DIR And Handicapped Divers

[MHK]

I've had the opportunity to work with several divers that had some type of disability, I'm also fortunate to have a friend locally that teaches almost exclusively with the HSA, and lastly we deal with a shop in Austin, Tx. that teaches primarily divers with some type of disablility. Accordingly, I've had the occassion to discuss with both JJ and GUE legal council this very issue. As you may imagine GUE, taken as a whole, does NOT discriminate against divers with a disability. But by the same token our standards provide for specific preformance based skills, swim tests, breath hold tests and the like. Accordingly, if a diver, whether disabled or otherwise, is able to meet our standards they will pass our class, if a diver, disabled or otherwise, doesn't meet our performance standards then they will not be issued a passing rating. As Dan mentioned earlier in this thread, Ag and I worked with a diver in Gilboa that had lost his right arm. He was a great guy and enthusiastic about diving but the obvious issue relating to donating a regulator in an OOA made for both a challenging and rewarding experience for all involved. We were able to work with him privately to help develop a technique that he was comfortable using.

I have limited experience working with disabled divers, and I'm by no means an expert or the final word at GUE, so what I've offered has been my limited experience with JJ and GUE legal council, but I'm confident in saying that the issue has been discussed, addressed and GUE's intention is to provide quality training to all that are able to preform at the level requried by our standards.

Hope that helps..

 

[Snowbear]

regarding GUE fitness standards. I know there's a time frame for completing a certain distance and it's more stringent depending upon which level of GUE training a person is seeking. If a person doesn't swim fast, but can swim all day and ends up covering many times the distance of the one who can swim a short distance fast before burning out and drowning - who's more fit?

 

[MHK]

regarding GUE fitness standards. I know there's a time frame for completing a certain distance and it's more stringent depending upon which level of GUE training a person is seeking. If a person doesn't swim fast, but can swim all day and ends up covering many times the distance of the one who can swim a short distance fast before burning out and drowning - who's more fit?

In order to have a standard that is both consistent and verifiable the tests require a time certain. While I agree that it is an imperfect system, in order to establish standards that aren't subject to variation or interpretation the only real way to accomplish that is to use a measure of distance and time.

Hope that helps..

 

[bubblemaker20]

What does DIR/GUE have to say about the inflator hose being on the right side instead of the left? Would that be an accepted gear config or not???

 

[roakey]

Would that be an accepted gear config or not???

No it wouldn't. A cornerstone of DIR is a standardized configuration. This wouldn't be standard.

Roak

 

[H2Andy]

bubblemaker, have you read the book DIR: The Fundamentals of Better Diving?
it lies out the thinking behind the system, as it were, rather well. if you haven't,
it's a great investment.

anyway, thought i'd mention it. i am not DIR and i found the book a goldmine.

 

[bubblemaker20]

so i guess if someone has a disability they cant be a DIR diver. Good to know i wont waste my time. So i guess ill just have to find an agency that wants to teach me how to "do it right" right handed

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

so i guess if someone has a disability they cant be a DIR diver. Good to know i wont waste my time. So i guess ill just have to find an agency that wants to teach me how to "do it right" right handed

Although I agree that perhaps another agency might work better for you, you can still benefit by becoming familiar with what the DIR system teaches.

It is true that DIR is not for everyone ... even their instructors will tell you that. And based on their requirements, it is also true that people with certain disabilities cannot
"become DIR". But there is still a lot you can learn and benefit from by learning how and why they dive the way they do.

In other words, you don't have to "be DIR" to benefit by learning about their system.

I didn't personally gain much knowledge by reading "The Fundamentals of Better Diving" ... although you might. My learning style is more "hands-on" ... and I gained a great deal of my diving knowledge by diving with DIR buddies, although I have never bought completely into their program. If you have that opportunity, I'd recommend it highly.

.. Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[detroit diver]

so i guess if someone has a disability they cant be a DIR diver. Good to know i wont waste my time. So i guess ill just have to find an agency that wants to teach me how to "do it right" right handed

Nice troll.

If you'd lose the attitude, you'd find out that there are a number of disabled divers that dive DIR. It can be accomodated. But it's not standard, so the answers you got were correct.

Or was it your intention just to p*ss on DIR? Sure seems like it.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Don't confuse doing it right with "DIR."
You can do it right with many disabilities, but you cannot be GUE "DIR" unless you can conform to and perform within the "DIR" standardized gear configuration and procedures.
That said, do not throw out the baby with the bathwater... the best of "DIR" for the rest of us is in the philosophy; distilling that and reducing it to your own diving team can benefit you and your regular buddies immensely. For example, you could standardize on the right-side hose for you and practice with that with your team as part of your overall "DIR (our way)" diving style and plan.
In addition to GUE's materials, I highly recommend Gary Gentile's Technical Diving Handbook, Tom Mount's Technical Diver Encyclopedia, John Lippmann's Deeper into Diving and the NOAA Diving Manual as essential additions to your personal diving library, even if you never plan to cross the "technical" line. Much of what you read in these is decidedly not "DIR" but the authors are no less (and often more) experienced than the authors of the "DIR" system, and what they have to say and recommend carries no less weight to the thinking diver.
Read, read, read, and dive, dive, dive. Make your own decisions on what is "right" for you and your team, and you will be "doing it right" whether you are "DIR" or not.
Rick