[nfb-talk] NFB Centers and Rock Climbing

[Peter Donahue]

Hello Jim and listers,

    Okay let me take a stab at this one. I'll insert my comments following 
yours and will indicate them with the letter A. Here goes:

Hello all!

Do all NFB centers insist that clients rock climb?  I'm referring to the
three NFB centers in Minnesota, Colorado, and Louisiana as well as centers
which are a part of a state's rehab program as is the case in Iowa and
Nebraska?

A. Yes

  Can a client be exempt from this exercise due to health, age or
other complications?

A.
    Each case is considered on an individual basis.

Have people been denied services from all of the above
agencies if they refused to rock climb or they obtained a doctor's statement
that they shouldn't engage in such activity?

A.
    Recall the discussion of informed choice we've had from time-to-time. 
These centers have a set curriculum students are required to take including 
participation in recreational activities such as rock climbing.     Such 
exemptions could be viewed as attempts by center students to "Menuize" the 
training. They never realize the full benefit of the program if they attempt 
to "Water down" these center curriculums by requesting exemptions from this 
or that part of the training. Here again each case is considered on an 
individual basis.

  What exempts people from this
activity and if they are exempt, can they still receive services from our
NFB agencies?

    A.
    Much of my answer can be found above but I'll add here that if a student 
chooses not to participate in a class or activity all center students must 
attend or take part in they should reconsider their choice of orientation 
and adjustment center if they're unwilling to participate in the entire 
center curriculum.

A friend of mine returned from one of these centers.  He has a badly
sprained leg or he has pulled ligaments in his leg!  Needless to say, he is
out of the program or is immobile for an undetermined amount of time!  This
person was otherwise happy with the program and I commend this person  for
giving it a good try but I think there comes a time when a person my age who
is twice 30 shouldn't attempt such a thing!  If I were in my 20s and 30s, I
wouldn't question this but when one is in their late 40s and beyond, I'd
question whether this is such a good idea!

Any thoughts?A.

    Our centers have had students in their 80s participate in roc climbing, 
skydiving, and other high-impact activities. There are several accounts of 
blind senior citizens that attended our centers and participated in all 
aspects of their programs and had a darn good time doing so published in The 
Braille Monitor. Your friend needs to not allow his accident prevent him 
from returning to the NFB center to finish his training. There are numerous 
accounts of students who due to accident or illness were unable to complete 
the initial part of their training but returned later to finish. This should 
not be a problem.

    As far as doctors exemptions go remember that health care professionals 
are influanced by the same prevailing attitudes and beliefs about blindness 
and our capabilities as is the general public. It would be easy for a doctor 
to "issue a letter requesting that a student not be required to participate 
in this or that part of the center program due to these mistaken attitudes 
and beliefs about the blind. What happens if that same doctor is presented 
with a health report for a blind individual in their 80s wishing to attend a 
sports camp where rock climbing is one of the activities offered and that 
patient chooses to participate in that activity. There's the possibility 
that the doctor may discourage this person from engaging in rock climbing 
even though the person is healthy. They can thank the patient who mistakenly 
believed that older blind individuals shouldn't participate in this 
activity. Let me recommend that you take some rock climbing lessons and then 
reread your post.

    I hope I was able to shed some light on this issue for you. All the 
best.

Peter Donahue