide their path. Others did the same on paddleboards, and some even splashed around in the water throwing balls and playing games.

Fagan said part of the camp's mission is to introduce visually impaired people to one another, which helps boost everyone's confidence.

"Socialization is massive," Fagan said. "It's really cool for them to be able to meet other kids who are just like them when maybe they have never met another visually impaired person."

Tanner Cohagan has been coming to the camp since 2016, and said it has made him feel less alone as a result of meeting other people who have similar impairments.

"I felt like I was different from most people," Tanner said. "Most people here are visually impaired, so it feels like a really good community."