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AMPUTATION ONLINE MAGAZINE
JULY 15, 2001
Volume 6 Issue No.4
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CONTENTS
POV - Editorial - Annual ACA Events Draws Crowds
WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Electric shocks 'improve balance' [UK]
HEALTHCARE
Training to beat 'phantom pain' [UK]
Brain learns handy tricks [UK]
Bionic hand helps crippled climber [UK]
AROUND THE WORLD
Charity founder's 'fight for justice' in India [UK]
Terry Fox Alma Mater Creates Memorial [CDN]
Viagra for wounded Sri Lankans [IND]
GENERAL DISABILITY
Bionic hand helps crippled climber [UK]
Bomb victim's degree of success [UK]
Earthquake boy takes first steps [UK]
SPORT
The First Ever All Amputee Crew To Enter Fastnet Race [UK]
With Court on His Side, Martin Is Back on Course [US]
Disabled Golfers Get More Access [US]
21st National Veterans Wheelchair Games [US]
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POV - Point of View
Ian Gregson
Annual ACA Event Draws Crowds
The Amputee Coalition of America annual conference drew large numbers of amputees to this years location in Kansas City, Missouri, June 13-16.
The conference, which has traditionally been the largest gathering of amputees on the planet, provides the opportunity for many amputees to meet and greet each other - many of whom have only met online. The conference also has a large educational and exposition aspect, where amputees can learn all about the latest gadgets and how to use them.
Chris Johnson an LBK from southern Illinois said:
...I had learned more in 4 days, than I had learned in 4 years of being an amputee. The ACA convention in Kansas City was much more than learning about how to use my prosthetics better, the best part was I learned that there were other people „just like me, and that I wasn't alone in this part of my life's
journey. I learned more of the human sprit, and this hard to defineterm of "Ampitude".
On the lighter side, there were many smiles, and much laughter throughout the entire week. From, what was the funniest thing that has happened to you since you have became an amputee, to the missteps and falls that all amputees endure, there were some stories exchanged that could make a great comedy book.
I would strongly recommend anyone who is able to attend one of these
functions to do so, you may be surprised at what awaits you there.
Next years conference is in San Diego, California
WEB SITE OF THE MONTH - STEP FORWARD MAGAZINE ARCHIVE SITE
Check out the back issues of the British Limbless Associations Step Forward magazine
http://www.limbless-association.org/stepforward/index.htm
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Wednesday, 30 May, 2001, 18:00 GMT 19:00 UK
Electric shocks 'improve balance'
Balancing: Could an electric shock help?
Delivering tiny electric charges behind the ears can have remarkable effects on the part of the brain that stops you falling over.
Normally the brain uses a complex system of monitoring systems and nerve impulses to work out which way is up.
In some people, however, this goes askew, affecting the sense of balance and leading to falls or nausea.
A team from Boston University in the US believes it has found a way of reproducing these nerve signals from an external source.
Their technique, called "galvanic vestibular stimulation", reported in New Scientist magazine, involves applying a tiny, painless electric current behind each ear.
By reducing one and increasing another, the brain is conned into thinking that the position of the head has changed, and automatically makes physical adjustments to counter it.
Moving process
The scientist leading the project, Dr Jim Collins, told the magazine: "We're causing a shift in the perception of what is vertical.
"It feels as though you have moved."
The team is now trying to improve the balance of health volunteers, counteracting the effect of a swaying platform.
He believes that it could even be built into prosthetic limbs to help people wearing them make the necessary adjustments in balance.
In addition, it is hoped that the system could help alleviate the feelings of "motion sickness" felt by travellers on ships and planes.
In theory, it could even be used in virtual reality machines to help users enjoy an even more intense experience.
"You want the person to experience the full environment," said Collins.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1360000/1360691.stm
HEALTHCARE
Thursday, 31 May, 2001, 23:33 GMT 00:33 UK
Training to beat 'phantom pain'
The brain may hold a "map" of the limbs
Amputees who get pains which feel like they come from the missing limb may get some relief using an innovative training technique.
As many as four out of five people who lose limbs suffer the pains, which may happen as nerves severed by the surgery continue to send occasional pain messages back to the brain.
The brain has not yet learned that the limb is no longer there.
The technique, reported in The Lancet medical journal, aims to actually change the way the brain "maps" the signals it receives.
Five patients took part in a trial in a Berlin hospital.
Electrodes were attached to the stump in an area around one of the main nerves.
Then patients took part in exercises 10 times daily over a two week period, in which they had to work out the frequency or the location of electric shocks passed through the electrodes.
After the two weeks, phantom limb pain had decreased in each of the five patients - and stayed at a lower level even months after the training had ceased.
Brain changes
Imaging of the brain suggested that some reorganisation had taken place during the training procedure.
At the moment, no single totally effective treatment exists for phantom limb pain, although various analgesics and other medications can help in some cases.
Rob Munro, who lost a lower leg following an aircraft accident five years ago, told BBC News Online that many patients had their own strategies for dealing with the discomfort.
He said: "For me it tends to be shooting pains which feel they are coming up from the foot.
"I find that by concentrating on the pain as if it were in my foot, and imagining waggling my toes - even though they are not there - I can relieve it.
"It still happens every day, although for me it is more of a nuisance.
"But anything that can help people with these pains is most welcome."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1363000/1363097.stm
Monday, 25 June, 2001, 12:01 GMT 13:01 UK
Brain learns handy tricks
Mr Chatelier's forearms were shattered by a homemade rocket
French neurologists studying an amputee who had donor hands grafted on to his arms say his brain has been surprisingly good at controlling them.
They say it is evidence that the human brain remains adaptable, even in adulthood.
Denis Chatelier, a French house-painter, lost both his hands in 1996 when a homemade toy rocket exploded. Four years later, on 13 January, 2000, a team of surgeons at the Lyon Edouard-Herriot Hospital performed the world's first double hand transplant on him.
Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the organisation of the patient's motor and sensory cortex before and after the hand graft surgery.
Before the transplant, the patient had been using a prosthetic device. Researchers noted that the regions of the brain which once controlled his hands had switched to controlling the movements of his elbows.
Undamaged brain
Further scans were done two, four and six months after the transplant. These showed that Mr Chatelier's brain had recognised the new hands, and its hand-control areas were gradually reverting to their original function.
The scientists at the French Institute for Cognitive Sciences say this shows how adaptable the brain remains, even in adulthood. Similar changes have been seen in stroke patients where, after an area of the brain dies, other parts take over its function; but this is the first time the effect has been seen in an undamaged brain.
It also demonstrates the skill of the surgeons in connecting Mr Chatelier's nerves with those of his new hands. A year after the transplant, the patient, who comes from Rochefort on the west coast of France, can use both hands to brush his teeth, hold a telephone and cuddle his children.
Angela Sirigu at the Institute for Cognitive Studies in Bron, France, and colleagues report their brain research in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1406000/1406788.stm
AROUND THE WORLD
Tuesday, 26 June, 2001, 10:07 GMT 11:07 UK
Charity founder's 'fight for justice' in India
Ian Stillman has spent 30 years in India
A campaigner for the disabled in India, Ian Stillman has been locked up on drugs charges. His supporters dispute the claims and say his welfare is now a serious concern.
When the guilty verdict against Ian Stillman was delivered on 2 June, it wasn't only his family and friends who voiced disbelief.
According to his brother-in-law Jeremy Dugdale, Stillman's defence lawyers, other lawyers, his jailers and even some of the police were stunned at the conviction of a 50-year-old man who has devoted most of his life to charity.
Stillman, who is deaf and walks with an artificial limb, has now begun a 10-year jail sentence in a remote prison in northern India for drug smuggling. There are no special facilities for disabled people in the jail and he is said to be "isolated and vulnerable".
The case has prompted stinging criticism from human rights campaigners, who believe it to be one of the worst miscarriages of justice they have seen.
While his supporters are calling for Stillman's conviction to be quashed, the British Foreign Office is urging the Indian authorities to consider an appeal.
Despite being British, Stillman has lived in India for almost 30 years, working tirelessly to raise awareness of issues affecting deaf people in the country.
He has been profoundly deaf since the age of two after being given quinine as a treatment for a severe malaria attack while in Kenya with his parents.
In 1972, while studying industrial design in Guilford, Stillman travelled to India on a gap year and met his future wife Yesumani, or Sue.
Ian Stillman details:
Born 1950, became deaf at age two
Set up Nambikkai Foundation in 1978
Advisor to several organisations for the deaf
Helped set up Deaf Child India, to give IT training for the deaf
Together they set up a registered Indian charity called the Nambikkai Foundation. The aim of the organisation, which remains active today, is to provide education, training and employment for the adult deaf.
More than 1,000 deaf trainees and 100 staff have benefited from the work of Nambikkai and the foundation has been officially recognised by the Indian government as a model project.
His work has earned him wide respect among Indian people and, as well as setting up several more charitable projects, he has helped advise a number of other good causes for deaf people.
Nine years ago, Stillman was the subject of a BBC documentary about his work.
In 1995 his right leg was amputated above the knee after he was involved in a motorcycle accident. Stillman returned to Britain for treatment and was fitted with an artificial leg.
Stillman's persistent efforts for charity came to an abrupt halt last August when he was arrested while travelling in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, in an area called the Kullu Valley.
Stillman's wife, Sue, lives 2,000 miles from where her husband has been imprisoned
The district, at the northern tip of India, in the foothills of the Himalayas, is notorious for cannabis smuggling and recently the authorities have been cracking down on trafficking, particularly among western backpackers
Campaigners for Stillman say he was visiting the area to investigate new opportunities for his charitable work. While travelling in a taxi late at night he was stopped at a police roadblock, arrested and later he says, at the police station, shown a bag which is alleged to have contained 20 kilos of cannabis.
Although Stillman can lip-read English and communicate in sign language, all the proceedings were conducted in Hindi, which is a foreign tongue to him. He says he was also coerced into signing statements in Hindi.
He was initially held at a local prison where inmates slept on the concrete floor, up to 35 to a cramped cell. Each cell was served by one toilet and conditions were cold because of the altitude.
A sketch by Stillman denoting the sleeping arrangements in a cell of 31. He is shaded, with his artificial limb at his side
Despite the harsh surroundings, Stillman believed the evidence against him was weak and it was only a matter of time before he got off. Because of that he asked family and friends to keep quiet about his plight believing that any publicity might harm his charity.
Everyone expected him to be released because of the lack of evidence against him and his good character and good qualities
Jeremy Dugdale The conditions in which Stillman was tried earlier this year have been slammed by human rights groups. Again, he became the victim of the language barrier as all the witnesses were cross-examined in Hindi
Supporters say Stillman was refused access to a translator. They also believe the weight of evidence favoured the defence - both independent witnesses called against Stillman denied the prosecution's case.
Campaigners also say his whole defence was restricted to 20 minutes.
They believe that Stillman is innocent of all charges and has been fitted up as part of a drugs crackdown in the area.
Until a few days ago, Stillman was being held in a high-security prison in Himachal Pradesh which, his supporters say, had no facilities for the physically disabled or for deaf inmates.
Visiting time was restricted to one 20-minute session per month and all written communication was heavily censored.
Under pressure from the British Foreign Office, Stillman has since been moved to a more modern jail in the same province. As yet, says Mr Dugdale, there is no word on whether this means better conditions.
Mr Dugdale, who has travelled from his home in Romsey, Hampshire, to India four times since the arrest, says there are now serious concerns for Stillman's health.
He has cut down on his food intake because it is so difficult to get to the toilet, he is suffering phantom pains in his leg (common with amputee victims) and this is aggravated by the severe cold, poor diet and stress.
He is also suffering digestion problems, brought on by pain killers, and his artificial leg no longer works effectively.
He is also finding sleep difficult, says Mr Dugdale, and manages no more than 15 minutes sleep at a time.
"He has not complained but that is because he is such an amazing character," says Mr Dugdale.
"But I know he is distressed. He just couldn't believe it when his conviction came through. It was such a shock."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_1407000/1407112.stm
FOX ALMA MATER CREATES MEMORIAL
By Diane Luckow
Simon Fraser University
Twenty years ago, Terry Fox died of cancer, leaving behind a legacy of hope that has raised more than $270 million to find a cure for the disease.
Twenty-five years ago, Terry Fox was in his first year at SFU and playing basketball on the junior varsity team.
Lorne Davies, now retired but then the athletics director, recalls the day that head coach Stan Stuartson informed him that Fox would have to have his leg removed because of cancer.
"I visited him the night before the operation and saw him many times after that," says Davies. "He was a remarkable young person &endash; very determined, very goal-oriented, and he had a concern for others."
On Sept. 19, SFU will hold a special Terry Fox day celebration &endash; the first of what will become an annual event, in perpetuity, on the third Wednesday of September.
The celebration will include the unveiling of a $75,000, 11-foot high bronze statue of Fox; a Terry Fox run around campus beginning at the same track where Fox trained for over a year before his Marathon of Hope; the campus community barbecue and presentation of the Terry Fox gold medal to an individual on campus who has made a humanitarian contribution to the university, the community or to society.
"We want to recognize the fact that Terry Fox, Canada's number one hero and known worldwide as a true humanitarian, was an SFU student," says Davies.
"We're hoping everybody on campus will join in the 12 p.m. run &endash; whether it's just to stroll, to rollerblade, to run a lap or to run five kilometers." He is impressed with SFU community support for the celebration, saying "I think it's the most unifying event I've ever seen at the university."
A committee made up of staff, faculty and students has been working for the past year to organize the event. One of its mandates is to raise funds to pay for the statue. While some money is expected to come from the university, the committee is looking to alumni, friends of the university and staff, students and faculty for donations, which can be sent to the office of the VP-external relations. "Terry was very proud to be an SFU student," says Davies. "He had a great love for the university. To see his university recognize him in this way is, I think, very pleasing to the Fox family."
More information on Terry Fox day can be found at http://www.sfu.ca/terryfox/
Monday, 5 March, 2001, 15:16 GMT
Viagra for wounded Sri Lankans
The authorities in Sri Lanka are to prescribe the impotence drug Viagra to some injured soldiers, in an attempt to raise their morale.
The drug is being tested in the army's rehabilitation unit, initially on the victims of landmines.
Officials hope that the drug will help more than 1700 amputees both psychologically and physically.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_1203000/1203461.stm
Chinese rebuild sex organs with muscle grafts
Reconstructive surgery is a painstaking process
Chinese doctors are claiming a breakthrough in prosthetic surgery after successfully rebuilding male sex organs using muscle from elsewhere in their bodies.
The two patients involved have gone on to marry and father children, and the doctors claim even the newly linked nerves are working well enough for the new organ to respond to sexual thoughts and desires.
One of the men, a worker from eastern Shandong province, had his penis removed because of a malignant tumour.
The other, a Pakistani citizen, lost his in a work accident.
But a spokesman for the Shanghai No.9 People's Hospital, where the painstaking operations took place, said they had proved a complete success.
A normal sex life
He said: "Since we successfully rebuilt prosthetic penises, both patients have got married, enjoyed a normal sex life, and had children.
"We use skin and muscles from the patient's forearms, thighs and stomach to rebuild the penis."
He said that the dimensions of the new organ were an improvement on its predecessor.
And he added: "It can also repair all sense in nerve endings related to the patient's sexual feeling, thus giving him a complete recovery."
Mr Roger Green, Honorary Secretary of the British Association of Plastic Surgeons, said that if the technique managed to restore full function with a single operation, it would be an advance.
He said: "The difficulty is in creating an erection. What is often used is a balloon which can be inflated by the patient. Essentially it's hydraulics."
Re-linking nerves is challenge
He said that rejoining nerves so that a patient could respond physically to feelings of sexual desire was another challenge.
"But it's a very rare condition, thankfully, so there is no one centre in this country which specialises in the procedure.
"But I have known patients father children following such operations."
Plastic surgeons and urologists in this country have been known to use a section of flesh from the forearm, which can be manipulated to form the correct shape, and provide the necessary watertight tubes within to carry urine and semen.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_374000/374451.stm#top
GENERAL DISABILITY
Friday, 29 June, 2001, 23:01 GMT 00:01 UK
Bionic hand helps crippled climber
Stephen Ball suffered crippling injuries in the climbing accident
A world first in bionic hands has transformed the life of a man crippled in a horrific mountaineering accident.
Stephen Ball suffered bad frostbite and had to have all his digits and part of his left hand removed.
He also lost the digits from his right hand, his right foot and his left leg below the knee.
But now with the use of electronic fingers controlled from his muscles, Mr Ball can do the things that before the accident he took for granted.
Each day I am adding to my skills
Stephen Ball He has learned how to write again, tie his shoe laces and use a knife and fork to eat his meals.
Mr Ball's operation at Nottingham City Hospital was the first time an adult with a partial hand amputation had been fitted with an electronic prosthesis.
Although the electronic device was built from scratch especially for Mr Ball, it used the same ground-breaking technology that had already been used to fit bionic hands to five children at the same hospital.
Mr Ball, from Stoke, told BBC News Online that for the first time since the accident in May 1999 he now has a fully functioning hand.
"Each day I am adding to my skills. I can now pick up a mug by the handle. I have written and for the first time since the accident I tied my shoe-laces. I am even able to use a knife and fork."
Terrifying ordeal
Mr Ball was climbing Mount McKinley, America's tallest peak, when he and two friends were trapped in a terrifying snow storm.
One of the trio started to suffer frostbite and Mr Ball went for help.
But while descending from the mountain Mr Ball fell and went cascading down half a mile of ice and snow, smashing his body repeatedly against the rocks.
Because he had fallen from the recognised path it was some time before his rescuers managed to trace him and even though he had built himself a snow shelter he suffered severe frost-bite.
He spent two weeks in a hospital in Alaska before being flown back to Nottingham, where he had a number of operations.
Determination
Then two months ago he was fitted with a new hand.
Now the father-of-three said he was going from strength to strength.
He is already climbing again in the UK with his wife Linda and hopes to start the serious overseas climbs soon, including the mountain where he nearly met his death.
"I have already been climbing in Wales and have been up Snowdon and I am going to the Lakes.
"I have started on the easy climbs, but I would love to climb McKinley again."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1414000/1414324.stm
Friday, 13 July, 2001, 19:06 GMT 20:06 UK
Bomb victim's degree of success
Delighted: Suzanne and proud mother Chris
A young woman who lost a leg in the Omagh bombing has proved that courage can triumph over adversity.
Three years after the horrific explosion, Suzanne Kelly has graduated with a degree in education without needing extra time to complete her studies.
Suzanne was one of more than 200 people who were injured in the August 1998 atrocity, carried out by the dissident republican paramilitary group, the Real IRA.
A massive car bomb exploded during a busy shopping day in the County Tyrone town and killed 29 people.
Suzanne, who is from Omagh, was in the middle of a four-year course at the University of Liverpool when she was caught up in the explosion.
Despite serious injuries, she made an early promise to herself about her future.
"The day after the bomb when I realised what had happened to me, I just thought the IRA had taken away a part of my body, but they weren't going to take away the rest of my future.
"So I decided from the very outset that I was going to continue."
Suzanne was allowed to study at home until she was well enough to return to university, where she coped with the difficulties caused by her injuries.
"I found it very hard trying to get from one class to the next because my walking wasn't as great as what I had hoped it would be, at the beginning," she said.
"But my friends were of great support to me when I went back and they really did contribute to helping me get through it."
She said she had a lot of very bad days, but something inside kept her going.
She also had to learn to cope with a prosthetic limb.
"The last three years were very, very hard, she said.
"I put a lot of work into them, but as well as that I was getting over an injury from the bomb, so it was quite emotional."
Suzanne said graduating had been a very emotional experience.
"I couldn't believe I had actually got there and that this was it. I was getting my certificate," she said.
"Everybody was very happy for me. There were a lot of tears from my friends when I went up to get the certificate, but it was great day."
Suzanne's mother Chris who was also badly injured in the explosion said she was very proud of her daughter.
"This is just unbelievable. She never gave up once and I really admire her for that. Since she got her results, I haven't stopped crying.
"It's just fabulous that she's got through this. She's an inspiration to everybody who was injured in the bomb."
Suzanne will not be back at home in Omagh for long - she starts teaching at a primary school in Liverpool in September.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/northern_ireland/newsid_1437000/1437829.stm
Wednesday, 6 June, 2001, 12:33 GMT 13:33 UK
Earthquake boy takes first steps
An 11-year-old boy whose leg was crushed in the Indian earthquake disaster has taken his first steps after surgery to fit an artificial limb.
Parth Joshi miraculously survived the massive quake which devastated the state of Gujarat in January and killed his mother, Divya, and five-year-old brother, Jiga.
He was pulled from the wreckage of his family home in the city of Bhuj after being trapped under rubble for 84 hours without food or water.
I don't think of myself as brave or strong
Parth Joshi However, his leg was badly mangled, and could not be saved.
Parth was flown to the UK to have a prosthetic limb fitted after the charity Rapid UK raised £15,000 to pay for the treatment.
Since the operation he has been staying with a host family in Tuffley, Gloucestershire.
On Wednesday, and still on crutches, he spoke about how he was facing up to the future with a prosthetic limb.
He said: "It's great. I like the new leg and it is very easy to use. I used to like playing a lot of cricket and football and swim.
"Obviously I can't play football anymore but I can still play cricket and I can swim without the limb.
"I don't think of myself as brave or strong."
Parth's father Pradip accompanied his son on the trip from India.
He said: "Parth was unconscious when he was pulled out of the rubble.
"He spent two-and-a-half months in hospital in Bombay.
"While he was in there I told him his brother and mother had been injured as I didn't know whether the shock would cause him more harm.
"After they discharged him from hospital I explained to him about his mother and brother because he was coping better then.
Looking after Parth is what is getting me through this
Pradip Joshi "It helped mentally prepare him for what is to come. He is starting to understand more about his condition and is preparing himself for what is ahead.
"He asks me whether he will be able to play again and what he will be able to do. I told him to think of himself as a normal child and told him he can do everything a normal child can."
Mr Joshi, a bank clerk, now faces the task of returning to Bhuj to build a new home.
He said the tragedy had robbed him of the will to live.
But he added: "Looking after Parth is what is getting me through this.
"First there was his medical treatment and now he is walking again so there is a lot to focus on.
"It was a miracle he survived and I have not got the words to express how grateful I am to Rapid UK for what they have done for my family."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1373000/1373384.stm
SPORTS
THE 1ST EVER ALL AMPUTEE CREW TO ENTER THE FASTNET RACE
Courtesy Step Forward magazine
BLESMA are to enter an all amputee crew in the 2001 Fastnet Race. This will be the first ever all amputee crew to compete in this event. This will show that disabled persons are fully capable of dealing with challenging events and being able to match their able bodied counterparts.
QUALIFYING
To compete in the Fastnet Race, the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) has laid down certain qualifying criteria. This is an aid to safety and assures a certain level of experience before competing (it must be borne in mind that in 1979 many boats were sunk or damaged and several persons drowned). The main criteria is: 'the skipper and at least half of the crew must have competed in the yacht in which they will race the Fastnet, in the 12 months preceding the Fastnet, start 250 miles of RORC offshore racing.' This is a minimum and should be supplemented by further racing. It is intended to commence training during the summer of 2000 by entering four races, starting with the Cowes week. It is intended to enter a further 6 races in 2001 prior to Fastnet.
THE CREW
BLESMA currently have one yacht-master and four Coastal Skippers, three of whom took part in the 1996/97 Global Challenge. It is also the intention to train many of the potential crew to a high standard during 2000 and 2001, by ensuring that they obtain sufficient racing experience and further qualifications.
For more information http://www.blesmachallenge.org.uk/
With Court on His Side, Martin Is Back on Course
By William Gildea
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 13, 2001; Page D01
CONCORD, Ohio, June 12 -- Buoyed by a "heartfelt" letter from Jack Nicklaus and still "a little bit" disappointed that former Stanford teammate Tiger Woods did not speak up more for him in his successful quest for a waiver from golf's walking rule, Casey Martin came riding back onto pro golf's minor circuit today.
Martin played most of the Quail Hollow Country Club course in preparation for Thursday's start of the Buy.com Tour's Greater Cleveland Open, feeling relaxed and satisfied following the Supreme Court ruling May 29 that he has a legal right to ride in a cart between shots at PGA Tour events. The 29-year-old has a circulatory disorder in his right leg, Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome, that makes it painful for him to walk long distances and, he said, could force him to have the leg amputated if he injures it seriously.
With most attention riveted this week on Woods's bid for a fifth straight major at the U.S. Open in Tulsa, Martin returns to a far less prestigious stage looking to regain the sweet swing that deserted him last season and has remained absent in his first eight events of 2001.
"I decided more for my mental health to take three weeks off and work on my game," he said at a news conference this afternoon. "I've been trying to do everything I can to make sure my game is in its best shape. I played great when I was home, but there's still a little lingering doubt that I've got some work to do."
Martin, whose lone victory on the lesser tour came in 1998, finished second here two years ago. This season he ranks 132nd on the Buy.com money list with a meager $6,433. He makes most of his money from Nike, whose familiar swoosh he wore today on his black cap and black shirt.
"I think the common sentiment is that I'm under a lot of pressure and a lot of uncertainty, which has affected my game," he said. "I'd like to think that's true. I'd love to go out there and play great and have that be a reason. However, in the back of my mind I think it's more golf-related. There's been some things [his swing, putting] I've been working on. My gut says that if I were to play well this week it wouldn't simply be because of the cart situation, it would be that some of the things I'm working on are paying off."
Because he had been playing poorly, Martin chose not to try to qualify for the U.S. Open. "I just wasn't feeling up to it," he said. Practicing and responding to reactions from his court victory have kept him busy. Of negative remarks, he said, "I try to let them go. There have been comments . . . that make me mad, I'll be honest. They're frustrating to hear. But I understood early on that there are two sides to this issue. But on the whole, I've been treated great."
Nicklaus, who opposed allowing any player to use a cart in competition, "congratulated me on winning and said he hoped I understood the stance he's taken," Martin said. "It was nice."
Martin acknowledged that he wished more players, including Woods, had supported him strongly. "But in the long run," he added, "I'm grateful that I didn't need anyone to pull strings to get me out here, that I'd be in debt to anyone out here for doing stuff. It was totally done through the courts. I didn't ask any help from anyone as far as players; there were some players who offered it, but I was never out there begging guys, saying, 'Listen, help me.' I feel good about that."
While it is true that if Martin sat around and kept his leg elevated he might better avoid a disastrous injury, love for the game compels him to play.
"Certainly, amputation is something I might have to consider," he said. "Right now, not. But if I were to break my leg, that would probably be what would happen. Actually, that was the big reason I went forward in pursuing the cart, because my doctors showed me X-rays of my leg and how it had been deteriorating and they said, 'Listen, you're at high risk of fracturing it. And that's going to be not a good thing if that were to happen.'
"So that was a big reason for the cart, simply to reduce the amount of walking I was doing and the chances of me stepping in a chuck hole. There was one tournament last year, the L.A. Open, where I stepped in kind of a hidden sprinkler head and it hurt so bad. That was my first reaction. But I didn't break the leg. I was able to finish the round. But it kind of came over me, one wrong turn and I can be in trouble. Obviously, I don't worry about it but I think about it. I pray about it."
Two years ago, Martin underwent what he described as "awfully painful" treatment on his leg, which "failed" to provide relief from the discomfort he experiences almost constantly. He said he could be persuaded to try it again but only "if golf were to continue poorly for a while." He hopes to keep playing, and well enough to derive as much satisfaction from the courses as the courts.
"I can't practice as comfortably as other people do," he said. "And there have been times when I wanted to practice more but it wasn't in my best interests. But I've been practicing a lot these last few months and I'm feeling okay.
"As far as how long I can play, I don't have an answer for that. Ten years ago I would not have thought I would be here still playing. So if I made it this far, maybe I can go another 10 years. You never know."
© 2001 The Washington Post Company
Disabled Golfers Get More Access
Guidelines Call for Vehicles on Tee, Green
By Mark Asher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 31, 2001; Page D01
The federal government will soon issue guidelines that will make almost all public and private golf courses in the United States more accessible to the disabled, Gary Robb, executive director of the National Center on Accessibility, said yesterday.
The new guidelines -- part of a larger group of rules dealing with other recreational facilities -- will allow disabled golfers to drive special motorized devices on greens and tee boxes.
The provisions are designed for newly built courses or courses that are undergoing alteration. But most of the nation's 16,000 public and private courses would be subject to the guidelines, if the course is rented for outings and tournaments, said Mike Hughes, executive director of the National Golf Course Owners Association. Only courses that limit access to members and their guests -- such as Burning Tree in Bethesda -- would be exempt from the guidelines.
"The needs of the disabled golfer are met in my mind and a reasonable amount of work needs to be done by golf course owners without altering the nature of the game," said Hughes, whose Charleston, S.C.-based organization represents the owners of about about one-fourth of the nation's 16,000 golf courses.
The guidelines would become part of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a law under which professional golfer Casey Martin on Tuesday won Supreme Court approval to continue using a golf cart on the PGA Tour and its minor leagues. The guidelines would be subject to congressional review but would become part of the law unless rejected, a source familiar with the process said.
Industry officials said there is no reliable data on the number of disabled golfers because there is no central clearinghouse and many disabled persons are unaware of advances made in equipment, including height-adjustable, swivel seats allowing a disabled person to swing from almost an upright position. The golf course guidelines have the backing of the U.S. Golf Association and the National Golf Course Owners Association, as well as other industry groups.
"It's clear now that, from an architectural standpoint, golf courses can be built in such a fashion they can be made to be more accessible," said USGA President Trey Holland. "In fact, it can be just as cost effective to make them that way as not and, to the eyeball, it can be made in such a way that they are extremely pleasing. You would not look at a green or a tee complex and say, 'Oh, it's obvious they made these to be accessible to individuals with disabilities.' "
The carts apply fewer pounds per square inch of pressure than a golf course's powered maintenance equipment, said Robb. Both he and Holland said the mobility devices, which vary according to disability and manufacturer, cause less damage to a green than an able-bodied golfer dragging his spikes.
Tim Fenton, an assistant pro at the two-year-old P.B. Dye Golf Club in Ijamsville, Md. -- a privately owned daily fees course that has a no-carts-off-the-cart paths rule -- said the club would conform to the guidelines. But he added other customers might not be as happy.
"I think it is great for the disabled that it is possible to play because these kind of carts have come along," he said. "It wouldn't be a troublesome situation for us. But, even now, we have people who complain about not being able to drive off the cart paths. It seems if we let [disabled] people drive on the greens, it would make other people upset that they can't."
Robb said he expects the National Access Board to release the guidelines within the next two weeks. The Access Board is a federal agency directly representing the public in issues raised by passage of the ADA. The NAC, based in Washington, has a staff of 30 and is governed by public appointees and representatives of 12 federal agencies.
When passed, the ADA required access for the disabled to public recreational facilities, but did not issue specific criteria.The Access Board started the process for the new guidelines in 1993, and it also will cover such activities as amusement rides, boating facilities, fishing piers and platforms, miniature golf, sports facilities, swimming pools, wading pools and spas.
According to the Access Board's Web site, the proposed guidelines "recognizes that access to golf courses is typically achieved through the use of golf cars. Golf car passages would be allowed instead of accessible routes throughout golf courses. Accessible routes would be required to serve practice putting greens and driving ranges since they often are not located within a course.
"Courses would need to be designed so that golf cars can access teeing grounds and putting greens. Criteria are provided for golf car passages, accessible routes, teeing grounds, putting greens, and weather shelters. Teeing grounds (and 5 percent of practice tees and driving ranges where provided) would be required to have a clear and level area at least 10 by 10 feet. Where more than one teeing ground is provided for a hole, at least two would have to comply."
"These are not very onerous," said Robb, citing that a golf course's motorized maintenance equipment, including green mowers and bunker rakers, requires access, too.
Some logistical issues concerning the availability of the motorized carts for the disabled at golf courses still is being discussed by his organization and the Justice Department, Hughes said.
© 2001 The Washington Post Company
Riding High In July
By Argelio Dumenigo
July 2001
Cheering crowds, celebrity sightings and dance music blaring from a DJ booth. It's sports in New York City, but it's not the Knicks or the Yankees.
The 21st National Veterans Wheelchair Games rolled into the Big Apple during Independence Day week and the competition provided more excitement and entertainment than the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks display over the East River.
Nearly 550 participants vied for medals in bowling, swimming, table tennis, weightlifting, basketball, softball, archery, air guns, wheelchair rugby, wheelchair slalom, a 5K race and other events.
The Games continue to be the largest annual wheelchair sports event in the world, drawing disabled veterans from around the United States, Puerto Rico and Great Britain who often only see each other at the event.
"Four years ago I heard someone say, 'I may have to sit for the rest of my life, but I refuse to sit still. When I see these guys out here I always think about that. None of them are sitting still," said Ron Smith, of Iowa, a veteran of four Games as he headed to the closing ceremonies at the Marriott Marquis in the heart of Times Square.
The assistant sports director for the Iowa Paralyzed Veterans Association, Smith, 37, wore four medals around his neck for air guns, bowling, slalom and basketball. Many of the athletes compete in several sports.
Schwanger in the Spirit
This year's "Spirit of the Games" award winner Laura Schwanger of New Jersey won gold medals in softball, the slalom, bowling, and the slalom "Super G" - an obstacle course of steep ramps and sharp curves in which she outraced an all-male field.
Schwanger, a three-time Paralympian, has attended the Wheelchair Games since 1987 and also coaches the New Jersey Junior Wheelchair Games team. A spokesman for the Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association (EPVA) explained how Schwanger did not win the award just because of her victories, but also because she shares what she knows with other paralyzed athletes, especially those who are just entering the world of wheelchair athletics.
The EPVA and the VA Medical Center in the Bronx were the local hosts of the event, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) with financial assistance provided by corporate, civic and veterans' service organizations.
New York Stylings
Many athletes they were visiting New York City for the first time and praised the transportation provided by NYC Transit buses and the work of more than 2,000 volunteers, who made their stay enjoyable and getting to competitions easy.
Some EPVA members benefited from the hometown crowds, including Raul Acosta of the Bronx.
With actress Bo Derek, the Games' honorary chairperson looking on, Acosta, 43, received some of the loudest cheers during the basketball medal games at Riverbank State Park in Manhattan.
Although his team did not win a medal, Acosta said the excitement and competition, as well as the awareness raised about wheelchair sports for many of the novices who attend, make the event a success every year. "It's like a bowl, you just put everything in, the different disabilities, and it always comes out great," said Acosta, who was at his fifth Wheelchair Games.
Joe Wittkamp, of Ohio, who helped lead his team to the bronze medal in basketball, traveled with 19 other veterans from Ohio's Buckeye PVA. Like many of the other competitors, Wittkamp said he enjoys the competition more than anything. "I thrive on the competition," he said.
Derek, who visited most of the venues and competitions throughout the week, was not the only celebrity who showed up. New York Knicks' guard Mark Jackson attended a night of basketball and spoke to players. Local CBS sportscaster Warner Wolf served as emcee of the opening ceremonies and former New York Jets running back Freeman McNeil took over the microphone at the closing ceremonies. Also in attendance was Frances Murphy, the deputy under secretary for health in the VA.
"For some of the vets who've never been here before, the novices, this is a life-changing event," says Murphy, a neurologist who has treated some of the veterans competing. "This is the best therapeutic event I've seen as a physician."
Next year's games will be held in Cleveland, Ohio.
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