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Wilderness Helps Disabled Students Experience Climbing
HOUGHTON, N.Y. —Eighth grader Daric Rupp from Cattaraugus-Little Valley School spent the day with his classmates participating in team-building activities and high ropes elements at Houghton College’s Wilderness Adventures program.
This
was extra special for Rupp because he was born with cerebral palsy,
a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and to
maintain balance and posture. People with cerebral palsy have damage
to the part of the brain that controls muscle tone, which is the
amount of resistance to movement in a muscle.
Since Rupp did not have the ability to climb, the group used a technique called “the flying squirrel.” The group grabbed onto the belay rope and pulled Rupp up into each element. After he had a few moments of bliss way up in the air, the group would slowly lower him back down.
With the help of his classmates, Rupp participated in the centipede, a climbing element with eight sections of 4x4 lumber in varying lengths with tree staples attached at random intervals to aid the climber; the leap of faith, a climbing element that is a vertical telephone pole with staples along its length to assist the climber to reach the top platform where they stand and then jump off; and the climbing tree, which allowed Rupp to climb 68-feet up a tree.
“The
climbing tree was my favorite,” said Rupp, who had never left the
ground before. “This was my first time participating in something
like this and it was a really amazing experience that people with
disabilities can accomplish.”
“By helping Rupp, the group was able to share in his success, as well as allowing him to feel supported by his peers,” said Chris Nafziger, field director of the Wilderness Adventures Program. “The flying squirrel can be adapted to any element on our course, so any student with a climbing/walking disability can enjoy a similar experience.”
“This wasn’t just a fun time, this was the best day of my life,” said Rupp.
To learn more about the Wilderness Adventures program visit http://campus.houghton.edu/orgs/step/.
