MEANINGFUL ACTIVITIES OF CHILDREN WITH MITOCHONDRIAL DISORDER 71 3 Girl (adolescent): “I went to another school because I was being bullied. I could not see very well either, so I had a white cane, but I never used it.” Interviewer: “Why were you bullied?” Girl (adolescent): ‘I do not know.” Interviewer: “Did it have anything to do with your sight problems or your white cane? Girl (adolescent): “I never used the white cane.. I did not want other people to see it and think that I cannot do anything or need help. And I could not go out in the dark with it, that was always difficult. I think I got bullied because some people were making trouble for me.” Adaptation of the physical context Children noted physical adaptations, for instance, the use of ‘regular’ objects to make the activity easier. Girl (adolescent): “I get tired when I have a shower, and sometimes I get dizzy too. Then I just sit down on the stool and rest for a minute. Additionally, aids or assistive devices were used, such as a blind guide stick, a slide for bowling or a recumbent bike. In some cases, toys were adapted to make them suitable for their capabilities. Interviewer: “Why is there sticky tape on the cupboards of your play-kitchen? Girl (school age): “So I can open them.” Adaptation of the activity Besides the physical and social context, the activity was also adjusted by the children or their parents. In some cases, children decided the adjustment themselves; one child mentioned that she just cycles a bit more slowly when she gets tired. Additionally, children sometimes requested adjustments themselves, as demonstrated in the following quotation: Boy (school age): “Sometimes I feel sad because I cannot run as fast as my friends. (…) They run very fast when we play tag.” Interviewer: “Do you do that in your wheelchair, or do you run?” Boy (school age): “I run, like my friends. But not as fast. I can run fast, but they… they go faster. Sometimes I ask them to slow down a bit. And then I try not to get tagged.” Interviewer: “And how does that go?” Boy (school age): “It is all right. Otherwise I use a bike, so I do not have to run.”
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