I'm trying to put together a bonsai course for mentally and physically disabled people.
Does anyone here know of any? and where would I find info on the web?

Thanks

Ian






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In a message dated 10/5/2003 3:36:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

I'm trying to put together a bonsai course for mentally and physically
disabled people.
Does anyone here know of any? and where would I find info on the web?

Ian
I would start with the course that Tom Zane put up on the BCI site for free
and modify it.
I am working with a mentally disabled man to raise his own Bonsai.
He frequently calls plants by his own version of the right name. He is
impatient, wanting to put everything in a bonsai pot right away. He is afraid to
prune.
But, he does understand some of the basic design principles and most of his
stuff stays alive.
Billy M. Rhodes Ed. S.
Habilitation Employment Coordinator

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Thanks Carl,

I thought about Nic but thought he would have plenty on his plate at the moment. I'll maybe give him a shout.

What I'm trying to put together is for the special unit to get funding from local government. So I need to show the benefits of bonsai for the students.

Regards
Ian




Dear Ian:
I don't know if you are familiar with Nic Steenhout, our IBC Gallery webmaster. He has been doing Bonsai for several years, and just moved to New Zealnd from Savannah Georgia. He has been in a wheelchair for several years and does a nice job Bonsai- wi
se as well as being a Computer whiz...

I suggest you contact Nic at He may be able to give you some pointers and or help in your search.



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In a message dated 10/5/2003 5:39:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

What I'm trying to put together is for the special unit to get funding from
local government. So I need to show the benefits of bonsai for the students.

As far as benefits are concerned I would think the benefits of Bonsai
as a practice would be the same benefit regardless of ones abilities.
One of my oldest Bonsai Buddies, now long deceased, was fond of saying
that Bonsai taught good horticultural practices of pruning, watering, use of
fertilizer and etc. These are skills that transfer to later life in any
gardening hobby even if not a vocation.
I think for persons with disabilities plants are a good choice because
they aren't critical of you if you make a mistake. Most don't bite. They
are cheap to work with as long as you don't buy things labeled "BONSAI." They
can yield fairly rapid results if the right material is chosen.
The man I am working with has a job as a custodian but wants to work
with plants. He has issues involving anger at times. The plants don't care if
he yells at them and pruning can be good anger therapy.
Billy M. Rhodes Ed. S.
Habilitation Employment Coordinator

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Here in Daytona Beach, the State operated Center for the Blind and Visually
Handicapped used to have a bonsai program in a nursery as part of their
rehabilitation programs. I don't know if they still have such a program or not. Their
phone is 800 329 3801 or 386 254 3800.

The State operated WORC, Work Oriented Rehabilitation Center is for the
mentally and physically challenged. They do have a nursery and they did, as of 6
months ago, do a variety of bonsai. Our club partnered with them, seveal
classes, but came to a parting of the ways because the nursery supervisor wanted to
do his and only his style of what he called bonsai and would nothing to do with
following through with our advice or help. Their phone is 386 274 6484. I
find no 800 number for them.

Your local State rehabilitation activities should be able to render some
assistance.

Best regards,

Tom

Thomas L. Zane
100 Gull Cir N
Daytona Beach, Fl 32119

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In a message dated 10/5/2003 3:36:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

I'm trying to put together a bonsai course for mentally and
physically
disabled people.
Does anyone here know of any? and where would I find info on
the web?

Ian
I would start with the course that Tom Zane put up on the BCI
site for free
and modify it.
I am working with a mentally disabled man to raise his own
Bonsai.
He frequently calls plants by his own version of the right
name. He is
impatient, wanting to put everything in a bonsai pot right
away. He is afraid to
prune.
But, he does understand some of the basic design principles and
most of his
stuff stays alive.
Billy M. Rhodes Ed. S.
Habilitation Employment Coordinator

Ian . . .

If you do work something up, I'd really like to have it put up on
the IBC website for others to use. FULL credit (to you -- and to
Tom if you borrow) of course!!!!!

I've been trying for years to work up a bonsai curriculum for
elementary or middle school grades. The ERIC database has one,
but it's pretty simple! Any teachers out there tried this??

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL -- Bonsai List
manager

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I'm trying to put together a bonsai course for mentally and physically
disabled people.

I would not try to put mentally and physically disabled people in the same
class. Also, what do you mean by mentally disabled? You wouldn't put people
with cognitive or emotional disorders in a class with the retarded.
The class would not be essentially different from a regular class, except it
would need to be small, with more individual attention. For further
information, contact the American Horticultural Therapy Association. They have
a Web site.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

In a message dated 10/5/2003 9:42:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

I would not try to put mentally and physically disabled people in the same
class. Also, what do you mean by mentally disabled? You wouldn't put people
with cognitive or emotional disorders in a class with the retarded

At our center we find that mixing disabilities works because the abilities
of one makeup for the disability of another.
Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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Thank you all for your input. I'll let you all know how it goes.

Regards
Ian


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In a message dated 10/5/2003 5:39:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

What I'm trying to put together is for the special unit to
get funding from
local government. So I need to show the benefits of bonsai
for the students.

As far as benefits are concerned I would think the
benefits of Bonsai
as a practice would be the same benefit regardless of ones
abilities.
One of my oldest Bonsai Buddies, now long deceased, was
fond of saying
that Bonsai taught good horticultural practices of pruning,
watering, use of
fertilizer and etc. These are skills that transfer to later
life in any
gardening hobby even if not a vocation.
I think for persons with disabilities plants are a good
choice because
they aren't critical of you if you make a mistake. Most don't
bite. They
are cheap to work with as long as you don't buy things labeled
"BONSAI." They
can yield fairly rapid results if the right material is chosen.
The man I am working with has a job as a custodian but
wants to work
with plants. He has issues involving anger at times. The
plants don't care if
he yells at them and pruning can be good anger therapy.
Billy M. Rhodes Ed. S.
Habilitation Employment Coordinator

Another, and important, part of bonsai for not a few "disabled"
students would be the practice in various forms of manual
dexterity, from the more gross movements such as watering
individual trees, to the more detailed activities such as pruning
individual limbs, and even wiring, even it is only the major
branches. Not all of the students would be able to perform
these -- but perhaps some could do so, with practice and close
guidance by the instructor; or, perhaps they could do SOME of it
with hands-on (literally) assistance.

There also is a certain amount of "brain work" done with bonsai,
ranging from the simple and direct (such as when to water, etc.)
to the more abstract (design plans and carrying out the plans).

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - The phrase
'sustainable growth' is an oxymoron. - Stephen Viederman

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