Making sailing accessible for all

[cj! 19]

Need more boats like this that create the opportunity for access to sailing for those who normally don't get the chance.

 

[AJ Oliver 154]

You folks are really good at that . . . 

 

Making golf, sailing and even big game fishing accessible to average people. 

 

That will get y'all a high place in heaven, or maybe a cuppa somewhere . . 

 

Clarification - this is not snark, but rather the spirit that I admire most about 

your fabulous country. 

[wheels 543]

That does not look like here in NZ AJ.
I wonder who told him it was impossible and what exactly was impossible. Anything is possible with enough money and it looks like a huge chunk of the stuff was thrown at this vessel.

[AJ Oliver 154]

OK Mr. Wheels, ya got me again !! 

 

I plead guilty to responding before having watched the video. 

 

Our Club now uses mostly Windriders for other-abled sailing, but here are some of the many options out there . .  

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=disabled+sailing&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3v9mP3YDbAhXitlkKHcboBfYQ_AUICigB&biw=1566&bih=750

 

Not too long ago, a blind gent from our area won a national level championship against sighted opponents. 

 

Quite a feat !!

[cj! 19]

It's all about options. I've all my abilities (well some may question that) but I have sailed and raced Hansa Class boats with those of all abilities and they're great little boats but this opens up bluewater cruising and racing with autonomy because the design is inclusive, not exclusive. We too often design our world without a thought for accessibility for all members of society (this can be physical, regulatory, etc.) and this is an example of how we can do things better in all areas of life if we are aware and we want to.

[Deep Purple 512]

And some do it without any concessions

 

http://crew.org.nz/forum/index.php/topic/15304-hero/

[eruptn 95]

These guys need your support: https://sailability.co.nz/

 

We have a couple of boats, but need coaches etc to keep them going

[cj! 19]

That's great Puff but not everyone has the same level of ability and imagine if everyone was forced to sail that way? Would you still sail? Wouldn't you want access to a better design if you could have it? Good design doesn't always have to cost a lot or even anymore, it can just be about having more awareness of others needs and incorporating them from the beginning. Retrofitting is where things can get really expensive. This is not to say that everything must be designed for use by everybody as there will always be a need for more specialised use but we can do a lot better in general if we want to.

 

Think housing, around 60% of households will have a person with a disability in them at some stage given that almost a quarter of the population has some form of disability due to birth defects, illness, injury and ageing. It is around twenty-two times more cost efficient to include accessibility features in the initial build than it is to retrofit them later yet most house design has never taken this into account. How often do we curse the bad design of the things around us or that we use when it doesn't have to be that way? Now add some form of disability into the mix and think how much worse things might be. We need to stop just thinking about what works for us as individuals right now and think more about what might make things better for us and others in the future as well. Hopping off my soapbox now.