A matter of propriety

[Mike Nagano]

I realize the original topic was about considerations of rank, but since the issue of disabilities came up, I thought it worth my two cents....

Why would teaching someone who is restricted to a wheelchair be a "disservice?"  I can't really see someone in a wheelchair going on the offensive to attack many people.  So what else do they have but self-defense?  Where are they going to hide their gun, and what what disadvange would they be in trying to maneuver their chair and aim their gun at someone trying to come around them from the rear?  Have you ever heard of Ron Scanlon of San Soo?  Trememdous martial artist who's been in a chair most of his life.  You can't tell me that the martial arts was a waist of time for him and that he would have been better off learning how to shoot a gun.  I met him when I was working at Casa Colina Hospital.  Very cool guy.  Dedicated martial artist (though it was nearly 15 years ago that I met him).

Check out the paralympics some time.  They occur every four years just after the Olympic Games in the same host city.  You'll see athletes, many who are martial artists, competing at a level most of us could only dream about, with varying kinds and degrees of disabilities.  There're people who are blind competing in judo.  Some of the best fencers in the world compete in wheelchair fencing.  A disability is a limitation of the mind, in my opinion.  Don't count out people just because they're "ridden" in a wheelchair.

[Gints Klimanis]

Please read my post again.  In the beginning, I wrote
that physically-disabled students need martial arts
more than I do, and that their special needs should
be accomodated.  If someone in a wheel chair wants to join a martial arts class, I'm all for it and would welcome them to my class.  

The rest of your post contains too many contradictions.
You state that you are unable to imagine a wheel chair
ridden person going on the offensive.  A few sentences
later, you talk about an exceptional martial artist,
exceptional paralympic athletes and conclude that
physical disabilities are a state of mind.

I still stand by my sentiment that teaching *unarmed self-defense* to a wheel-chair-ridden person is a disservice.   That's not to say that their time in
the dojo is not enjoyable or a good way to spend time.
Although we all strive to the ideal where size and strength differences can be equalized with technique, it takes a LOT of training to approach this equalization.  
Most will never be able to reach it, and physically-disabled people will have an even harder time reaching
that parity.  If the wheel-chair-ridden student is
indeed disabled, their physical abilities will be lower
on average.  If the physical abilities are not lower,
they're not disabled. It's important to consider the average case.  You cite an expectional wheel chair ridden martial artist, and it's inaccurate to use an exception as an average case.  

And I certainly don't agree that disability is a limitation of the mind.  I don't want to pull softie strings, but I
want to point out that I have spent some time being
somewhat disabled.  Due in an accident last summer and underwent three abdominal surgeries.  When you
don't have abdominal strength, unarmed self-defense
is an illusion.  In a few months, I will have one more.  Although I've put in over a decade of training, I can tell you that right now, I need to rely on a weapon for self-defense.  I have no trouble  carrying a folding knife in my pocket and carry an ironwood stick when I walk to deal with all of the huge dogs that approach me.  Apparently, dogs have a keen interest in my scent of
blood.

As for the comment on a gun, a gun is an excellent
weapon for attacks from any direction, even for a paraplegic.

As for carrying a weapon, wheel chairs have loads of places to stash knives and guns.   I've put in some time in a wheel chair.

I don't count out people in a wheel chair.  However,
if you are trying to tell me that the average person
in a wheel chair is not less physically-capable than than
average person, I will strongly disagree.

Gee, I hope no one walks away thinking that
I have some issue with wheel chairs.  I do hope that
you walk away thinking that I would recommend that
wheel chair students learn to use weapons for
effective self-defense.