Several years back my colleagues Matt Tomaso, Stanley Walling and I had a blind student--with a seeing eye dog--take a Montclair State University field school at Feltville/the Deserted Village in Union County, New Jersey.  The student was able to excavate as part of a team, screened for artifacts, processed artifacts, and helped with site preparation.  He had a pretty complete experience.  

I also had a volunteer participate in a Monmouth University field school who had lost her lower legs to diabetes.  She was confined to a wheel chair and did not excavate, but screened, worked on notes, and was an excellent member of our team.

If someone wants to participate in a dig I think that we should do whatever we can to facilitate that participation.  

Rich Veit
________________________________________
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of PETTS D.A. [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2013 4:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: field school students with physical disabilities

The Dept of Archaeology at Reading worked up some guidelines for this kind of thing a few years ago

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/hca/documents/guides/Archaeology_teaching_and_learning_guides/Number5_Teaching_and_Learning_Guide_Inclusive_Accessible_Archaeology.pdf

cheers
David

________________________________________
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Martha Zierden [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 16 May 2013 00:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: field school students with physical disabilities

Thanks, Tim
Those are great suggestions, both for a specific situation and for all of
us to live by!
Martha


On Wed, May 15, 2013 at 7:02 PM, scarlett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Martha,
>
> One summer years ago, we had a student participant who had lost both of
> his arms in an accident (lost at the shoulders). I was going to write to
> you privately about my experience because the young man was very private
> person. Then I considered the large number of veterans from a decade of war
> that has probably swelled the number of disabled persons potentially
> seeking to work or volunteer positions in archaeology and I changed my
> mind.  This is important to discuss publicly. I have never been trained or
> read case studies about this, and some awareness is badly needed.
>
> This particular student and I brainstormed together to find ways that he
> could work alongside other project team members- excavating, screening,
> taking notes, mapping with the EDM, drawing, and so on.  While I write this
> in the first person, please understand that this was a collaborative effort
> that also included at least Pat Martin, Elizabeth Norris, and other members
> of our research team on that project, although these are only my
> recollections.  As I recall, everything worked out very well.  He took part
> in all aspects of the dig. Through the field season he came to focus on
> measured drawings of architectural remains and digital mapping, but he was
> a regular and reliable member of that field team in all ways.
>
> The immediate details that I can recall include:
>
> 1. He and I went to a thrift store and bought a cheap pair of old boots
> that mostly fit him, then drilled through the sole of one of the boots and
> bolted an off-the-shelf, $0.10 metal bracket onto the bottom. The bracket
> stuck out from the toes of the boot so that he could use it as a trowel.
>  You can imagine the motion he used, sort of similar to the movement you
> would use to scrape mud off of your right toe. He could not walk far in the
> boot, obviously, so he carried it to the dig and changed into it for work.
>
> 2. He had one prosthetic arm which was equipped with a pinscher-style claw
> or clamp.  He was very proficient at using his prosthetic arm to maneuver
> his dust pan, for example. His prosthetic was similar to the right hand of
> the person in this wikipedia image:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Army_prosthetic.jpg
>
> 3. We stitched up a sash that included a hook.  It hung over his neck and
> shoulder as one would carry a computer bag.  He could stoop down, use his
> arm to hook the bucket handle, and then lift with his legs and carry the
> bucket. This allowed him to lift the weight without putting strain on his
> prosthetic. While I'm sure the bucket banged against his thigh terribly, he
> never complained or remarked on that.  He was able to prop the screen on
> his knee, dump the bucket of dirt, and shake.  It was remarkable to behold
> how well he pulled that all off.
>
> 4. As you might expect, he took notes and did drawings with the pencil
> held in his mouth.  His journal was clear and legible, more than most I've
> read- including my own.
>
> 5. I don't recall very clearly how he managed photography, but I am sure
> he pulled that off also.
>
> If I were advising a project director or field supervisor about this, I
> would make these points:
>
> a. Respect that person and their interest and ability to make
> contributions to the research team and beware natural human tendencies
> toward voyeurism.  Physical disabilities are no different in most ways than
> learning disabilities.  With patience and creativity, you will be able to
> overcome most challenges, but be sure to start conversations in private
> about possible solutions.  In this case, this student did not want to
> discuss the accident that caused his disability under any circumstances.
> That was not relevant to finding solutions anyway.  The crew respected his
> boundaries- full credit to the community in that case.  One mean or
> thoughtless person could have really spoiled the collective effort at
> respect.  This individual also did not want to talk about the nitty-gritty
> details of living with his disability. He never put on or took off his
> prosthetic arm in public, for example. Dealing with his prosthetic and
> equipment was a part of his morning hygiene practices and he did not
> discuss them. Full credit to the rest of the crew that year because they
> all respected his boundaries when natural human curiosity is
> understandable, but unimaginably wearisome for the disabled individual.
>
> b. Speed is not of the essence, quality is.  If you are panicked about the
> speed of the work, you are not in a position to make this work well.
>
> c. Assess how things are going periodically and privately until you get a
> better feel for the individual and the crew as a team. Help with tasks,
> don't do the tasks for the person.  While I am sure this depends upon the
> individual, you should try to communicate about how to be helpful without
> infantilizing the disabled person.  Generally, these people are not afraid
> of hard work.  Tying your own shoes is hard when you have no arms, but
> doing so is incredibly important to an individuals self-esteem. Let them
> take the time they need to do their work in the same way you would let them
> take the time they need to tie their shoes, and they will pretty quickly
> catch up with the rest of the crew as they become competent with the new
> skills.
>
> d. Expect that the attitude of the disabled individual will be important,
> but don't forget that the rest of the persons on the crew are equally as
> important.  Fostering a mutually respectful environment is critical, the
> same way you would try to do so for people with different gender, ethnic,
> racial, class, and economic identities.
>
> e. I expect that there aren't general practices for this type of thing.
>  Each individual's disabilities are unique and the challenges are
> integrated with their personal identity, so I would approach each
> circumstance individually and try not to make comparisons.  "I worked with
> this other person who had no arms and he could do this, can't you when you
> have one arm?"  That type of comparison will not be helpful.
>
> In this case, the young man was an excellent team member. I look back on
> other field seasons and projects where I would trade some entire crews to
> have that young man back for a few weeks.
>
> I'm sure I would have more suggestions, but it is the end of the field day
> for me!
>
> Best,
> Tim
>
>
>
> On May 15, 2013, at 5:48 PM, Martha Zierden wrote:
>
> > Has anyone enrolled a student with physical challenges in a traditional
> > field school course?  I have not experienced this, but I began to ponder
> > this situation and was curious about possible solutions.I would be
> > interested to know how grading and accommodations were developed for
> those
> > students.  If you prefer, you may reply off-line.
> > Thanks,
> > Martha
>