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Almost every blind person I meet over the age of 40 is in poor physical condition due to inactivity. No Barriers is waking these folks up to the possibilities that exist for good safe healthy fun.
Lawrence Euteneier
Ottawa, Ontario

2009 Newsletters

James Culver: A Kid with a No Barriers Attitude!

Jul 16th, 2009 Bookmark and Share

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James Culver: A Kid with a No Barriers Attitude!
No Barriers USA July 2009
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In This Issue
Meet James Culver
Participants Love Festival 2009
A Kid Who Sees No Barriers        photo by AccessAnything.net, 2009
Youth on Handcycle
In the words of 10 year old James Culver, "No Barriers is awesome and No Barriers is a good place for amputees and people with disabilities!"
Meet James, who at the age of seven contracted the Strep Group A bacteria in his bloodstream resulting in amputation of both legs and one arm.

In 2007, he attended his first No Barriers Festival in Squaw Valley, CA just ten months out of the hospital.  Although he was not able to participate in everything, he enjoyed a few clinics, met other people "just like him," and his mother, Cathy, found resources, devices, and adaptive equipment she didn't know existed for James.
It was such a positive experience that when Festival 2009 at Shake-A-Leg Miami was announced she started to get her travel plans in line to be there again. "It is very good for James to be around other people with no arms or legs. I think its comforting to him," stated Cathy. "It [the No Barriers Festival] keeps him busy all day. There is always something for him to do or to try out like the dune buggy type device that was there this year."
Photo from Festival 2007
James tries out a segway in 2007His favorite things this year were scuba diving and swimming with the dolphins. But for his mom, James rode a bike for the first time which she didn't think he would be able to do. After the 2007 event, a Segway was donated to James and this year, the family is now planning on getting him a hand-cycle.
The attitude James possess about his disability is truly amazing for being just 10 years old. His mom attributes it in part to his attending the No Barriers Festivals. "It doesn't matter if you have a disability," says James. "It doesn't mean that you can't do that much stuff. You can do anything you set your mind to."
Cathy says she and James plan to attend future No Barriers Festivals. For James he looks forward to doing as much as he can, especially scuba diving again. For Cathy it is seeing the continuous smile on her son's face and learning about more technologies and adaptive equipment that help James live a more active life.
To see more on the festival and meet James in video go to Debbie Attias' blog at http://www.youthnoise.com/playcity/blog/view/16996.
James and his family swimming with the dolphins
Photo by Debbie Attias, 2009
A few things people are saying about Festival 2009
"It was really enlightening to be around so many other people with disabilities. It was my first time getting out and seeing all these people with disabilities and realizing that I don't have to sit in the house all the time-I can get out and be physical."
-- Quadruple Amputee Participant
"Congratulations on a great festival!  I thought the symposium speakers were excellent - there is some amazing technology out there..."
-- Adaptive Device Manufacturer Participant
"As I watched dancers in the opening ceremony, I thought about how my wheelchair can do more than just carry me around."
-- Wheelchair User Participant
"As a mother of a special needs child, I can't thank you enough for all the hard work you did and do for families like ours. Every day is a challenge and to know that there are people out there that not only accept our circumstances, but go above and beyond to go the extra mile, is a true blessing. I personally want to say Thank you! All your efforts did not go unseen!"
-- Mother of Autistic Child Participant
"A male friend of my daughter's broke a personal barrier by riding the one-off for the first time."
--  Participant

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Minneapolis, MN 55364
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