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On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 22:22:36 +0200 "TOMSTEG" writes: > I have found that psychotherapy has very little to offer when it comes > to social problems of physical > disability or physical difference so to speak. At least in Germany > there is virtually no literature refering to > psychotherapy and physical disability. The only literature specific to > this matter is of descriptive nature > mostly describing the problems of social interaction when you have a > disability. > Does anyone know about proven methods that can assist people with > physical disabilities/differences > improve their social interaction skills and subsequently their emotional > and psychosocial well-being? Although I cannot provide you with "proven methods" from an academic point of view, I can relate personal experiences that improved my skills and well-being by participating in outdoor activities. Last year in Toronto, Canada we started the "Disabled Sailing Association of Ontario" and subsequently hosted an international regatta -- "Mobility Cup". We had competitors from Australia, Portugal, Bahamas, USA and Canada. We had adapted saling boats capable of accomodating any kind of disability. My SCI resulted in paraplegia and I got my pants beaten by a C2-quad who used sip-n-puf technology to skipper the boat. What I am trying say is that this activity levels the playing field for everyone, I have beaten able-bodied sailors too. What was extremely pleasurable was the ability to interact with people with different disabilities and also the great number of able-bodied volunteers who took part in last season. This year we are planning to expand the program and include children with disabilities. Our experience has shown that even if the children don't actually learn to sail, their eyes light up by being able to put their hands in the lake. Also (at least in this type of outdoor activity) we are developing people with enough skills to allow them to participate in this year's (Sydney) and future para-olympics. I know Germany has a great number of disabled sailors and if you take a couple of minutes you could visit <http://www.ifds.org/> International Foundation Disabled Sailing you could find local contacts tu further explore this area in Germany. I don't want to limit my experiences to sailing. I believe there are many other activities that affect social interaction skills and well-being. I hope this helps. Cheers! -- Han Tacoma [log in to unmask] ~ Artificial Intelligence is better than none! ~ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%