• Congratulations to Alex Bradley winner of the December 2024 Turning Challenge (click here for details)
  • Conversations are now Direct Messages (click here for details)
  • Congratulations to Gabriel Hoff for "Spalted Beech Round Bottom Box" being selected as Turning of the Week for January 6, 2024 (click here for details)
  • Welcome new registering member. Your username must be your real First and Last name (for example: John Doe). "Screen names" and "handles" are not allowed and your registration will be deleted if you don't use your real name. Also, do not use all caps nor all lower case.

Turner with disabilities (Cerebral Palsy)

R

Ron Dearing

Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
2
Likes
0
Location
Staunton, VA (central VA)
I am trying to introduce a young man (15) in the Buffalo (East Aurora) area to turning. He has Cerebral Palsy, with some associated vision issues. I believe that he should be capable of turning, but he has no experience on the lathe, nor with other tools, so he is truly a begginer. In other areas, especially intellectually, Austin is a very bright and enthusiastic person, so I am hoping that turning can give him a boost in self esteem on the physical side.

My problem is that I am located in Central VA, and only get to the Buffalo area a couple of times per year. I have a grown daughter there who works with Austin's mother at the Research Institute on Addictions (part of University of Buffalo), and go to visit her.

Does anyone out there have experience in helping people with some degree of disabilities to learn to turn.

Any volunteers in the western NY area that might do a demo for Austin to give him a feel for how to start? It should be at the basic level.

How about an AAW charter club in the area that might want to sort of take him under their wing?

Look forward to inputs on how to proceed.

Ron Dearing
President - Central VA Woodturners
 
Sorry that I don't have any direct advice to give you but I do appreciate your willingness to help him learn.

I've had a lot of friends with c.p. and most of them would have made fine turners, with one exception since his was severe in the physical limitations he had. Quite severe.

If he has access to a lathe and tools, or has his own, getting him some educational material should be quite helpful. I personally like Bill Grumbine's video, very helpful.
 
Ron
I'm not quite sure I'm allowed to say this but a woodwrite lathe, which does strictly straight cuts, has been used to help the disabled. I own one ( althought I'm not handicaped yet ) and use it quite alot to round projects before transfering it to another lathe for the hand work. But pens and other items with straight cuts will give him an advantage to get started and have some fun in the turning field.
send me a PM if you have any further questions

Ken
slippery rock, pa
 
I'm new to this forum but I think this would be a great topic to start with.

My son is moderately affected with CP (hypotonia type). He's had several years of physical and occupational therapy due to his delays in gross, fine, and loco motor skills.

When he developed an interest in woodworking (and woodturning soon after) my initial reaction was of fear. I was very concerned about injury. I began by taking him through a very extensive safety program starting with an understanding of function of each machine, their hazards and controls, direction force, operator stance, PPE, ergonomics etc. After this, he began using the machine "Dry" (without blades). From there he began to do the "real thing" under close supervision.

As I mentioned earlier, he showed an interest in woodturning shortly after we began woodworking. The best thing about woodturning is that it's 100% motor control. I purchased a mini lathe and we began doing spindle work. LOTS of spindle work. Basically taking square stock and making it somewhat round. Then adding groves etc. He took to this quite well and has been turning pens, darts, and bowls ever since. He now turns unsupervised and does quite well, I might add.

As I stated earlier, Aaron had been seeing a number of therapists for his CP. Since then, his occupational therapist stated that woodturning/woodworking has done more for him in one year than the several years of therapy he had undergone. She dismissed him from further therapy as long as he promised to continue woodturning.

Hope this helps.
Dave
 
Dave,

Thank you for sharing a wonderful story about your son! I touched me nicley

Regards,

Chris
 
Ron

Between this thread and the other one on the blind person, I have a thought. Would having a duplicator available be a good tool to have? If doing spindle work, you could rough down the turning close to final shape with a pattern then finish it off with chisels. Less likely to have issues while knocking off the corners etc and still be able to do the finalization on their own. If this young man doesn't need it, maybe he could in turn help others.

Paul
 
Consider a metal turning lathe - giving the ability to setup functions before actually performing them; helps convert gross motor muscle movements into fine ones, and decreases dependence on total body movement to control cutting.
 
Reply

Thanks for the input. Do you mind if I pass this on to Austin's mother and father? I think it would go a long way to encourage them, although they already are high in the idea.

Ron


My son is moderately affected with CP (hypotonia type). He's had several years of physical and occupational therapy due to his delays in gross, fine, and loco motor skills.

When he developed an interest in woodworking (and woodturning soon after) my initial reaction was of fear. I was very concerned about injury. I began by taking him through a very extensive safety program starting with an understanding of function of each machine, their hazards and controls, direction force, operator stance, PPE, ergonomics etc. After this, he began using the machine "Dry" (without blades). From there he began to do the "real thing" under close supervision.

As I mentioned earlier, he showed an interest in woodturning shortly after we began woodworking. The best thing about woodturning is that it's 100% motor control. I purchased a mini lathe and we began doing spindle work. LOTS of spindle work. Basically taking square stock and making it somewhat round. Then adding groves etc. He took to this quite well and has been turning pens, darts, and bowls ever since. He now turns unsupervised and does quite well, I might add.

As I stated earlier, Aaron had been seeing a number of therapists for his CP. Since then, his occupational therapist stated that woodturning/woodworking has done more for him in one year than the several years of therapy he had undergone. She dismissed him from further therapy as long as he promised to continue woodturning.

Hope this helps.
Dave[/QUOTE]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top