Close to one year ago, a William Floyd eighth-grade student living with a visual impairment touched base with Suffolk County Legislator Jim Mazzarella with a bold idea: make parks and campgrounds a better place to play for people like her.
Legislator Mazzarella was so impressed with Caitlyn Michiels and her passionate plea to improve parks, the two joined forces to make her dream become reality.
They got to work on how to make Smith Point County Park a more conducive place to play for kids with visual impairments.
“Caitlyn is a true inspiration to young adults everywhere and she has not let her diagnosis hold her back. She has worked through this adversity and has used it to help other children to live a better life,” said Legislator Mazzarrella.
The duo worked collaboratively with the Suffolk County Parks Department, who implemented numerous and positive changes at the park. That included putting in bright colors and gritty textures to edges along the playground so that kids with visual impairments or other disabilities can tell the difference between the playground area and its edges.
After meeting with Caitlin and Legislator Mazzarella, the Suffolk County Parks Department implemented their recommendations at Smith Point County Park and Blydenburgh County Park. Now the team is hoping to incorporate these changes into playgrounds countywide.
“Today is a great day in Suffolk County for all children who are visually impaired,” said Caitlyn. “We have taken the first steps to make sure that all children can enjoy our beautiful parks safely. I want to thank Legislator Mazzarella, the parks commissioner, and County Executive Romaine for hearing my concerns and solutions and taking action. I would also like to thank the William Floyd Schools District for supporting me while I advocated for others. This has been a team effort and I am proud to be a part of it.”
Also unveiled at the Smith Point Park Campground Playground was a “communication board.” This board will help to assist nonverbal children communicate their wants and needs while enjoying their activities outdoors and on the playground.
Caitlyn began her mission to promote children’s eye health and safety awareness after she was diagnosed with a rare eye disease known as anterior bilateral uveitis, a disease that is the third leading cause of blindness in children.
After receiving this diagnosis, she became an advocate for children with eye diseases throughout the county. She started the nonprofit Caitlyn’s Vision and began fundraising campaigns and donation drives to collect used eyeglasses and to raise money to promote her causes.
In 2020, Caitlyn was successful in acquiring and donating light covers to the William Floyd School District to benefit her peers who face visual difficulties.
“Caitlyn is truly someone the entire community can be proud of. Thank you to Caitlyn for her devotion and advocacy,” concluded Legislator Mazzarella.