Bonsai For The Disabled

Ian Young

I trying to put together a course teaching bonsai to the mentally and physically disabled.

Does anyone here know of a similar course I could have a look at?

Regards
Ian

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painted_treeman

About time ,well done ,
i am physically disabled and use a wheel chair (spinal condition)for mobility .I got into bonsai as it was a form of horticulture I could manage.needless to say that I have got so much out of it ,however I do get fraustrated when I see the magnificent yamadori collected from the wild by outher bonsaist ,this i would love to do . I realy instead on stock from nurserys that I work on over time, this proves expensive however.

There is definatley a gap to fill regards teaching the disabled in this area ,well done indeed I hope it goes well.However sadley I dont know of any courses available at the moment to compare .
you could try the Royal horticultral society and look under disabled courses.
All the best, regards Colin.

RonMartin(deceased)

To the best of my knowledge you are the first to do such a course outline for this. I do think that it is commendable that you have taken on this project.
Over the years I have had people take my classes with both mental and physical disabilities. Only one or two at a time so there were no big problems encountered. The rest of the students helped out as needed.
Hope that no one finds fault with what I am going to say. The words might not be politically correct but I hope that everyone understands my intentions.
First there is no reason that "challenged " people cannot do bonsai. It might have to be modified a bit to suit their needs but that is ok.
Problem comes with trying to write a course for the physically and mentally challenged. Both are different problems and require different solutions.
A few years ago I taught a class to a group of people that had severe hearing problems. They had an interpreter who signed my lecture. I was trying to keep it simple and talked real slow. Finally the interpreter said "They are hard of hearing not stupid talk normal and I will keep up with you" It was a real wake up for me. Made me do a bit of thinking.
Students with attention deficit disorder would naturally have entirely different problems to be solved.
Each group would be entirely different.
Lumping mental and physical limitations together might just prove to be too big a job for you.
You might just try starting off with solutions for specific problems. For example a person with limited use of their hands due to arthritis would definitely have problems putting wire on branches. Showing them how to use weights and turnbuckles could help them bend the branch. By using a chop stick they could probably tighten a turnbuckle.
If you think about it there would be a complete course just for those that had mobility problems with their hands. Probably a different one for those in wheel chairs. (not a hard thing to do once the accessibility problem is addressed)
What I am trying to say is that each group would have special limitations. Each would be different. I don't think that everything could be addressed in one course outline. Not properly anyway.
It might be best to start small and do a better job.
I do wish you the best in your endeavor. It is a worthwhile project and something that is long overdue.
If there is anything that I can do to help out don't hesitate to ask.

TreeBay

Hi Ian,

Here are some course outlines for bonsai - they are not specific to the mentally or physically disabled, but you may find them of some use in developing one.

Bonsai Ht404 Course Outline
http://www.acs.edu.au/outlines/bonsai.asp

A Child's Bonsai Workshop by Tony Rolon (PDF format)
http://www.memobug.com/cgi-bin/sfp/...com/childws.pdf

Bonsai/Saikei at Portland Community College
http://www.pcc.edu/edserv/ccg/LAT/LAT_263.htm

Intermediate Bonsai
a Course Syllabus by Thomas L. Zane
http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/intermediate.htm

Introduction to Bonsai - A Course Syllabus Manual
for Introduction to Bonsai - A Course Syllabus
Written by Tom Zane
Price $13.75
http://www.absbonsai.org/booklist/bl_guides.html

Bonsai Basic Teacher Guide
Bonsai Society of Florida
http://www.bonsai-bsf.com/bsfbasicteacherguide.pdf

Bonsai Basics Teacher's Guide (GSBF)
http://www.gsbf-bonsai.org/Educatio...ai%20Basics.htm

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Ian Young

Matt, Thanks for the info, the rest of you, keep it coming.

Colin,

I'm sure it's frustrating not being able to collect. That is were a good local club should be helping you out. Move to N.Ireland mate

Ron,

Thanks for your input. I have done talks for mentally ill before and I saw just how much they enjoyed it. This would be my first proper course though. I need to put something on paper for them so they can get funding from their local council. Most of the people on this first one would suffer from depression and similar problems. Having been there myself I know how bonsai can be therapeutic.

One of the best moments in bonsai for me was when my society had a display stand at a local show. A blind guy was introduced to me by his sister. She explained that he had been blind from birth and that he had never seen a real tree. We introduced him to a few of the trees on display and explained how a broom style Elm was similar to a tree in a park and how trees with deadwood were like trees in the mountains etc. He felt his way around the trees, their root spread and branches. It was like watching a light switch on. He grasped what it was that people saw not just the touch of a tree trunk in the park. It made my day. He sat with us chatting for about an hour. Moments like this make teaching bonsai worth while.

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pdbbonsai

Ian,

Your last story inspired me in more ways than you can imagine. I have a brother with Cerebral Palsy, and I work with adults with disabilities (mental and physical). And to hear that, well....you just made my day. Thank you.

Paul

Paul

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HarryHarrington

Hi Ian,

Good luck; I hope you introduce a few people to Bonsai and that it helps them out as much as it has me.
Since breaking my back when working as a gardener and becoming disabled, I have devoted much of my time to Bonsai and find it particularly therapeutic. There really is nothing more relaxing than sitting out, working on your trees! It also my way of way of being able to continue my interest in gardening.


Harry

Bonsai4me.com

Carl_Bergstrom

Holy smoke, Ian, what an amazing story! That's just wonderful.

I'll try to think if there's any way I can be of help in your endeavor, and of course if you can think of anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I've given a couple of bonsai demonstrations for seniors suffering from Alzheimers or dementia, and their response, especially to the "finished" trees that I'd bring along, was one pure delight.

With my best regards,
Carl

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