The First Edition
SCIVIS Romanian 2018 Team. Photo credit: Dorina Girbovan
This SCIVIS camp is a unique experience for blind and visually impaired
students from all over the world to take part in space, science and math
activities while having the latest tools for accessibility to help them explore.
In 2024, there were approximately 200 students from 32 U.S. states and
seven foreign countries. It had the largest group of international blind and
visually impaired students in the world gathered for an academic purpose,
and Romania was part of it. In their program, the students experience SCUBA
diving training in a 24-foot tank to experience neutral buoyancy, the multi-
axis trainer, climbing on the pamper pole and the climbing wall, simulating
landing on Mars and the Moon, training on space history, exposure to space
artifacts, real-life space models, and many more activities.
The start of getting the students into this program was not easy, and
came along with lots of bumps and perseverance, but in September 2017,
I arrived with my first generation of SCIVIS Romania students at the U.S.
Space and Rocket Center. I aim to help them apply for these scholarships
given by the Saint Louis Lighthouse for the Blind and to bring more
students to the space camp. The process of obtaining the scholarships
and participating in it is complex and requires a lot of funding. While the
scholarship covers everything within the United States, these students still
need to obtain passports, undergo medical checks that need translation,