Woodturning Symposium for the Blind or Disabled

Steve Russell

Member
Messages
83
Location
The Woodlands, Texas
As the Founding President of the Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc., I’m proud to announce that I’m planning a new hands-on woodturning symposium for visually and physically disabled individuals in November, 2010 in The Woodlands, Texas area. (Details are still being finalized as to exact date and location).

Through the years, I have received numerous emails from individuals who are blind and want to learn more about woodturning. Few educational centers will allow them to join a woodturning class because they are blind. Some of these individuals have built their own outdoor decks, build beautiful furniture, frame their own houses, rebuild cars, rewire their houses, complete their own plumbing repairs and are accomplished woodturners now, yet they are sometimes prevented from learning how to turn, or learning more about woodturning because of a limited perception of what a blind person can do.

Your Time To Turn will be the first woodturning symposium of its kind that will be specifically designed for the blind, as well as those with physical impairments such as an inability to stand for long periods, those who have a lost an arm or hand, or lost one or both of their legs. Instead of a traditional woodturning symposium where you watch a demonstrator, Your Time To Turn will be a hands-on symposium, where qualified instructors will be present to help guide attendees through the skill building exercises.

Woodturning should be accessible to anyone who has a desire to learn! The necessary skills can be adapted to accommodate many different types of disabilities including paraplegics (witness Oneway’s new 1236SD Sit Down Lathe that features a pivoting bedway, so you can use it whilst seated in a chair, or a wheelchair), those who are without a limb, or for those who are blind, as well as many other types of disabilities.

You Can Help: If you know of a blind woodturner, or another woodturner with physical disabilities who is a woodturner, please email me. I would also like to start a list of individuals who might be interested in attending (with or without any woodturning experience), or those who would like to volunteer as an instructor, video camera/digital camera operator, or as a demonstrator’s assistant at the symposium.

If you have coordinated, or helped to coordinate a woodturning symposium, or a hands-on teaching symposium before, I would appreciate any assistance you can offer. If you know of any companies who might want to help support this unique learning experience for the disabled with financial donations, or with donations of tools or equipment, please let me know.

Thanks for helping me to assist people with visual and physical disabilities to achieve their goal of learning the art and craft of woodturning.

Steve Russell
LSWA, Inc. President
A Texas Non-Profit Educational Corporation
 
Thanks so much...

Thanks so much for all of the kind words of support for this symposium. Hopefully this symposium will go a long way towards highlighting what blind and disabled people can achieve, if someone will just give them a chance and the opportunity to learn. My best wishes to all of you for a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!

Steve Russell
President
Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc
A Texas Non-Profit Educational Corporation
"Your Time To Turn" - Symposium Coordinator

http://www.lonestarwoodturners.com
 
A noble undertaking.
But, I cannot fathom a blind person woodturning safely. Somewhat vision impaired maybe, but not totally blind.

We have a blind turner in our club and watching him turn is a revelation. He works by feel and sound. He has a rest with holes along it and posts in the holes guide him. He uses a limited number of tiools, mainly gouges and produces bowls up to 12" and platters. Apparently it is scary going to his workshop as he never bothers to put the light on and you go in to the sound of someone using the lathe in the dark. The quality of his work is amazing. Safety wise he tends to turn slower than most of us perhaps would and has got a lot of common sense, if he's doing something for the first time he will get a sighted turner to set up for him

pete
 
Thanks for your post Pete...

Hello Pete,

Thanks for letting me know about the blind woodturner in your club. If possible, I would like to contact him and let him know about our symposium to see if he would like to demonstrate, or help us to structure the hands-on learning sessions for the blind attendees.

Would you please copy my information post about the symposium and forward it to him, or if you prefer and it's ok with him, email me his contact details. Thanks so much for your help and assistance!

Steve Russell
President
Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc
A Texas Non-Profit Educational Corporation
"Your Time To Turn" - Symposium Coordinator

http://www.lonestarwoodturners.com
 
I'll certainly let him know about it though as I am in the UK I doubt if he would be able to demonstrate in Texas. He may well be interested in having contact though as he does much of his work for a charity for the blind. They tried to get hom making baskets at first but he rebelled :D

I wish you the best with your symposium as I personally have learnt a lot from my friend. We expect it to be the other way around. but it isn't always the case is it?

pete
 
symposium

Steve did you receive an e-mail I sent about Tony Wilson a pro turner in the UK who is in a wheelchair but teach's woodturning, and has taught both blind and deaf people. He said he would be intersted in hearing from you if you did not receive it I have his contact details and would be very happy to resend again.
 
A noble undertaking.
But, I cannot fathom a blind person woodturning safely. Somewhat vision impaired maybe, but not totally blind.

Frank
I have heard of a blind cabinet maker or two. Can't place them right now

I knew a machinest who ran a metal lathe at the Kansas City NNSA facility .He was also a Ham and I used to stop by to say hi, and must say he made me as nervous as could be watching his fingers bouncing around spinning parts.

He was also arrested one night about 2:00 AM in the morning working under the hood changing spark plugs with out any light. He told the cops they were going to feel really stupid when they found out he was really blind. His name was Burl Masters and he was quite an individual..


Here is another story about a blind woodworker.
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Blind_woodworkers_story.html
An interesting quote from the site..

Another question I hear quite often is "How do you keep from cutting your fingers off?!" The best answer I've come up with is “Don’t stick them in a running saw or tool.” As I always say, “You are not a journeyman until you can show me a nub.” Yes, I qualify. But think about this: when I lost a finger, it was for the same reason any other woodworker lost one of his/hers - I did something dumb, something I knew very well not to do. In my case it had nothing to do with not seeing, but instead doing something stupid, such as back cutting with a molding head cutter on the table saw. I was doing a remodeling job in a large conference room of a state office building, which required a 6 inch chair rail designed with 1/2 inch flutes spaced evenly across the width. There was only one 12 inch long scrap left, with three of the four corners already used for test cutting, and the only way to do a test cut for proper spacing was to attempt to back cut it and jerk it back before getting run all the way through. Before starting the saw, I stood right there and said to myself “you know not to do this,” but did it anyway. This just illustrates the fact that those of us with some physical disability are no different from anyone else. Severing a finger can be quite painful, but not nearly as painful as the devastation of one's pride. End of quote


Garry
 
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Hello Pete,

Yes, please let your friend know about our symposium, he might like to help in some way, or consult on the structure of the learning sessions for our blind attendees. I would love to correspond with him about the symposium and see if he has any suggestions or ideas about our plans. If he prefers, I would be happy to call him at a time that is convenient.

My direct email is: steverussell2436@comcast.net
My cell phone number: 713 826-0046

Thanks in advance and take care!

Steve Russell
President
Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc.
"Your Time To Turn" - Symposium Coordinator
www.lonestarwoodturners.com
 
Steve did you receive an e-mail I sent about Tony Wilson a pro turner in the UK who is in a wheelchair but teach's woodturning, and has taught both blind and deaf people. He said he would be intersted in hearing from you if you did not receive it I have his contact details and would be very happy to resend again.

Hello John,

Thanks for your post... I have not as yet received your email about Tony Wilson, so please resend it. You can reach me directly at: steverussell2436@comcast.net

I would enjoy visiting with Tony about our symposium plans, since he has experience teaching both blind and disabled turners. We are trying to get some corporate donations for the symposium to assist with bringing in instructors and if that is successful, we want to offer grants to disabled instructors too help offset their expenses for attending the symposium.

Thanks again and best wishes to you and yours!

Steve Russell
President
Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc.
"Your Time To Turn" - Symposium Coordinator
www.lonestarwoodturners.com
 
Hello John,

The email came through this time... :) Thanks so much for your help and assistance. I will look forward to speaking with Tony about our plans for the symposium. His experience will be invaluable as we design the hands-on sessions for our attendees. Take care and all the best to you and yours this holiday season!

Steve Russell
President
Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc.
"Your Time To Turn" - Symposium Coordinator
www.lonestarwoodturners.com
 
Thanks Pete,

Hello Pete,

I see you're in Cornwall... My ancestral heritage is English, our relatives were from the Cornwall area. :wave: I miss clotted cream and strawberry jam on scones! The organic market we shop at stocks Devon Clotted Cream, but we both know that the clotted cream from Cornwall is the best!

Steve Russell
President
Lone Star Woodturners Association, Inc.
"Your Time To Turn" - Symposium Coordinator
www.lonestarwoodturners.com
 
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