{"id":23587,"date":"2023-02-02T11:15:13","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T11:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=23587"},"modified":"2025-05-19T12:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T19:14:13","slug":"students-support-ski-ability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2023\/02\/02\/students-support-ski-ability","title":{"rendered":"Students support ski-ability at Snoqualmie and Stevens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s ski season and cold sunny days fill outdoor enthusiasts with delight. East of Seattle, the Summit at Snoqualmie is a popular destination for winter sports. But skiing there and in many other locations comes with stairs, crowds and an infrastructure generally built for skiers and snowboarders who ride solo on two legs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observing this winter activity through a lens of accessibility and disability justice is the point of a new community-engaged class developed by Dr. Jason Naranjo<\/a>, associate teaching professor in the School of Educational Studies<\/a> at the University of Washington Bothell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Engaged in the community<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The course, \u201cDisability & Society: A Focus on Community and the Outdoors,\u201d pairs UW students from the Bothell and Seattle campuses with skiers from Outdoors for All<\/a>, an organization that provides adaptive outdoor activities for people who, for cognitive or physical reasons, cannot simply pop on skis and hit the slopes. The students serve as volunteer ski instructors and, at the same time, learn from program participants about their successes and challenges getting out on the snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naranjo has been teaching about disability justice, inclusion and access for years, mostly in classrooms. This new course, focused on experiential learning in the community, was a natural next step for students who asked how they could use their education to make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr.<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jason Naranjo, associate teaching professor in the School of Educational Studies<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening here is applied learning. This is the way our world works outside of university classrooms, and I think it\u2019s really great when we can create authentic spaces for our students to learn in,\u201d Naranjo said. \u201cTo me, that\u2019s where the rubber meets the road.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the course, Outdoors for All staff train the student volunteers and provide adaptive equipment like hoops, poles and \u2018sit-skis\u2019 for people with reduced lower body mobility. Students get to know their skiers and find ways to support their individual strengths and limitations; they can adjust bindings, give tips and encouragement, and talk over strategies with family members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The skiers learn to ski, and the students learn from the skiers about their experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reciprocal learning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting my minor in disability studies, and I\u2019ve also been skiing since I was maybe five years old,\u201d said student Zoe Null.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to take all this theory that we\u2019ve learned in class and really apply it has given me something tangible to hold on to. Here is an actual hill somebody has to get down \u2014 how do we make it adaptable?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Noelle<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nicole DeMarr, Outdoors for All participant<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noelle DeMarr, an experienced sit-skier who participates in Outdoors for All, thinks the partnership is a win-win. \u201cI find some moments where my instructor is learning more from me and my experiences and equipment. It really is kind of a two-way relationship,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This winter, 17 students from UW\u2019s Bothell and Seattle campuses, majoring in subjects from engineering to gender studies, are volunteering at Stevens Pass or Snoqualmie Pass each weekend for the course. The service-learning component of the class makes up 70% of the course; Naranjo and his students also meet online once a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen they graduate from the UW and become citizens in our world, they can make change,\u201d said Naranjo. \u201cThey can advocate for someone and alongside someone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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