PSIA Adaptive Snowsports Instruction
Video/Book Reviews
by Ed Kane
Early Winter 2003
This is the latest in the manuals being produced by the PSIA to provide the latest in information on the various aspects of teaching and enjoying the delight of the mountain environment. Adaptive instruction opens up this opportunity for that segment of the population that has some level of disability. This manual is the product of a PSIA committee chaired by Gwen Allard. The contents are the most comprehensive that I have recently seen and they cover all of the aspects of teaching this group of guests. It contains the latest information on specialized equipment needed for the various handicaps that might be encountered. In addition, it is formatted to cover both stand-up and sit-skiing, snowboarding and Nordic. This 108 page manual is done in the same format as the most recent PSIA publications and is available for $24.50 plus postage & handling from either the PSIA-NW office or the national office.
Overall this manual contains a significant amount of information of value to those engaged in teaching guests with various disabilities. It is well illustrated and contains some useful summary tables that might be reproduced for use on the hill. It would be a very valuable in the reference library of any school that has staff devoted to this segment of the mountain sports population. It would also be especially valuable to anyone who is in the process of obtaining certification in this aspect of snowsports instruction.
The first third of the manual provides information on the various disabilities that may be encountered in the teaching process. The remainder is devoted to a discussion of the specialized equipment that is used to help the guest compensate for their particular disability. The introduction and first chapter cover a great deal of general information that is of significant value to the instructor. Material covers etiquette, responsibility, guidelines for fun and safe snowboarding & skiing and suggestions to make it a great experience for both the instructor and the guest. A brief but complete discussion follows on the various types of disabilities that one may encounter and identifies what is unique about each from the instructor’s perspective. Potential symptoms and outcomes are covered and there is even a section on medications and their potential effects. This is followed by material on student assessment which contains a rather useful “student information form” that provides a rather convenient method for assessing and recording information for the initial and follow on lessons. The next chapter deals with developmental and cognitive disabilities, how to understand the needs of each type and some guidelines on teaching methodology for this group depending on their skill level. Blindness is covered in the following chapter which contains some guidelines on assessing the needs of the student, approaches to use when teaching and information on methodology to be used at each skill level.
The remainder of the manual contains information on the equipment that is used to assist guests with physical disabilities. This includes outriggers for 3 and 4 track skiing, ski legs, sit-skiing, mono-sit-skiing, adaptive snowboarding and adaptive Nordic. Each section contains information on the equipment, how to select and set it up for the guest and suggested approaches for teaching at the various skill levels. The presentations are brief but contain a wealth of information of value to the instructor in each situation.