Any disabled shooters .. input?

[P95Carry]

It's about ten days to a monthly meeting at one of my two clubs ..... and I want us to give some extra thought to what may or may not help disabled guys.

Access to the range and firing point is one obvious consideration but I have a feeling that there might be some more subtle aspects which do not get thought of. Another of course is target placement/retrieval, but usually that is taken care of by a buddy. So, anyone who has prob's at the range .. let's have some feedback .. might be useful for all of us to know too.

I do not like to think that anyone should be incommoded when they want to shoot, fit or not.

 

[dfariswheel]

Access in and out of the range. (Who unlocks, opens, and closes the gate)?

Access to a john?

Parking?

Gravel. (Hard to push a wheelchair over some gravels and deep sand).

Shelter from rain or sun?

Access to the firing points?
Many rifle range firing points are raised to provide shooting clearance. Can't get wheelchairs up onto the raised point if they're not ramped or sloped.

Wheelchair use of the shooting benches and tables?
My Conservation range has the bench seats on the shooting benches chained to the table so people won't remove or damage them.
Can't get a "bike" into bench rest shooting position with the bench chained in the way.

Here's a good test: Borrow a wheelchair. Drive up to the range, and try to do everything you normally do, only NO walking. Sit in the chair the entire time from when you drive up and get out of the car.

If you have problems with something, take a look at changing it.
WITHIN REASON.

In any case, It's nice of you to be concerned.

 

[Ala Dan]

Good topic, glad you asked.

In my case, with a fused neck (5th verebrae) sometimes
shooting can be difficult. On good range days, its a job
just to roll out of bed and get dressed for the session.
On real bad range days, I just simply do not go. But, I
have found that excercise helps to a degree. At age 57,
I have to set goals as to what I can accomplish. Upper
body strength is most important; cuz without it, even
holding a six shooter as arms length for an extended
period of time can be trying and tiresome! I have very
limited lateral movement of my head from side to side;
but I use the "Ozzie Canseco Theory" of excercising
my neck and head. If you are not familiar with this
term, when Ozzie played baseball in the Oakland A's
chain he used a procedure where his head and neck
where stretched to their limits. This does two things:
1) it relieves the pain temporarily, and 2) you gain a
little bit better lateral movement each time you do
this. And you can do it anywhere, at anytime, and at
NO cost.

Also, bending at the waist is cruical. Bending over and
touching your toes, deep knee bends, and even walking
briskly seems to help rebuild stamina. I still pick up my
own brass while on the range; although sometimes I
may require help in getting too my feet, but there is
always someone willing to help.

In closing, I'm not just trying to relay a sad story; but
rather trying to help other disabled persons who enjoy
the shooting sports. All of this probably could have been
avoided, if I have been wearing my seat belt at the time
of my MVA. I haven't given up; and neither should you!
I handload my own ammo, and continue to enjoy the
sport that I so dearly love.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member

 

[Valkman]

One one time since I moved here in September have I shot at a target 100 yards away - it's just too much walking. I wound up making 3 round trips so that's 600 yards - way too much for me. I'd like to shoot rifle more but unless the wife goes I probably won't.

Not much you can do about that though when designing a range - unless you supply "helpers".

 

[P95Carry]

Thx guys ... I am pleased to get any input at all ......

Borrow a wheelchair. Drive up to the range, and try to do everything you normally do, only NO walking. Sit in the chair the entire time from when you drive up and get out of the car

dfariswheel .... excellent idea .... totally practical and I am sure most educational. Fortunately we have only a small lip on the concrete pad at the firing point ... the main prob is a rather steep downslope to get there .... can't change that but .. not insurmountable with a second pair of hands. I will try that out.

Shelter is not too bad .... and the John is in the clubhouse .... hmmm ... not ideal but again .... two pairs of hands needed for ''in transit''.


Ala Dan ..... I have a C5/6 prob ... not a fusion but I get most irksome nerve root probs .. parasthesia and numbness ... I can begin to appreciate your prob, tho my range of movement is not as limited. I am a mere 2 yrs older!! care BTW with toe touching .. I used to be a practicing osteopath many moons ago and that is or can be a great way to stress and damage an intervertebral disk .. be cautious.


Anyways - as said ... good to have feedback .. it all helps. Thx.

 

[JoeHatley]

Access! Parking lot, target holders, shooting benches, and restrooms.

The indoor range where I am a member ( www.thebh.com ) is the only range I've ever been to, where all 4 were okay.

BTW: Thanks for asking...

Joe (T-4 para)

 

[Mr. Mysterious]

Doesn't preacherman help disabled people obtain their CCW?

 

[shooter58]

I have a respiratory handicap. I have to use a wheelchair because, while I can stand and walk short distances, I quickly run out of oxygen to the muscles. I am on oxygen 24/7, but have a portable unit that I can shoot with. I just do not have the stamina (read, sufficient air) to stand or walk any length of time or distance, hence the wheelchair.
I have started to use an indoor range that has mechanical target returns, so I don't have to go out and change the target. The only time I can use an outdoor, or rifle range is when my 14 yr old daughter can go with me (fortunately, she loves to go shooting). She then chases the targets for me. The other problem is one that has already been mentioned here, trying to get up to the shooting bench to shoot.
The statements made about the surfaces for a wheelchair, gravel or loose sand is almost impossible to get around in. Grass or hard dirt or concrete is much better.
Are there any ramps? Do stairs have to be negotiated? These things all have to be considered.
Another thing that has to be considered....a lot of the concealed carry methods don't work in a wheelchair. You sometimes must improvise.

 

[JamisJockey]

You might be able to get ahold of a local handicap resource/advocacy group. Tell them what you're doing and ask if they have any disabled outdoorspeople that could help.
Getting in a wheelchair is one thing, but being that you're not disabled you won't think like a disabled person, who deals with it on a daily basis. They will likely think of things and/or see things that you don't.Here is a list of links I found on the web.
And thier homepage

 

[P95Carry]

Atc1man ... excellent link .. many thx for that.

Joe ..... I reckon access is our main consideration . we have a good parking lot ... target situation is quite good ........ and also I'd reckon we really need a double size rest room extra.

Plenty of food for thought ....... and seems like we ain't too bad but could improve.

Glad to have the input.

 

[Shane333]

As a teenager I used to help bring a disabled WWII vet to church every week. Gravel and sand can be bigger obstacles than would seem at a glance. Getting up a curb would have been impossible without the second pair of hands. Though I wasn't in the wheelchair, I gained some empathy.

Bless his heart, "Doc" Austin has since passed on.

 

[cdbeaver]

Fifty years of smoking have ruined my lungs . . . read that again, you smokers!

I can no longer walk very far without becoming totally pooped, and oxygen is not a viable option for me. My favorite shooting distance with my rifles is 100 yards, but sheesh it keeps getting tougher and tougher to check the targets.

The ideal solution--for me, at least--is a good quality spotting scope. But, dang it, they cost nearly as much as a rifle; and I'd rather have the rifle. Maybe I can find a good used one somewhere.

I think it's terrific that some one is looking out for our handicapped brethren who are or want to be shooters. Good luck in finding suitable solutions for them.

 

[Chipperman]

Getting in a chair yourself is a great idea, but getting someone who really uses one is an even better idea.

You may have trouble with some areas simply because you're not used to using a wheelchair, whereas a person who uses one every day would negotiate the obstacle fine.

ie. don't get bogged down trying to address things that you think are a problem, and forgetting things that really are for said group of people.

 

[Stand_Watie]

This thread has given me an idea.

Dog retrievable rifle targets and a dog trained to fetch them on command. They already make a shotgun version called 'various fowl'.

 

[JohnBT]

1. Parking spaces - they need to be as close as possible to the facilities, including letting them drive up or down hills if possible and park next to the benches. This would help the old guys and limpers like me unload too if a temporary loading zone space was available.

2. Parking spaces need to be w i d e enougn for wheelchair lifts to open or people to get their chairs out of the back seat, etc.

3. Doors shouldn't take more than 5 pounds of pull to open. Get out the fish scale and check them all. They shouldn't slam closed either because it takes time to get through. Doors need to have decent, large handles or bars because doorknobs are a problem for a lot of people.

If it's a private club ask the members what they need, unless you want to retrofit the entire facility to meet the general standards for public use.

If I think about it Monday I'll post one of the checklists I use to do accessibility surveys for the state government. Most of my work so far has been employment commission offices and such, but I've worked with individuals with disabilities for 30 years and have seen all sorts of problems. Are the range office and restroom doorways wide enough for the standard wheelchair? I can't count the number of wheelchairs I've seen that are extra-wide and won't fit through the doors at work.

I have yet to see a facility that meets the needs of everyone. You can come close, but there are just so many people with different needs and different combinations of limitations.

Here's another thought, and I'm not having too many today due to a late-night card game, does the phone at the range have a volume control so the hearing impaired shooters (if you aren't you will be) can make a phone call? They aren't expensive.

I had back surgery last November and I'd like a tall bench some days so I can shoot a rifle off a rifle rest while standing. Of course, if you built one for me it wouldn't necessarily help somebody 6 inches taller or shorter.

John

 

[P95Carry]

John ..... thx for that post .... in fact it would seem that while we are fairly well OK ..... there are still quite a few things you have mentioned which I know we cannot address right now. They will however be good ''fuel'' for the meeting.

Of course some things boil down to cost, unfortunately ... but this thread has proved most useful.

 

[Preacherman]

In response to your query, and inquiries from others, I've posted this thread in Handguns. Hope it helps.