IAHD diving with disabilities

[David Parker]

Just been looking on the IAHD website IAHD 10 year Anniversary & wonder how you would go about getting involved. I cant think of anything more rewarding than sharing our experiances with those with disabilities. Does anyone know anything about them or is allready involved with them, if so please PM me as it is something I would quite fancy getting involved in.

Many thanks
Dave

[Bardo]

Originally Posted by David Parker

Just been looking on the IAHD website IAHD 10 year Anniversary & wonder how you would go about getting involved. I cant think of anything more rewarding than sharing our experiances with those with disabilities. Does anyone know anything about them or is allready involved with them, if so please PM me as it is something I would quite fancy getting involved in.

Many thanks
Dave

Contact Lee Smallwood at Dive Mobile - he's an IAHD Course Director...

[Robert-Jan Bulter]

Hi Dave,

I already mentioned this in a few other threads that there should be a special section for example in the Training Area (maybe one of the Administrators can work on this!!??!!).

But there are several organisations which encourage diving for people with a disability in the UK (and the rest of the world). IAHD is one of them but also Scuba Trust and DiveMobile (the last two are dive clubs where people with a disablility can learn to dive and both are based in the south).
IAHD is a training organisation just like PADI and BSAC but then focusing on diving for disabled. It takes more effort to learn a person with a disability but the reward is much bigger. I enjoy being involved training disabled people learning to dive.
It would be good when scuba diving will be more accessible for people with a disability. It gives them an extra dimension. It often helps them to reintergrate, socialise and improve their self-esteem by performing.
Scuba diving provides real freedom of movement for those who are tied to for example a wheelchair.

I hope a lot of people will be involved but even more that disabled people learn to dive.

PM me if any one has more questions.

Best regards,
Robert-Jan

[frosty the snowman]

Originally Posted by Robert-Jan Bulter

It would be good when scuba diving will be more accessible for people with a disability. It gives them an extra dimension. It often helps them to reintergrate, socialise and improve their self-esteem by performing.
Scuba diving provides real freedom of movement for those who are tied to for example a wheelchair.

I hope a lot of people will be involved but even more that disabled people learn to dive.

Very true. Could I also add that for BSAC members, the disability awareness skill development course is an excellent introduction to the challenges and rewards of diving with disabled people.

[Robert-Jan Bulter]

I would be interested to see the course outline of this skill development course. Brilliant that BSAC is offering this (I did not know this as I am not BSAC trained). I hope that somebody could give me some more information on this. BTW this would be a perfect issue for that special disabled forum section at the YD site!

When you do such a course you will realise that diving with/ as a disabled person is not always straight forward. As an abled diver it made me also a more confident diver due to the additional skills you learn.

regards,
Robert-Jan

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by Robert-Jan Bulter

I would be interested to see the course outline of this skill development course. Brilliant that BSAC is offering this (I did not know this as I am not BSAC trained). I hope that somebody could give me some more information on this. BTW this would be a perfect issue for that special disabled forum section at the YD site!

When you do such a course you will realise that diving with/ as a disabled person is not always straight forward. As an abled diver it made me also a more confident diver due to the additional skills you learn.

regards,
Robert-Jan

Robert-Jan,

There is an outline of the syllabus here.

Hmm, a disabled area. TBH, I'm not sure I like separate areas like this. I believe there is too much potential to ignore such an area - 'it does not apply to me'. I think this is supported by posts in the disabled access thread recently. Many issues will be similar, but if you ask a particular question in a disabled diving area, I bet you would get less answers than if it had been in a general area.

Adrian

Adrian

[Robert-Jan Bulter]

Thanks Adrian! The course syllabus looks really interesting.

You have a good point that people might say it does not apply to me. Nevertheless it is also a way of organising all the threads about disabled diving now they get lost in all other Forums like for example this one in Dive Medicine (is this the correct one for disabled diving????).
If someone is looking for information about diving with a disability they have everything together. Just like 'Tek-talk' or the special section about 'torches'.

Moreover a Disabled Diving Forum within YD would attract more people to it as creates special attention to this subject. People might become curious about it especially when they have seen disabled people diving.
Obviously every new thread would show up in Today's new post. I think the heading of the message is the major issue if people will read it or not. I hope I convinced you a little bit.

Best regards,

Robert-Jan

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by Robert-Jan Bulter

Thanks Adrian! The course syllabus looks really interesting.

You have a good point that people might say it does not apply to me. Nevertheless it is also a way of organising all the threads about disabled diving now they get lost in all other Forums like for example this one in Dive Medicine (is this the correct one for disabled diving????).
If someone is looking for information about diving with a disability they have everything together. Just like 'Tek-talk' or the special section about 'torches'.

Moreover a Disabled Diving Forum within YD would attract more people to it as creates special attention to this subject. People might become curious about it especially when they have seen disabled people diving.
Obviously every new thread would show up in Today's new post. I think the heading of the message is the major issue if people will read it or not. I hope I convinced you a little bit.

Best regards,

Robert-Jan

A little bit Your comment re this being in the medical section is spot on.

We had quite a ruck in the members only area of the BSAC forum re disabled instructing. Many of us were of the opinion that we would like to see disabled divers taught by instructors with an awarness of the issues. One or two wanted instructors trained to specialise in certain issues. Yet a good instructor will realise that problems that may occur to a person with a particular disability may apply to us all.

The usual life things really.

I sometimes wonder if an agency specialising in teaching disabled divers works against integration (I hate that term, but can't think of another). We have enough problems with PADI/BSAC divers accepting each other.

Adrian

[jamieheron]

Hi Adrian,

I've been involved with the Scuba Trust for the last 6 years. Although we have a website, it's not interactive in the way that YD is.

I understand the concerns about not integrating disabled divers with non-disabled divers but I agree with Robert-Jan that it would be beneficial to have a dedicated area for information about disabled diving. As a regular at the Scuba Trust stands at the Dive Show and LIDS, I often see people coming up to the stand to find out more about diving with disabilities because they weren't aware that it was possible. Nine times out of ten they're trying to find out information for a mate that they think may be interested in learning to dive.

I think that a dedicated area for Disabled Diving would be a great idea.

Jamie.

[Buoyant Babe]

I agree it would be useful to myself to have a section on YD for this, for the reasons I have already stated here.

Helen xxx