After a spinal operation in Jeddah left me paralyzed down one side, I went for rehabilitation at the Abdul Latif Jameel Center in Jeddah. While the general rehabilitation there was of a very high standard, there were aspects that were clearly disadvantageous to women. For example, when it came to learning something as important as wheelchair skills, the class was open only to the male patients. When it came to recreation, the men could play billiards and table tennis; women did not have access to any leisure activities. However, we did learn how to cook samosas. Meanwhile, coming to terms with my disability meant accepting that I could no longer enjoy the leisure and sporting activities (except for occasional scuba diving) that I had done in the past. Thankfully though, I also went through additional rehab in the UK and became a member of the Spinal Injuries Association. It was through them that I discovered that there are Charities in the UK that encourage people with a wide range of disabilities to enjoy an equally wide range of sports and adventurous outdoor activities. As someone who always enjoyed sailing, I was excited to find an Off-Shore Sailing Course which trained participants for the UK Royal Yachting Association Competent Crew Certificate. I applied to join it, and a few months later found myself in a marina in Southampton, settling on board a 43-foot yacht with three mobility-impaired people, and one young man who was blind. I enjoyed it so much that a year later, armed with my “Competent Crew” Certificate, I joined the course again. This time there were two of us with mobility problems and two blind participants (or “V.I's as they referred to themselves, standing for Visually Impaired). In charge of this crew with disabilities was a very experienced skipper who had once been in the Royal Navy. He has been running this off-shore sailing course for some 17 years, and what immediately struck me was the focus on what we could all do, and not what we couldn't do. In addition to the skipper, we had another able-bodied crew-member and, with the six of us on board, we set sail in just about any weather. It was tremendous training in teamwork because the mobility-impaired crew often had to be the eyes for the blind crew, and the blind crew had the arms and legs to do things that the mobility-impaired crew couldn't do. For example, when we approached a jetty to berth the boat, I would have to describe to a blind colleague how near we were to the jetty, as well as how far down he or she would have to jump off the boat onto the jetty. He would have to trust me completely to tell him when to jump. He would then need to know where the bollards or cleats were to tie up the ropes; it might sound easy, but when you have a blind person standing on a jetty facing you (still on board) you have to reverse the instructions: what is on your right is on his left etc., and you have to be precise about distances. When it came to steering the boat, the blind crew also took turns at the helm. The skipper had set up audio compasses and GPS units and although it would have been dangerous to try berthing the boat using this system, it worked well in the open water. When setting off from the harbour, the blind crew were also encouraged to steer the boat away from the berth and negotiate their way out of the harbour – with the skipper standing by, but he also had to do that with those of us who could see. The skipper had also worked on producing Braille charts, and some pieces of equipment on the deck had Braille identification on them. We all had to take part in all aspects of crewing the boat, whether it was making tea, cooking, washing up, hoisting the sails, reefing them in a strong wind, taking turns at “watches” when we sailed through the night, or cleaning the boat at the end of the trip. It was also a revelation for me to discover the range of activities that are available in countries like the UK for men and women with both physical and mental disabilities, and what they can achieve. If someone had told me that a blind person would be able to do a solo flight in a para-glider, and land safely, I would not have believed him. But the same skipper who runs the off-shore sailing course also runs the paragliding course, and it was one of our blind crew who did such a solo flight. The other great thing about going off and doing something like this, without having your family or friends with you (although some physically disabled people have to take their carer with them) is that it re-establishes your sense of individuality and your morale, and gives you a great sense of achievement. The spirit of adventure flows through your veins again along with some adrenalin and endorphins. It is also an excellent opportunity to meet and work with other disabled people, but in a leisure environment and not a medical one. Hopefully, there will one day be a wide range of leisure, sporting and adventure activities for disabled men and women in Saudi Arabia.
