Sailing with the deaf or hard of hearing

Roland5048 · Jun 22, 2017

I've worked with deaf and partially deaf students in the classroom in the past but all were middle schoolers. Assuming he is not going to be operating any equipment or doing much of the sailing at that age, I'm guessing this is more about safety. Before going out or on a very calm day develop the use of hand signals into some kind of game with small rewards as you go. You know what your son likes. Keep it simple and short. The attention span at that age is about a nano-second. But, you already knew that. Build the lessons as you go. In a season of sailing you will be surprised at how much he has progressed. Baby steps. Patience is the key. If all else fails, take a lesson from "What About Bob". Lots of life jackets and secure him to the mast.

JRacer · Jun 22, 2017

Wonder if US Sailing has anything on it? Perhaps you know that they do sailing programs with people that have all sorts of handicaps. Might go to their website or call them to see what they have available to assist.

jon hansen · Jun 22, 2017

99% of kid accidents happen at the dock not underway
life jacket on 100% while on deck or dock
take kids to marina store so they pick their own life coat, write their name on it
a sailboat is a big jungle gym for a kid, let them go for it
teather as needed
just like when you were a kid let them do everything
squirt guns legal over 80 degrees
2 to 3 ft boats to be towed from taff rail
bean bag chairs on the bow
after the first nosedive down the companionway, they will learn

Chief RA · Jun 22, 2017

Hearing aids help some at that level of hearing. I am less than -50 and cope with hearing aids but it is not easy! My best, Chief

shemandr · Jun 22, 2017

I would worry about the unanticipated jibe. Your son may not hear the tell tale whoop which is the mainsail filling on the new jibe making him subject to boom injury. ( For us older sailers we may hear it but might not be able to react fast enough - or we might not hear it. But we've developed a sense of safety) At 2.5 years old it will be a while before this is a big issue. Other dangers on board may be more relevant. Nevertheless, it's never too young to develop an awareness of the boom position. Maybe paint one side of the boom green and the other red and verbally re-inforce the significance of one vs the other. Maybe some red and green lights to re-inforce an awareness of port and starboard, which will translate to windward leeward.

Jackdaw · Jun 22, 2017

JRacer said:
Wonder if US Sailing has anything on it? Perhaps you know that they do sailing programs with people that have all sorts of handicaps. Might go to their website or call them to see what they have available to assist.

US sailing has lots of info on adaptive sailing instruction. Here is their training manual, see the web site for more details.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u3osx2uuf2dckao/Adaptive Sailing Resource Manual.pdf?dl=0

Crazy Dave Condon · Jun 23, 2017

Thank you for the referral Jackdaw

Gunni · Jun 23, 2017

freeheelbillie said:
Anyone sailing with a deaf or near deaf crew member?

Yes, me. I use a lot of hand signals. In your case suggest that you start learning signing if you have not already begun. As crew get better the need for elaborate discussion diminishes, people know their job with a gesture, or a point. All good.