|
INDEPENDENCE AFLOAT /Sailing school for disabled persons
Robert B. Townsend
INDEPENCENCE AFLOAT
Anyone who sails is keenly aware of the tremendous sense of freedom the sport of sailing provides. The words "freedom" and "independence" take on a whole new meaning for the disabled person who becomes actively involved in a sailing programme.
A lot of people might be surprised that someone with a physical disability is capable of sailing safely and competently. For 11 years I watched hundreds of children and adults who chose to become involved in our sailing programme; their physical disabilities only enhanced their sense of achievement. They were part of Independence Afloat, a programme dreamed up by Cathy Smart, operating out of the nautical centre at Maple Leaf Quay, at Toronto's Harbourfront that I was privileged to help organize with Cathy in 1980, and operated for the next 11 years. It was designed to teach sailing as a new and exciting activity for physically disabled children and adults. The programme proved that severely handicapped children could be taught to sail small dingie sailboats safely, and to progress to a point where they could compete on an equal basis with physically able persons.
If you can sail a dinghy on Toronto Bay, you can do anything .It was that sense of Independence that gave the programme it's name.
The Invitation 4.8 Sailboats that we originally "borrowed" from Bombardier through Angus Sailcraft, were ideal. They required no modification as they had no centreboard trunk, and were fitted with roller furling headsail as standard equipment. The instructors, all CYA certified students (paid for with student employment grants) received a one day training course at McMillan Centre in the special needs of the handicapped; training that was made easy by the adaptability of the students.
The course was the standard CYA prescribed course. including the first day's mandatory dumping in Toronto Harbour. The students, or most of them, were used to getting their exercise in a swimming pool. Most were like a fish when in water. "there are no snow drifts, curbs, steps, stairs, or other unknown obstacles to deal with."
Programmes for the physically disabled are now accepted and successful. and include programmes for the blind and other handicaps. Graduates have made a worthwhile contribution to the sport of sailing. They have proven that sailing is one recreational and competitive activity that the disabled can enjoy on an equal basis with their non-handicapped peers.
OPENING UP THE WORLD OF SAILING TO DISABLED PERSONS by Robert B. Townsend
"It was really incredible my whole perspective changed. I was suddenly thrust into a mobile environment where all the elements came to me. The Impact was staggering it had a neutralizing effect on all of us. I felt very natural, very comfortable. For all intents and purposes, my disability vanished."
Anyone who sails is keenly aware of the tremendous sense of freedom and independence the sport provides.
For sailing enthusiasts like Larry Hodgson the words "freedom" and "independence" take on a whole new meaning. Larry has been confined to a wheelchair for the past nine years, the result of a motorcycle accident that left him paralysed from the waist down.
"A lot of people might be surprised that someone with a physical disability like mine is capable of sailing safely and competently," Larry points out. "But I had been followng the sport now for two years, and just recently I went on a seven charter cruise in the Florida keys". Indeed, that particular charter was the latest and most ambitious project of a program Larry has been involved in Called "Independence Afloat", the program introduces sailing as a new and exciting activity to disabled children and adults alike.
This summer, many children and adults will choose to become involved in a sailing program. Their physical disabilities will only enhance the sense of achievement when they feel the risks are routinely and easily surmounted.
Independence Afloat is a sailing school designed to teach physically disabled children and adults how to sail.
It is the brainchild of Cathy Smart, who developed the concept in a recreational development program of a local community college. Cathy is part of a very active sailing family, and had graduated from the Royal Canadian Yacht Club Junior Program as a qualified instructor. She showed that severely handicapped children could be taught not only to sail small dinghy sailboats safely, but to progress to a point were they could complete on an equal basis with physically able persons.
During the first year of the project, despite being very much on her own, she was able to borrow four Invitation 4.8 sailboats from their manufacturers, Bombardier Corporation, _ and obtain a grant from the Canadian government student youth employment program to cover the salaries of the instructors. Children enrolled in the program were required to be able to swim, tread water in some form, and. be able to transfer in and Out of a wheelchair with minimal help.
Cathy recalls only one incident of concern, which occurred during the first training session. It was a windy day, and they took the children to the more sheltered waters of Long Pond, part of the lagoon system in the islands surrounding Toronto Bay. At the end of the day of sailing and picnicking on the Toronto islands, they returned across the open harbour under mainsail only. There were two children and one instructor in each boat. A sudden gust of wind caused one boat to capsize. Cathy, in the ever near crash boat, tried to accelerate the engine, an old borrowed outboard, which decided to stall and refuse o immediately restart. There was no real panic. The handicapped students saw to it that the instructor was safe, and calmly waited for assistance.
The students, while severely handicapped on land, were very mobile in the water, having received most of their exercise over the years in a swimming pool. Independence Afloat now has a new outboard and has refined its safety procedures. This has been the only "incident" in the .. years of the program.
In the second year, the program was expanded to include adults. One of the first students was Larry Hodgson.
"I always wanted to sail, and, being a design engineer, I was intrigued by the challenge of adapting sailing craft to the needs of the disabled." In fact, the Invitation 4.8, and many other sailboats, require no modification as they have no centreboard trunk to interfere with mobility from one side to the other, and are fitted with roller furling beadsails as standard equipment. The instructors have received training in the special needs of the handicapped children and adults; training that was made easy by the adaptability of the students."
To say that the programme has been a success is an understatement. Programmes have been delivered to suit many types of disables persons, including, multiple amputees, spina bifida, paraplegia (lie Larry Smart) blind, deaf, mentally disabled, M.S. M.D., and many others.
The programme has had the support of many agencies for the disabled as well as Toronto Harbourfront Corporation.
My involvement with the programme stems from a chance enquiry by Boyd Haan, who had just returned from the Olympiad for the Physically Disabled in Holland, who enquired as to the feasability of Olympic style sailing for the physically disabled. I had met Norm Kunc the previous evening for the first time, and was so impressed by Norms ability to sail an Albacore sailing dinghy competitively, that I replied, if this Norm Kunc can sail an Albacore competitively, anyone can sail. An enquiry to Alf Jenkins, Executive Director of the Ontario Sailing association informed me of the programme Cathy Smart had started, and her problems. Within a week I was working with Cathy for organization and administrate of the programme. That was year one of the programme.
The programme maintains a fleet of 4 Invitation 4.8 dinghies, and has grown to include a Bluenose 24' keelboat, and crash boats, There is a director, and five full time instructors for the three months the school is in operation each year.
Independence Afloat has four regular two week daily sailing school which teaches the standard Canadian Yachting Association syllabus leading to the white sail, green sail and blue sail certificates. These programmes are just like those operated by yacht clubs or private sailing schools. There is a weekly four evening, class for adults, and many "Introduction to the waterfront" day programmes where handicapped a person attended in groups to learn about the harbour, sailboats, the programme and have an introductory sail around the harbour. All organizations working with disabled persons are encouraged to avail themselves of the programmes.
Because he does a considerable amount of structural design work related to accessibility for the disabled. Larry was asked if he would be interested in travelling to Florida in February to participate in a weeklong charter cruise
"Of course I jumped at the chance," Larry said. "The plan involved assembling a crew of seven, including instructors Cathy Smart and Dave Tuninga, of the Harbourside South Sailing School, and chartering a 41 foot Morgan out island sailboat. As it turned out, the Morgan was the most suitable craft for a disabled person in terms of access and and mobility."
Larry was particularly interested in studying the ease with which a disabled person could board and move about a larger class sailboat, and participate in a charter cruise.
"One of the things we came up with as part of our planning was to use a bosuns chair, which is basically a canvas seat, to provide me with boarding and movement capability,"
Larry explained. "We attached the bosuns chair to the end of the main_sheet block and pulley, then I slipped the bosuns chair under my legs. It was a simple matter for anyone of the crew to hoist me up, swing me over and place me at any location on the boat.
"It was a matter of me being dependent on the rest of the crew; it was a case of all of us being dependent on each other, working as a team."
The bosuns chair was also used to lower Larry through a hatchway that led to the vessels sleeping and dining quarters. With seating completely surrounding the cockpit on the main deck, he had complete and easy access to the entire area.
During the seven_day trip, Larry and the rest of the crew received 24 hours of sailing instruction. He found that a disabled person can do just about everything from skippering and navigating the vessel to participating in household chores. Of course the charter was not all work..
Larry had ample time to snorkel among the corral reefs, soak up the sun and just plain relax. For a disabled person, being aboard a sailboat is like entering a whole new world, Larry explained. Because it is such a restrictive environment, where movement is very limited, you are more or less on the same level with physically able people.
"On a sailing craft, your surroundings are on a much smaller scale, which provides for fewer surprises created by common environmental barriers. Although obstacles do exist, there are no snow drifts, curbs, steps, stairs, or other unknown obstacles to deal with."
What impressed Larry most during the cruise was the new sense of freedom he gained from his wheelchair.
"It was the longest period I had been out of my wheelchair since my accident nine years ago. Before the cruise, I had been out of it for a day at a time at the most. In seven days I did not even see the thing, it was an amazing feeling of independence."
Other physically disabled persons, such as Norm Kunc, a 25_year_old student who has all his life haa been severely spastic, and who describes himself as "handicapped not crippled", competitively sails his Albacore in the regular racing events of the Toronto outer harbour, ~ is most successful in winning against his non_handicapped peers. Another sailor who isa paraplegic sails his 24 foot Shark Class Sloop in the regular racing program. His wife swings the boom over the dock which he grabs with his strong arms, and as he swings over the cockpit, his wife gently eases the topping lift. Once in the cockpit, he is free, and with all halyards leading to the cockpit, he has no trouble sailing with and against the best. He is an example of the worthwhileness of this program.
Independence Afloat is now an accepted and successful program for the physically disabled. It has expanded to include the blind and other handicapped persons. Its graduates will make a worthwhile contribution to the sport of sailing. They will show that sailing is one recreational and competitive activity that the disabled can enjoy on an equal basis with their non_handicapped peers. It is hoped that all sailing schools, yacht clubs, and marinas will take up the challenge to encourage the handicapped to become involved in sailing by establishing access and integrated facilities and programs.
Larry believes its important for the disabled to be agressive and undertake new ventures such as sailing.
"Sailing for someone confined to a wheelchair can be a little intimidating at first", he said. "But once You get over your fear of being in an unfamiliar environment, the experience is exhilarating."
(I wrote this article for Sail Magazine (US ) and it was published about 1985)
|
