SC - special needs

Mon Apr 16 08:21:40 PDT 2001

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In a message dated 4/15/2001 4:16:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
rovena at softdisk.com writes:

> You stated that every person should have the option of participating in
> everything.  Is that realistic?  How would a wheelchair  person fight in a
> melee?  

There is a Tuchuk who uses a wheelchair who fights regularly in the field 
battle at Pennsic.  He has a special "battle chair" which his friends 
maneuver for him, and he fights from his knees.  If you have the footage from 
the Today show or Amazing America (I forget which) which was shot at Pennsic 
about 5 years ago, there is a picture of him in the chair before battle and 
being wheeled into the fray as it starts.  At least in the Pennsic rules, and 
I believe in the EK rules as well, there is a new one that states 
"Wheelchairs may not be used as battering rams"...  There is also, of course, 
Sir Keif of Ansteorra, who is missing a leg and fights on two crutches and 
one foot.  It is my understanding that he joined the SCA, and was knighted, 
after losing his leg.
I am a physical therapist in the mundane world.  You would be amazed (I 
constantly am, even after a dozen years in the field) at the things that 
people in wheelchairs and with disabilities constantly figure out ways to do.

I think the correct way to word this is that we shouldn't totally exclude the 
possibility of someone being able to participate in something just because 
a)we don't think he can or b) the current rules don't cover the adaptations 
needed.  We should have open minds and try to think of ways to include as 
many people as possible, without putting anyone at a level of unacceptable 
risk.  It is still likely that some people will not be able to participate in 
some activities other than as a knowledgable spectator (and sometimes not 
even then), but at least we will have considered the options instead of 
dismissing them out of hand.

In a food context, to me, this means making sure that my menus are 
sufficiently varied that the same ingredient doesn't show up in more than 1/3 
of the dishes served at any given meal, and that my kitchen workers and 
myself are as careful as we can be about avoiding cross-contamination and 
making sure items are stored and cooked properly.  I don't make "special 
portions" for people with allergies or food choices - I design my menus so 
that they will have a sufficient meal without me needing to do that at all.

Brangwayna Morgan

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<HTML>In a message dated 4/15/2001 4:16:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
 rovena at softdisk.com writes:
 
 
 <BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">You stated that every person should have the option of participating in
 everything.  Is that realistic?  How would a wheelchair  person fight in a
 melee?  </BLOCKQUOTE>
 
 There is a Tuchuk who uses a wheelchair who fights regularly in the field 
 battle at Pennsic.  He has a special "battle chair" which his friends 
 maneuver for him, and he fights from his knees.  If you have the footage from 
 the Today show or Amazing America (I forget which) which was shot at Pennsic 
 about 5 years ago, there is a picture of him in the chair before battle and 
 being wheeled into the fray as it starts.  At least in the Pennsic rules, and 
 I believe in the EK rules as well, there is a new one that states 
 "Wheelchairs may not be used as battering rams"...  There is also, of course, 
 Sir Keif of Ansteorra, who is missing a leg and fights on two crutches and 
 one foot.  It is my understanding that he joined the SCA, and was knighted, 
 after losing his leg.
 I am a physical therapist in the mundane world.  You would be amazed (I 
 constantly am, even after a dozen years in the field) at the things that 
 people in wheelchairs and with disabilities constantly figure out ways to do.
 
 I think the correct way to word this is that we shouldn't totally exclude the 
 possibility of someone being able to participate in something just because 
 a)we don't think he can or b) the current rules don't cover the adaptations 
 needed.  We should have open minds and try to think of ways to include as 
 many people as possible, without putting anyone at a level of unacceptable 
 risk.  It is still likely that some people will not be able to participate in 
 some activities other than as a knowledgable spectator (and sometimes not 
 even then), but at least we will have considered the options instead of 
 dismissing them out of hand.
 
 In a food context, to me, this means making sure that my menus are 
 sufficiently varied that the same ingredient doesn't show up in more than 1/3 
 of the dishes served at any given meal, and that my kitchen workers and 
 myself are as careful as we can be about avoiding cross-contamination and 
 making sure items are stored and cooked properly.  I don't make "special 
 portions" for people with allergies or food choices - I design my menus so 
 that they will have a sufficient meal without me needing to do that at all.
 
 Brangwayna Morgan</HTML>

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