Adapted Snow Skiing

The world we live in today is afraid to take the time to stop and find ways to help people with disabilities. I believe it is because, we as a society are afraid of affecting them even more. But we affect them by not including them at all. We see someone with a disability and shy away from them because the experiences and lifestyle they have or have been through. Over the past 3 weeks I have been able to be around a fellow classmate with Cerebral Palsy (CP) who is 30 years of age. Through this experience I have learned so much in what he goes through.  I have researched and read articles on people with CP getting to snow ski, as well as interviewing my classmate with CP about snow skiing.

The information that I found online about people with CP being able to snow ski was astounding. My classmate also gave me great information on how snow skiing for people with CP plays a major role in their life. It gives them the opportunity to get away from their everyday life of having a disability. For the longest time I thought it would be impossible for someone with CP to snow ski.  One might ask how someone with CP can prepare physically or be mentally ready to take on a challenge of snow skiing. When interviewing my classmate and doing some research, I came up with a few ideas to get them physically prepared for the slopes.

The fitness activity requires the following equipment:   CorDisc (24” diameter disc offers versatility by maximizing total body balance training for beginner as well as advanced users), Stool, and 2 Wiffle ball bats.  Place the CorDisc on top of the stool and having the individual sit on the CorDisc without letting their feet touch the ground. While the individual is sitting on the CorDisc and stool, hand them the two Wiffle ball bats to use as outriggers, which are used in downhill skiing to help with balance. The object of the activity is to simulate being on the slopes and working on balance, as well as strengthening the core and shoulder muscles.        

 

The benefits of this fitness activity include confidence, strength, piece of mind, and excitement to one day be able to snow ski. In adapted snow skiing there are two types of skis, the mono-ski and the bi-ski. Both of these skis have a seat that has a protective cover over the legs to protect the skier’s legs. The skier holds an outrigger in each hand as an aid for balance. My classmate with CP was thrilled to see this fitness activity in action and to see how well it would simulate snow skiing in a mono or bi-ski. His thoughts were that the activity best simulated someone being able on a mono-ski without being on the slopes. He also mentioned the physical benefits of this activity would play a major role in getting the patients prepared to mono- or bi-ski.

 

After the 3 weeks of this study, I have learned that people with disabilities do not have to be put aside when performing action sports. The wealth of research online celebrates the success stories of people with disabilities being able to participate in action sports with a little adaption. We as a society need to find ways include people with disabilities in the joys we have in action sports.

Check out the competitive adapted mono-ski X-games:

Adaptive Rock Climbing: Benefits of Reaching for the Top

When it comes to thinking of fun activities for both children and adults, what considerations are necessary to get everyone engaged? Is the game fun? Challenging? Worthwhile? Competitive? Will it hold their attention long enough to get everyone involved?

 

One activity that can keep the attention of any age is indoor rock climbing. Rock climbing is a perfect activity for anyone to engage in and can be adapted and modified for someone with a disability, whether it is physical, intellectual, or even vision or hearing impaired. There are many benefits for any climber, skilled or unskilled. Three main types of benefits are apparent when considering how beneficial something is: affective, cognitive, and psychomotor. An affective benefit would be how it made the person feel while engaging in rock climbing. Some of these benefits would include a sense of accomplishment, more motivated, pride, some frustration, feeling challenged, having fun, having their social aspect enhanced, and reaching goals that he or she may have set for themselves.

Another benefit is cognitive, which is the benefits gained from using your brain and thinking. These benefits could be deciding how to get to top, deciding and contemplating the placement of each hand or foot, problem solving, setting goals for themselves, spatial awareness, and trusting another person’s tips on which step to take next. The last benefit discussed is the psychomotor benefit, which can be defined as how the body benefits from the action. Some of these benefits would be using every muscle in their body to pull themselves upward, pushing up and off with legs, pulling upward with arms, finger dexterity and grip strength, using hand-eye coordination, using and finding balance with each new move upward, using neck, trunk, and back muscles to look around, up and down at surroundings, using a bilateral movement, as well as increased blood flow and muscular endurance.

 

It is very important that people do not leave any individual out of an activity just because they need a specific adaptation. Whether it is out of fear of the unknown or not educated enough to adapt, it is never acceptable to sit someone to the side because they have a disability. Indoor or outdoor rock climbing is a great activity for anyone with a disability because there are many different ways to adapt for any type of issue that comes about. Rock climbing gives a climber an endless amount of challenges; one can call it, solving one problem after another until a destination is reached. Anyone that might deal with a special needs client or student needs to educate themselves more on what specific things are necessary to adapt. No child or adult should be left out because they cannot do something, when in actuality, they can, just an adaptation is needed.

 

As a part of researching the topic, we asked students without a disability to eliminate their sight or a limb. We all now have and owe more respect and admiration for those with a disability and climb for fun or competition. It is a tough task for anyone, but even more so for those needing an adaptation.

 

CrossFit’s Ability to Adapt to Disabilities

            CrossFit is a community-based type of exercise that prepares and strengthens your body for everyday movements. CrossFit workouts start with a warm-up, followed by a high intensity workout phase which only lasts about 20 minutes. Rarely will the same workout be repeated unless the athlete wants to better their time or increase the number of reps. CrossFit is beneficial for overall fitness as well as for the social aspect. CrossFit is all about pushing each athlete to challenge their limits while cheering for everyone that is competing. The last person that finishes is just as important as the first person.

            CrossFit is for everyone – all fitness and ability levels including those with disabilities. CrossFit is a great exercise for those who have limb amputations, cerebral palsy, or spinal cord injury. Modifications can be created for every workout of the day (WOD). Regardless of the disability, the sport of CrossFit is for individuals who are willing and able to push their limits.

For those living with disabilities, it is crucial to make time for daily exercise. People with disabilities are more prone to chronic diseases and secondary conditions such as obesity, osteoporosis, and muscle atrophy. Exercising a few days a week for only 30 minutes can reduces your chances of dealing with these health issues. The emotional and social aspect of working out is just as important as the fitness benefits. Exercise can improve self-esteem, reduce the chance of depression, and give individuals an increased sense of belonging.

            If you have a disability and are looking for a type of exercise that fits you, I think you should give CrossFit a try. The best thing for you to do is sit down with a CrossFit coach and discuss your boundaries – what you can and cannot do. You should feel comfortable, yet challenged by your new exercise plan. If you have any questions about safety or ideas for your modification, feel free to express those things with the coach. It must be a group effort to find your passion for fitness. But I can promise you this, once you join the CrossFit family, you will never want to leave!

Check out these videos of athletes with disabilities that have joined the CrossFit movement:

Climb On: Rock Climbing as a Fully Inclusive Activity

Rock climbing is a perfect activity for all ages and disabilities. Brent Kuemmerle, an amputee and accomplished outdoor rock climber and snowboarder said, “The benefits of rock climbing indoors or outdoors are an accomplishment that builds confidence, strength, and self-esteem." Climbing also increases focus, attention, inventiveness, social interaction, trust in others, muscular strength and endurance, and coordination. Indoor rock climbing is a great way to get started in the sport and there are many ways to adapt for any type of disability.

 

Studies show that rock climbing can “increase spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination and balance.” Mentally, rock climbing can aid in learning about “advanced planning, problem solving, and goal-setting stills” used throughout their lives. The article “Rock Climbing for Children with Disabilities” thoroughly explains different climbing techniques for those with different disabilities, including techniques called a para pull-up, single amputee procedures, and the process of how to handle someone with a visual impairment.

These adaptations are:

·         A “para pull-up” is a technique used for a climber with little or no use of their legs. This type of climb has a person attached to a belay and an ascender which is attached to a chest harness.  

·         Another adaption is called the “single amputee”. With this variation, a climber with an amputee will rely on their stronger limbs to help raise themselves to the top of the wall. This type of climb does not require any special equipment to climb, however it does require careful consideration for each move and be cautious of their balance as they scale the wall.

·         A climber with a visual impairment does not technically have an adaption but they must thoroughly understand how to communicate with a partner helping from the ground. In many situations, someone with a visual impairment is advised to use a clock-type system to propel upwards. Understanding where the hands are on a non-digital clock is imperative to successful climbing and communication.

Just because someone has a disability and needs an adaptation, they should never be set out of an activity. Whether it is out of fear of the unknown or not educated enough to know how to adapt, it is never acceptable to sit someone to the side because they “do not know what to do with them”.  

 

Indoor rock climbing is a great activity for everyone because there are many ways to adapt for any type of disability.  Not only is rock climbing challenging, but it is fun and can forever change someone’s outlook on their own disabilities. It can prove to others, and themselves, that anything is possible if they set their mind to it!

 

CrossFit: An Adapted Fitness Activity

Having a physical disability can feel extremely limiting to a person living with paraplegia, cerebral palsy, or an amputation simply because it is automatically more difficult for these individuals to perform “everyday” activities that others find easy to do. Truth is, most people with disabilities can achieve anything they believe they can.

 If someone with a physical disability has a loss in strength, cardiovascular endurance, and/or physical fitness, then those activities can seem impossible to do on their own. This is why resistance training and cardiovascular fitness is so important for people with physical disabilities. According to researchers at the National Center for Health, Physical Activity and Disability “When combined with the natural aging process, the likelihood of becoming physically dependent on others for assistance with daily activities substantially increases.” (Resistance Training, 2013).  So, do I dare say that conserving physical, mental, and social wellness is even more important with people with disabilities? Where can a person with physical disabilities attain all of these things? Answer: CrossFit.

CrossFit is a fitness program that is designed around improving everyday functions, while working out with your community or family. The movements are designed to simulate real-life situations like picking up small children, reaching for a heavy box off the top shelf, or carrying groceries up a flight of stairs. Each WOD (workout of the day) gets all muscle groups firing rather than targeting specific areas; it is a total body workout every time.

WODs are typically performed in CrossFit Boxes, which are specifically designed for their workouts. These gyms are normally in a garage-like metal building and contain pull-up bars, barbells, kettle bells, ropes, etc. There are certain times of the day that workouts are held with clients usually sticking with their same time each day. People who are members of these boxes have described them as being a “family atmosphere”. Having a physical disability can keep people from going out of their house, much less going to the gym to work out in front of a crowd of people. CrossFit is very accepting to modifying workouts to those who are disabled.  Groups of people do the workouts together, cheering and pushing their fellow friends on.

While any form of exercise is going to be beneficial to those who are physically disabled, CrossFit is ideal because the workouts are functional movement-type workouts and involve both strength training and cardiovascular training. CrossFit is the ultimate activity for individuals with disabilities, who desire an intense and challenging workout.