Ellie Kneer Archives - LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Image looking down on Andrew climbing up a paraclimbing rock wall

For over a year, LightHouse Community Services Coordinator, Andrew Martinez, has been organizing paraclimbing outings for the LightHouse community. Paraclimbing is adaptive rock-climbing for individuals with disabilities. Since LightHouse began joining ParaCliffHangers (a paraclimbing organization that helps set up accessible climbing routes at rock climbing gyms) a love for the sport has sparked within the blind and visually impaired Bay Area community.

“About a year and a half ago, I was playing goalball with BORP and someone mentioned there was an adaptive climbing event coming up,” explains Andrew Martinez. “I’ve always wanted to climb but didn’t know if it was an accessible sport that I could do. When they told me there was an adaptive group that meets up and climbs together, I thought it would be a great opportunity to finally try it out.”

Not long after his experience climbing with ParaCliffHangers at gyms in Oakland and Berkeley, Andrew began coordinating climbs once a month on Sundays for LightHouse students. Among the many students who have attended these outings, two students in particular have found a true admiration and dedication to the sport.

Side view of Elli with her left leg stretched out and her right leg bent climbing up a paraclimbing rock wall

“I started climbing regularly a little over a year ago,” says longtime LightHouse student and Assistant Enchanted Hills Camp Director, Ellie Kneer. Taking quickly to the sport, Ellie followed her newfound passion and began a leadership role within the climbing community. “I became a Chapter Lead with Pacific Pipe Climbing—I co-lead with other disabled climbers and focus on the chapter’s administrative work and signing up new members,” Elie explains. “For me, it isn’t about how far or how high you can climb, it’s really about the community aspect of the sport.”

For blind and visually impaired climbers, the sport is split up into three categories—B1, B2, and B3. The different categories are based on the climbers’ visual acuity and functional vision, B1 being totally blind or very little functional vision, and B3 being the highest level of functional vision for a legally blind/low vision climber. Visually impaired climbers are paired with a caller, a sighted person who communicates with the climber from the ground, calling out possible pegs or holes within reach to assist the climber in safely navigating their way to the top.

A side view of Ahmad hanging in a spider-like position from the edge of a paraclimbing rock wall

“I think of climbing as a mental challenge as much as a physical one,” says LightHouse student and avid climber, Ahmad Rahimi. Ahmad first tried adaptive climbing as a child but has only started regularly climbing and training in July of 2023. “I enjoy pushing myself mentally and emotionally during a climb, testing my strength and determination. Every step is an achievement, no matter how high you get,” says Ahmad.

On Friday, March 8, Andrew, Ellie, and Ahmad headed to Maryland to attend the United States Climbing National Competition. The stakes were high, as the top two climbers in each paraclimbing category will make the United States Paralympic Team. After an exciting but gulling two days of competitive, challenging climbs, team LightHouse came out incredibly successful!

Andrew Martinez placed 2^nd overall in his category (B3) and took home a silver metal! And, as the highest-ranking American climber in his category, Andrew has climbed his way onto the United States Paraclimbing Paralympic Team!

“I had an incredible time competing at Nationals,” says Andrew. “I had to work through some nerves climbing in front of so many people but overall enjoyed the whole experience. I can’t wait to compete on the world stage and represent the US!”

Taking home the gold for his category (B2) and also earning his spot of Team USA is 18-year-old LightHouse student Ahmad Rahimi!

“Making it on to Teem USA was a dream that I hoped would come true,” Ahmad says. “I knew that I would like to make it on to the team no matter how much work it took. Nonetheless, it still feels very surreal. I feel very happy and accomplished for the time being, but I hope to take climbing to higher levels.”

Placing 5^th in her category (B2) Ellie Kneer is proud to be a Team USA alternate and excitedly awaits the next big competition.

“I was up against some beasts!” Ellie says fondly and admirably about her fellow climbers and competitors. “I love everyone who I competed against; they make me a better climber!”

So, what’s next for these LightHouse paraclimbers? The next competition will be in May in Salt Lake City then to France this summer for the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup. Good luck, Andrew, Ahmad, and Ellie! Keep climbing and reaching for the stars!

At EHC, Ellie, a young woman with pink hair, takes a selfie outdoors from the corner of a patio with a stream in the background

Next week, the summer sessions begin at Enchanted Hills Camp (EHC) with Changing Vision, Changing Life, a week-long “boot camp” for those new to blindness skills training. But that’s only the beginning of a season full of camp sessions for blind campers of all ages.

EHC is a transformative experience for those who attend. One longtime camp attendee is Ellie Kneer, who shared her experiences on the impact and opportunities attending Youth and Teen camp gave her.

Tell us about your history with EHC. When did you start going and how did you hear about it?

“My first summer at EHC was 2016, I was 12 or 13. For three years, my TVI had been begging me, ‘Hey, Ellie, go to this camp for the blind. It’s really close to home. You’re going to have fun. You’re going to make a lot of friends.’ But I didn’t want to go. What did my TVI know? How to teach me blind skills?

“After three years, I finally went, and I had a great time. As soon as I hit the pavement on the first day of camp, I heard the buzz of everyone talking and catching up. I smelled the camp air and the camp smells, and I was so excited. All of a sudden [EHC Director] Tony Fletcher did his ‘Hello EHC!’, and when everyone responded with ‘EHC is the place to be!’ and then did their clap, I knew it would be a great summer.

“I’ve been associated with camp now for eight years, and I’ve worked my way up the ranks. I was Counselor, then Enrichment Area Leader. Now this summer I will be Assistant Director.”

What do you say to campers who might be going away from home for the first time? What about their parents?

“For the campers, you can always call home if it’s your first year, if you’re ever homesick. We also have plenty of counselors who have been campers and plenty of campers who had a first time before. It’s a very loving community that will empower you left and right, and if you know you’re homesick, some of the guide dog users will let you play with their dogs for a minute, especially since a lot of kids miss their [non service] animals. I get it. I miss all my puppies at home, too. I just have my guide dog up at camp. He misses his puppies, too!

“Parents are always encouraged to send mail or little gift baskets up to their kids. But let your kid have fun if they don’t need to constantly check in. It’s their time to branch out and be independent.”

Can you talk about your move up the ranks from camper to Assistant Director? What are some lessons you’ve learned and things that have helped you grow as a person?

“You need to model the behavior you want to see from your students. Even though I may not always want to, I’ve got to always use my cane or guide dog at camp. Also, you have to be willing to share your experiences with the campers and other counselors. Sometimes that’s hard, since a lot of people don’t want to share their story, and it’s very personal to many people, but I find it’s a way to connect with people.

“Also, as you rise up the ranks, you have to have strong personal and professional boundaries with everyone. It’s something that is really hard, because you might have a best friend who is the Art Area Leader or the Kiva Area Leader and you’re Assistant Director. But when it comes to evaluating camp staff, you have to be very unbiased.”

You’ve been interning here at LightHouse for the last few months. Can you tell us more about that?

“I’m currently in my final week as the EHC Administrative Intern. I got this internship through the Department of Rehabilitation (DOR). They are the ones who are funding my internship, and they did a collaboration with Tony and my college. Not only do I get paid for this internship, but I also am getting college credits.”

At LightHouse, Ellie smiles as she holds up the EHC American Camp Association accreditation binder she has worked on during her internship

What are the differences between working in an office environment and at camp?

“To work in an office, I had to learn a lot. I learned how to take public transit at commute times rather than other times when I was going out to meet friends. It’s completely different time management to wake myself up at an earlier time.

“Comparing camp to working at LightHouse: they’re completely different worlds. At camp, you might be doing your office work on the breezeway next to the lake, or you could do it on a picnic table. Whereas my little office at LightHouse was a windowless room that was very quiet, and I didn’t hear nature. I heard traffic sounds from outside, or I’d hear people walking around, and I just had to learn to navigate the completely different realms of office life versus camp life. It was very foreign to me, but I think I navigated it well. I learned a lot of professional jargon and learned what [office environment conversation] volume was appropriate, and how to appropriately talk to someone who works in a different department.

Any final thoughts on why people should come to EHC or things that people should know?

“The most important part about camp is that we are very mission based. The camp was started by a fully blind woman named Rose Resnick in the 1950s when there was no protection of the ADA or Section 504. She wanted to be a teacher, and she couldn’t be a teacher, so she decided she’d make a camp so she could teach blind kids. Throughout the years we’ve had so many staff members who have started off as campers who are blind or low vision, and have risen up the ranks and become Assistant Directors, Area Leaders etc. Some have gone on to the teaching profession.

“You can always find valuable life skills and life lessons from camp by just attending. EHC is somewhere I’ve used to recharge my social batteries after living in a very non-inclusive society. When I go to EHC, I’m not the only blind person, and we can share all of our stories of not being able to find a specific location because Google Maps was outdated, or we talk about teachers who didn’t help us because they didn’t want to give us ‘special treatment’. It’s helped show us that we’re not alone and that we’re not the only people who go through it. That’s something that’s empowered me so much throughout the years growing up. I cannot give camp more than enough credit for everything it’s done in helping me become the person I am today. I’m very grateful for camp, and I know families will be grateful to see what it’ll do for their kid.”

Are you or your kid ready to go to camp? Sign up for an EHC Camp Session today.

Ellie Kneer

LightHouse Staff and Students Compete in National Paraclimbing Competition

EHC Youth and Teen Camps Lead to Opportunities for Ellie Kneer