Self Defense

Self Defense will discuss practical strategies for decreasing vulnerability and increasing personal safety.

Objectives:

  1. Participant will be educated about faulty society perceptions of disability and vulnerability.
  2. Participants will be instructed how to proactively identify, minimize or avoid possible attacks and dangerous situations.
  3. Participant will learn the basic techniques of strong body language and verbal self defense: use of body and voice to surprise attackers, show strength, and lack of fear.
  4. Participants will learn to identify vulnerable places to strike attackers.
  5. Participant will be consider ways to use every-day objects for self defense purposes: wheelchairs (or pieces of wheelchairs), crutches or braces, keys etc.

Plan:

  1. Coordinate 2-hour self defense module with a self defense or martial arts expert.
  2. Conduct the combination of lectures and exercises.
  3. Adapt self defense strategies to the functional abilities of participants.
  4. Ask participants if they have any questions or wish to learn specific techniques or responses to particular scenarios.
  5. Provide supplemental information of where to go for additional information and services (police, hotlines, counseling, local self defense and martial arts classes).

Staff:

Two to three staff for a group of twelve.

Site criteria:

Accessible indoor or flat shaded outdoor space (like a basketball court or aerobics room) that is spacious and has accessible bathroom facilities.

Supplies and equipment:

Mats (optional)
Self Defense Shields (optional)
Padded weapons (optional)
Focus Targets (optional)
Body Shields (optional)
Water
Spray bottles if outdoors
Comfortable loose-fitting clothing and shoes

 

Resources:

Contact local self defense and martial arts instructors and assess their experience and willingness to teach disabled individuals. Often these contacts are willing to run a workshop for free or at a low cost.

International Disabled Self-Defense Association, Asheville, NC, www.defenseability.com, 828-638-5528.

American Women’s Self Defense Association, Lindenhurst, NY www.awsda.org, 1-888-STOP RAPE or 631-225-6262.

National Women’s Martial Arts Federation, Austin, TX , www.nwmaf.org