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Adventure sports for the blind: Our experiences October 11th, 2013 Whenever someone thinks about adventure sorts for the blind the questions that instantly come up are: list of 4 items » Do blind persons enjoy the experience as much as the sighted? » When blind persons cannot see the height they are flying at, the mountain they have climbed or the river they are rafting then what is the point? » What motivates blind persons to indulge in adventure activities? » Which adventure activities are accessible? Which activities are safe? list end Paragliding in Turkey Being a visually impaired couple we have also been pondering over these questions and in the last several years and have found few answers. Let me give you some background first. I am a person with low vision and my wife is totally blind. I am someone who can easily pass off as non-disabled since I have enough vision for mobility under good light. However, I cannot read the standard print and depend upon screen readers and magnifiers for all reading and writing needs. So, from the point of indulging into any sports activity, my vision is only adequate to let me know of my surroundings, I cannot depend upon my eyesight to do any precise action or maneuvering. My wife Veena is totally blind and depends upon the non-visual senses for accomplishing tasks. Therefore, the information in this article is good for both totally blind and partially blind persons. Both of us are fond of travelling, exploring new places and trying out new food. This hobby of ours has taken us to many tourists spots in India and around the world. That is how we got opportunities to try out different adventure sports. We have so far done Bungee jumping, Paragliding, Parasailing, rafting, Horse riding, trekking and mountaineering. My best memories are of the Bungee Jumping at Rishikesh and Para gliding at Öludeniz, Turkey. The white water rafting was also exhilarating and one of its kind. Jumping from 83 meters with a string attached to my feet was indeed a scary experience. I could see that I am high above the ground and jumping from there felt like committing suicide. The instructor kept urging me to move further to the edge of the platform until half of my feet was in the air and I was precariously balanced on the platform on my heels. He then asked me to leap forward. The platform was shaking in the gusty winds and for a moment I felt that life was about to end. I knew that people could not go back after coming this far and if I did not jump, I will be pushed from behind. I have always considered myself to be mentally strong and could not allow people to make fun of me later saying that I could not dare to jump. So, I somehow allowed myself to drop down consoling myself that whatever has to happen will happen. Going down towards earth so fast face down was indeed very frightening but when the elastic cord pulled me up I started to enjoy the experience. Bungee jumping in Rishikesh We had the pleasure of visiting Turkey, which has some of the best beaches in the world. We decided to try out the world famous paragliding over the blue lagoon. Surprisingly, the pilots had no hesitation in taking us when I told them that Veena is blind and I am low vision. I want to further add that we have been lucky so far and we never faced any resistance from the adventure sports crew anywhere in the world. We had done paragliding earlier in India and Thailand therefore we were confident of pulling it off successfully. We jumped off a hill from a height of 5600 feet and flew for a good 30 minutes. Circling over the beautiful blue lagoon and the neighboring mountains was indeed amazing. The pilot was carrying a camera and shot many pictures and videos some of which we purchased from their office later. We landed on the beach. Veena had a very smooth landing while I slightly bruised my knee. Fortunately apart from this we have never faced any injury or accident anywhere so far. Rafting in the river Ganga We think that blind persons really enjoy the adventure activities at least we do. In our conversations with friends and family who have also done similar activities we found that we went through the same emotions, fear, excitement, thrill and adrenaline rush! As far as safety is concerned, I am not the right person to comment on it. However, I felt that all the activities we have done were as safe for us as it was for any other person. I did not see any additional risk due to our disability. If the trainers are considerate and co-operative blind persons can safely enjoy such activities. In response to the question why blind persons should do adventure activities I like the explanation on the American Blind Skiing Foundation website. list of 6 items » Confidence: The feeling that we can accomplish a highly physically demanding activity something that not even all sighted are able to do. » A sense of independence: Being able to do the activities successfully gives a feeling of independence » Sense of achievement: The Knowledge that we have challenged ourselves in a non-traditional area for visually impaired people gives us the confidence to challenge other things in life » Fun. The wind gushing past your face, the feeling of weightlessness, the G forces and the pump of adrenaline, all are so enjoyable and felt by the blind and the sighted in the same way. » Tool for awareness and advocacy: Performing such adventurous acts attracts attention and appreciation from the general public. It helps in increasing awareness about the capabilities of the disabled and in changing the negative mind-sets. » Social interaction: Participation in new activities presents an opportunity to interact with a new set of people, whom we do not get to meet otherwise. list end If after reading this you are thinking of trying it out yourself, then go ahead and do it! I guarantee you will not regret your decision. And do let me know of your experiences by commenting on this article. Similar content: Extreme Dreams | Sports, Games and Recreation for the Blind and Physically Handicapped -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pranav Lal Sent: 10 October 2013 21:41 To: 'AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the disabled.' Subject: Re: [AI] Adventure sports for the blind: Our experiences Hi Prashant, I am unable to get to http://prashant.myehome.in/blog/ Is the site down? Pranav Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessind ia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list.. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. Contents of the mails, factual, or otherwise, reflect the thinking of the person sending the mail and AI in no way relates itself to its veracity; 2. AI cannot be held liable for any commission/omission based on the mails sent through this mailing list..
