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Resources
 Canoeing and Kayaking for People with Disabilities
by J. Zeller published June 2009 by Human Kinetics with the American Canoe Association.
Available for USD 25 by calling the American Canoe Association (ACA) at (540) 907-4460 x103.
You can also order online at Amazon and soon through the ACA shop at www.acanet.org.
About the author and other contributors
Product description
Skill is determined by ability and attitude, and people at all skill levels, with and without disabilities, can find enjoyment in canoeing and kayaking. All that paddlers need are the willingness to accept instruction and be challenged and the ability to adapt to new situations. Canoeing and Kayaking for People With Disabilities presents strategies that give people of all abilities the opportunity to discover the challenge, freedom, and renewal found in paddling.
The book, written by adaptive paddling pioneer Janet A. Zeller, will help you build on your existing knowledge of paddling techniques so you can share the sport with a variety of people with disabilities. Zeller presents best practices based on her years of experience as a paddler with a disability and the experiences of other instructors and recreation and health care professionals. The text includes tested instructional techniques and equipment adaptations as well as safety information and rescue protocols.
By focusing on each person's ability, outdoor professionals, paddling instructors, and recreation providers can learn how to make paddling available to those with disabilities. These topics are presented in the text:
- General guidelines for working with people with disabilities
- Information on legal requirements, including accessibility at facilities and launching and landing sites, program access, development of eligibility criteria, and assessment of facility accessibility
- Thorough coverage of common disabilities, their implications for instructors, and teaching strategies and adaptations for each disability
- Guidance in choosing gear and modifying or building equipment to meet the needs of paddlers with disabilities
- Consideration of safety and risk factors, rescue priorities, and adaptations for rolling
- Factors to consider when planning a trip, including the ratio of paddlers with and without disabilities, taking wheelchairs and mobility devices on the trip, and route selection
The book also includes numerous resources, checklists, and forms to assist you in running your program. Pretrip resources such as the medical information form and the Paddler's Interview will help you collect information about each paddler's medical history and discuss expectations, ability levels, and concerns. You'll also find tips on choosing trip and instruction locations, gear checklists, and an emergency response plan checklist. A glossary provides information on diseases and conditions to assist paddling instructors in developing appropriate accommodations.
Paddling provides unique opportunities for people of all abilities to overcome personal challenges, master new skills, experience the outdoors, and enjoy physical activity with fellow paddlers. Packed with information about safe adaptations, techniques, and integrated opportunities, Canoeing and Kayaking for People With Disabilities is your resource for making paddling a reality for those with disabilities.
About the author and other contributors
The author, Janet A. Zeller is a lifelong paddler experienced in both canoeing and sea kayaking. After a 1984 accident resulted in quadriplegia, Zeller was determined to return to paddling. Since that time, Zeller has worked to provide instructors with the knowledge, techniques, and tools to help people with disabilities access canoeing and kayaking opportunities.
In 1989 Zeller developed the integrated adaptive paddling program for the American Canoe Association (ACA). With Annie Wortham Webre, she coauthored the first book focused on opening the sport to paddlers with disabilities. Since 1990 Zeller has traveled nationwide as an ACA instructor trainer educator of adaptive paddling workshops. She trains canoeing and kayaking instructors, recreation and health care students and professionals, and those who run water-based recreation programs in the techniques for integrating people with disabilities into their programs. Zeller is the National Accessibility Program manager for the U.S. Forest Service, author of numerous articles, and a frequent presenter on accessibility, universal design, and inclusive outdoor recreation at national, regional, university, and local forums. In her free time she enjoys sea kayaking, canoeing, and wilderness camping.
Colin Twitchell is the founding director of the Lemelson Assistive Technology Development Center and teaches applied design, invention, and entrepreneurship at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Colin developed the adaptation principles and processes used in the adaptive paddling program and has been an ACA instructor trainer educator in adaptive paddling equipment. Colin's entrepreneurial and design work includes development of several types of adaptive recreational equipment, the start-up of several businesses, and work with international organizations in the development of adaptive equipment. His designs have been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History and the United Nations.
Sybille Fleischmann discovered her love of paddling as a child with her mother on the Donau River in Germany. She has been working with the ACA adaptive paddling program since 2003, organizing workshops for instructors and teaching in kayak schools, rehabilitation centers, and outdoor programs across the United States. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Sybille supports local initiatives to make paddling more accessible to everyone and also manages adaptivepaddling.org, an online forum fr paddlers with disabilities. She is an ACA instructor in adaptive paddling equipment, coastal kayaking, and whitewater kayaking. When she isn't paddling, Sybille works on initiatives to deliver technology to underserved communities in her capacity as a product planner for an information technology company.
Jeremy Oyen is the American Canoe Association director of safety education and instruction. He has worked in the paddlesport and outdoor education field for over 20 years, serving as a wilderness canoe guide, canoe and kayak instructor, manager of an outdoor specialty store, paddlesport buyer, owner of Lake Erie's first sea kayak guide company, and manager of Cleveland Metroparks nationally recognized Institute of the Great Outdoors, where he received the International Boating Education and Advancement Award for their inclusive paddlesport program. Jeremy holds a teaching license in secondary education. He is also an ACA instructor trainer in adaptive paddling equipment and coastal kayaking and instructor in canoe touring, river canoeing and river kayaking.
Scott LeBlanc is a certified therapeutic recreation specialist (CTRS). Since 1991, he has worked in physical rehabilitation hospitals, directed adapted sports and recreation programs and taught at the collegiate level. Scott is a consultant and speaker on inclusion, accessibility, and access to recreational opportunities for all. Beginning as Colin Twitchell's studentin the early 1990's, Scott has continued the development of adaptive equipment design and technique in paddlesports. Scott is an ACA instructor trainer educator in adaptive paddling equipment and an instructor in essentials in river kayaking and essentials of kayak touring.
Additional Contributors
M. Jan Tackett, PhD, staff psychologist, Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System
Dave Robey, Team River Runner, volunteer
Lynne Warner, Team River Runner, San Diego volunteer
Elaine Mravetz, ACA instructor trainer and former special education teacher and consultant
April Rosenthal, ACA instructor and physical therapist
Crystal Skahan, MS, ACA instructor and licensed recreation therapist
Sam Crowley, ACA instructor trainer educator and sport massage therapist
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Equipment
Creating Ability in Chatfield, MN is offering Adaptive Paddling equipment like easily adaptible seats and hand grips.
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