The image of an empty wheelchair sitting on a dock will be a more familiar sight this summer and fall as the Sailing Program for People With Disabilities extends its program thanks to extra funding.
Every year, the Victoria branch of the Disabled Sailing Association of British Columbia has given physically disabled people an opportunity to leave their wheelchairs ashore to experience the open water.
Technology that enables users to operate their wheelchairs has been adapted to work in the world of sailing.
Using a joystick and Sip 鈥檔鈥� Puff technologies, people with even very high spinal-cord injuries and neuromuscular disabilities are able to sail independently.
The controls from a powered wheelchair can be modified to operate an autohelm to steer and to control the sails.
鈥淪ailing gives people a great sense of freedom,鈥� said Doug Nutting, director of operations at the association. 鈥淭hat empty chair on the dock speaks volumes of the program. For participants, sailing is a very normalizing activity because on a boat they look like any other sailor on the water. Some people need an instructor or volunteer, but others just relish the opportunity to be able to do something independently.鈥�
The program is subsidized, with an hour-and-a-half-long sail聽with an instructor costing only $15. This has led to an increase in demand for the service. Last year, the association was able to provide almost 600 sailing trips.
The association has a fleet of eight dinghies and two keeled boats with five instructors.
Funding from the Victoria Foundation will allow the Disabled Sailing Association to pay instructors for more time on the water. This will allow them to extend its season from the summer to include time in the spring and fall 鈥� for a total of 27 extra days, adding 240 more opportunities for those wishing to feel the wind on their back and the salt chuck on their face.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all part of encouraging active living for those with disabilities,鈥� said Nutting. 鈥淪ailing promotes self-esteem and tends to lead to better mental and physical outcomes. It鈥檚 no surprise that the program has proved popular for those who can expect to spend the rest of their life confined to a bed or chair.鈥�
For more information, go to rivonline.org.
