Amp U T chat is for amputees.
[amputee/_private/headerb.htm]| VOLUME 2 # 9 | MARCH 11, 1996 |
IN THIS ISSUE
1.) NOTES FROM John & Joyce
OLD BUSINESS
Books
The following information was forwarded to our attention as possible further reading regarding THE AMPUTEE AND DISABLED IN MYTH AND PUBLIC IMAGE in issue #6:
The Cinema of Isolation: A History of Physical
Disability in the Movies
author unknown
(If anyone knows the correct author of the article please email us.)
This book examines hundreds of movies produced from 1898 to 1993 that have portrayed people with physical disabilities, and it also investigates the industrial and socio-cultural circumstances that allowed these movies to be made.
The Cinema of Isolation is available in paperback (ISBN 0-8135-2104-1) for $16.95 and in hardback (ISBN 0-8135-2103-3) for $48, published by Rutgers University Press.
NOTE: We haven't read this book. ' Think well try and locate it and give it a "look-see."
More Quotes on COURAGE?
"Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down."
--Ray Bradbury"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms: it means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die."
--G. K. Chesterton"Courage is grace under pressure."
--Ernest Hemingway"The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart."
--Robert Ingersoll"One man with courage makes a majority."
--Andrew Jackson"Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."
--Eddie Rickenbacker"Fear is created not by the world around us, but in the mind, by what we think is going to happen."
--Elizabeth Gawain"Courage is the fear of being thought a coward."
--Horace Smith"To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom."
--Bertrand Russell"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear--not absence of fear."
--Mark Twain
[ ;-) Hey, you knew I had to get Mark Twain in here, somewhere. ]"It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes. It takes more guts and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own."
--Jessamyn West
BOOTING UP: Therapeutic Horseback
Riding
Joyce K. Meyer
© Copyright March 1996
The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) is a national organization with approximately 500 member sites in all 50 states and Canada. There are riding programs for individuals of all ages, disabilities and conditions, including amputees. These programs utilize therapeutic horseback riding and other equine activities.
NARHA representative Derek Woodbury reports: "Saddling up on a horse is an enjoyable experience for many people, but for an individual with a disability it can signify much more--a road to recovery. Each year people with physical, cognitive and/or emotional disabilities are discovering the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding (hippotherapy.) Individuals with almost any disability find a sense of independence through horseback riding."
"The benefits of horseback riding are as numerous as the types of disabilities and conditions served. Research shows that students who participate in therapeutic riding can experience physical, emotional and mental rewards. Because horseback riding gently and rhythmically moves the rider's body in a manner similar to a human gait, riders with physical disabilities often show improvement in flexibility, balance and muscle strength. For individuals with mental or emotional problems the unique relationship formed with the horse can lead to increased confidence, patience and self-esteem. The sense of independence found on horseback benefits all who ride. The therapeutic qualities of horseback riding are recognized by many professionals, including the American Physical Therapy Association and the American Occupational Therapy Association."
NARHA was founded in 1969, and has since benefited more than 26,000 individuals. These program utilize more than 20,000 volunteers, 1,100 instructors, 4,000 therapy horses and 600 therapists.
"Most NARHA member sites are non-profit. The NARHA is very receptive to volunteers," says Woodbury. "We are dependent on them."
Just a short drive from our home, is EXCEPTIONAL EQUITATION, in La Grange Kentucky. Exceptional Equitation is a NARHA member. Owner Shelly Prete conducts a summer program using 7 specially trained horses. Shelly mainly works with children and instructs them in formal equitation. "Many progress to other riding programs," adds Ms Prete. Residents of the near by Cedar Lake Lodge have participated in the program and the recreation coordinator was very pleased with the program. She notes that it is more than just getting out and riding a horse, it is also the tactile pleasure of relating to the animals that also benefits the residents.
ADAPTIVE THERAPEUTIC HORSEBACK RIDING, is a NARHA participant in Louisville, Kentucky. B.J. Levis tells me that their program works with riders age 5 and up. They run a 7 week program in the spring and fall that runs $75. Levis notes that there are scholarship programs available.
CHAPS (Children and Horses as Partners) is a 2 1/2 years old program, and an Indiana NARHA accredited member, serving 6 counties in the Lafayette area. Sheri McCormick explains, " CHAPS is non-profit cooperative effort of the Purdue School of Agriculture, the School of Veterinary Medicine, and Breaking New Ground. CHAPS lessons are $45 per month for 1 hour of riding each week and is a year round program. There are scholarships for families that need assistance."
Ms. McCormick says that CHAPS relies on the support of around 85 volunteers; 65 are Purdue students and the remaining come from the community at large. "It can take up to 3 volunteers to work with every rider."
CHAPS works with riders age 3 and up, but focuses mainly on children. Most referrals to the program come by parental "word-of-mouth," with other referrals coming from schools and clinics. In addition to the demonstrated therapeutic value, CHAPS offers a setting for research in human-animal interaction, recreational therapy, animal sciences, child development and related areas.
Ms. McCormick explains that beyond basic horseback riding skills and equitation, the program also includes games; relay races, basket ball, and horseback tag. She observes the feelings of freedom and independence as the horse becomes an extension of the rider. "The horses are their legs, they can go anywhere the horse can go." McCormick also notes the emotional comfort of the riders as well as the confidence they gain and the parents comment on the improved self-esteem.
To contact Adaptive Therapeutic Horseback riding in Louisville, Kentucky call: (502) 456-8148. The contact person is B.J. Levis. To contact CHAPS in Indiana, call Sheri McCormick at 1-800-825-4264. The contact for Exceptional Equitation in LaGrange, Kentucky is Shelly Prete at (502) 222-8762 after 6: p.m.
For information about accredited NARHA members throughout the United States and Canada contact:
North American Riding for the Handicapped Association
PO Box 33150
Denver, Colorado 80233
1-800-369-7433
Remember to ask about program operating times, these vary from year round to seasonal and also check the age group they work with and their experience with amputee riders.
John had a stomach flu this weekend, that left him a little to run down to make the 2 1/2 hour drive to the Indianapolis conference. So he is home and there will be an online chat this evening for those that can join us.
2.) "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR"
March 5, 1996
To J & J:
[excerpted comments about issue #8 "Courage?"]
...In further discussion of your treatise about "Courage", I think the word "COPING" is a good analogy. And my cousin the language doctor at the University of Florida likes the expression "Testicular Fortitude." But it is more a point of attitude than any special blessing...
L.C.
THE ADVICE (DISCLAIMER)
Please be sure to read the information at this link at least once.
4.) HINTS AND TIPS
TIPS
Upper extremity
Ask friends that use the OTC medicines w/ the LARGE TABS on the top of the bottle to save them for you. Then you can reuse them for a variety of small items. (IMPORTANT: if you're going to use them for other medicine BE SURE TO LABEL and don't forget to keep these out of the reach of small children.)
Lower extremity
At the beach, you can use a "plumbers friend" at the end of your crutches, to keep them from sinking in the sand.
Have a hint, tip, or suggestion? Please email us and we will consider it for use in the newsletter or chat room.
5.) QUOTE/THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
I came across this and thought it was interesting:
"We are most likely to get angry and excited in our opposition to some idea when we ourselves are not quite certain of our own position, and are inwardly tempted to take the other side."
--Thomas Mann ("BUDDENBROOKS")
It also brings to mind Shakespeares, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." (HAMLET, I believe.)
© Copyright March 11, 1996 J. Meyer. All rights reserved.