[acbny-l] FW: the stuff
- From: "Moore, Don" <Don.Moore@xxxxxxx>
- To: "'acbny-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx'" <acbny-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2003 11:16:54 -0400
Here's the newspaper article a friend forwarded to me.
Blind Group's Leader Reacts to Drowning
The president of the American Council of the Blind of Minnesota says a
sighted person should have been present when three blind counselors took
eight blind children on a swim outing Friday at Lake Calhoun.
Seven-year-old Brianna Joy Nelson of Grant, Michigan drowned during the
outing. She and the other students were attending a camp sponsored by Blind
Incorporated, a Minneapolis company that helps children learn life skills
from adult role models who also are blind.
Ken Rodgers told the "Star Tribune" that blind counselors do not provide
enough supervision for eight blind children at a lake. A doctor and other
passers-by administered CPR to Brianna. She died about an hour later at
Hennepin County Medical Center.
_________________
Blind children needed sighted supervision at beach, official says
Tim Harlow and Lucy Y. Her
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Published July 21, 2003
The president of a Minnesota organization for the blind said Sunday that he
believes a sighted person should have been present when three blind
counselors took eight blind children on a swim outing at Lake Calhoun.
Brianna Joy Nelson, 7, of Grant, Mich., drowned Friday evening.
She and the other students were attending a camp sponsored by Blind Inc., a
Minneapolis company that helps children learn life skills from adult role
models who, like them, are blind.
On Friday, the counselors -- two in their 20s and one in his 30s -- took the
students swimming at the lake's north beach for about four hours. When they
left the water about 7:15 p.m., they counted the children and discovered
that Brianna was missing.The counselors said they notified lifeguards, who
called 911 and formed a human chain to look for Brianna. She was found 10
minutes later about 70 feet from shore. Brianna died about an hour later at
Hennepin County Medical Center.
On Sunday, Ken Rodgers, president of the American Council of the Blind of
Minnesota, said three blind counselors aren't enough supervision for eight
blind children at a lake."Young children dart around so fast that even
sighted people have a problem keeping track of their children," he said. "I
just think it's a dangerous precedent."
Blind Inc. replies Joyce Scanlan, executive director of Blind Inc., said
Sunday that she is not convinced that having a sighted person or more
counselors accompany the group would have prevented the drowning."It is
unfortunate that anybody drowns, but a lot of sighted kids drown with their
parents close by," she said. "This is a very, very sad thing that has
happened. I feel bad about it, but at this point I am not convinced that we
were negligent or did anything wrong."
Scanlan said that the swimmers were using their white canes while they were
in the water, but that nobody from the group had notified the lifeguards
they were there. She said the counselors had swimming experience and were
using several techniques to keep tabs on the children, including listening,
staying close enough to touch them and constantly calling out their names.
When Brianna didn't answer, counselors got worried and summoned help.
"I don't know why nobody noticed that she was missing. There were far more
sighted people out there," Scanlan said. "It was our blind people who were
the first to call for help and get the attention of the lifeguards."
Minneapolis Park Police have said it was the other way around -- that
lifeguards approached the counselors when they noticed them searching.
Rodgers said his organization, like Blind Inc., believes blind people can do
anything sighted people can, but is "not afraid to use sighted assistance"
in its programs.
Rodgers said his organization has been criticized for this philosophy, but
"you make sure there's every effort to take care of the children."
Brianna's father, Carl Nelson, said he wasn't blaming anybody for the
untimely death of his older daughter. "There's no blame here -- it was just
her time to go," he said. "We knew going in that the counselors were blind."
Brianna was attending a four-week program in which campers learn life
skills. The swimming outing has been part of the program since it started 11
years ago.
Scanlan wouldn't say whether the program might be altered, but she said
Blind Inc. "is always looking at changes and always concerned about safety."
Rodgers isn't convinced anything will change. "They will continue to run it
the same way in the future," he said. "I think Blind Incorporated is making
a bad decision by not looking at that and making some changes."
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