They’re Serving a Need, With Aplomb
By Pave, Marvin; Boston Globe,Publication Date: May 8, 2011
Article features a program that uses volunteer high school students to teach tennis to students at the Perkins School for the Blind. Located in Watertown, Massachusetts, Tennis SERVES was founded by a student at Newton North High School based on a Japanese model, Hands on Tokyo, which collaborates with the Japanese Blind Tennis Federation to teach the sport to people with visual impairments. Adaptations used include rackets with shorter handles, a net with smaller dimensions, and a foam ball stuffed with a ping pong ball filled with metal pellets that jingles in flight and upon contact. The court is marked by raised red tape and string to enable players to feel their way around the floor. At the time the article was published, Tennis SERVES was operating with 14 volunteer teachers. The founder reported plans to start similar programs with schools for the blind in other states and to extend the current program to the Perkins summer camp.
Published by: New York Times Company (Website:http://www.nytco.com)
Link to text: http://articles.boston.com/2011-05-08/yourtown/29523090_1_tennis-ball-first-doubles-blind-students
