From left to right, Carol Tibus, Brian King, Peter Johnson and Jim Healy sail
Lake Michigan courtesy of the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program.
(Photo courtesy of Peter Goldman/JGASP)
Thousands of Chicagoans with disabilities have discovered skills they never knew they had through an innovative sailing program.
By Jeff Canar, PhD
Ask anyone around the world to describe Chicago and they usually mention the Sears Tower, Michael Jordan, and deep dish pizza. Given the fact that Chicago is located in the heart of Midwest farmland, thoughts of boating and sailing don’t immediately spring to mind. Yet, surprisingly, Chicago has the largest municipal marina system in the world, the oldest and longest freshwater sailboat race (the Chicago to Mackinac race) and is home to one of the most successful sailing programs for people with disabilities in the country, the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program (JGASP).
The Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Foundation (which provides all funding to the sailing Program) was established in 1990 by Peter Goldman and his family, in memory of his father, Judd. As a teenager, Judd contracted osteomyelitis, resulting in chronic hip problems that prevented him from participating in more traditional sports like baseball or basketball. Judd discovered, however, that he could participate in sailing, and for 58 years, he actively competed in races around the world. Judd passed this love of sailing on to his family and, when he died, they committed themselves to making sailing available to anyone with a disability.
A Popular Program
More than 1,000 persons participate in the JGASP program annually—an amazingly high number given, the short sailing season Chicago offers (May through October). George Bowler, operations manager of the program, reports roughly equal numbers of men and women, ranging in age from “10 to 90.” A key mission of the program is to make sailing accessible to everyone, so efforts are made to accommodate a wide-range of functional abilities. In addition to individuals with spinal cord injuries, the program welcomes persons with multiple sclerosis, amputations (both upper and lower), stroke, vision and hearing impairments, and many others. No prior sailing experience is necessary to participate in the JGASP.
The JGASP owns 14 boats of 3 different designs, all specially adapted for persons with physical disabilities. A transfer box and lift on the dock are available to ensure safe transfers on and off the boat when needed. Each boat can accommodate five persons: two participants, two able-bodied passengers, and one instructor. The boats are equipped with safety harnesses, the use of which is required. Because the boats are “keel boats,” capsizing is not an issue.
Peter Johnson, who was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 1995, had never sailed before he joined the Judd Goldman program in 2002. Now he sails and races every season, has traveled out of state to compete and has aspirations of competing in the Paralympic games. For Johnson, the experience has been much more than simply getting in a boat and learning to sail. He has discovered a new level of independence and freedom than he thought possible when he was diagnosed. Completely on his own, he uses public transportation for the 40+ mile commute to the harbor-a commute he sometimes makes as often as four times each week.
Johnson finds the mental exercise of sailing keeps his mind sharp and flexible. For a competitive sailor, race preparation begins long before the starting gun goes off. Changing weather patterns, proper boat setup, understanding the nuances and intricacies of the boat you’re racing on-all must be considered before getting onboard. Once on the water, sailing can be physically demanding and fatiguing, exacerbating fatigue secondary to MS. Johnson has learned to manage this fatigue effectively.
Linda Cassady, who was injured in a car accident at age 31, enrolled in the Judd Goldman Sailing Program in 2001. Like Johnson, once she started she couldn’t get enough of sailing. “Getting a chance to be out on the lake is great,” she says. “It’s really relaxing and enjoyable.”
Cassady enjoys both the activity and the social network it has opened for her. She was amazed at the range of impairment and disability the program can accommodate. To anyone who might have reservations about adaptive sailing, Cassady recommends visiting the docks to see the program in action. “People need to see persons with all different levels of disability sail,” she says.
The Joy of Sailing
Peter Goldman says that the JGASP’s biggest challenges are securing the time, money and commitment from volunteers and donors. Finding instructors who are sensitive working with persons with disabilities is also important. Before the start of each sailing season, staff from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago work with sailing instructors, helping them understand disability and work more effectively with participants.
If you ask Peter Goldman what he finds most rewarding about the program, he immediately answers, “Seeing the expression of joy on the faces of people who are on a sailboat for the first time.” The Foundation was created to help develop independence and self-esteem in persons with disabilities. In the past 17 years, Goldman has seen over and over again the success of this mission, and he never tires of it.
“Sailing becomes part of their life,” Goldman says. “People have told me, ‘Without this program, I don’t know where I would be.’ The view from the boat is something they never thought they’d see. It’s an experience that takes their mind off their disability. It stresses their abilities and capabilities, not their disabilities.”
For more information, visit the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program online at www.juddgoldmansailing.org, or call 312-747- 7684. For more information about other programs for people with disabilities, visit US Sailing—Sailors with Disabilities at www.ussailing.org/swsn or the International Federation for Disabled Sailing at www.sailing.org.
Jeff Canar, PhD, a member of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers, is staff psychologist for the Spinal Cord Injury Service at the Hines VAMC in Hines, Illinois.
