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'Adventure therapy' at Unity College

By Scott Monroe smonroe@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

UNITY — Tonya Emery sat in her wheelchair inside the gymnasium Saturday afternoon, smiling broadly as she swiped her brush and dabbed blue paint onto a tree-stump palette.

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Margo McNamara leaves her wheelchair behind as she is lifted by belay team members during one of the events in the three-day Able in April program at Unity College on Sunday. Unity College student Kelsy Morganwalp assists. The program creates outdoor adventure opportunities for handicapped individuals. "It was nerve- racking but OK," McNamara said. I learned about trust and friendship."

Staff photo by David Leaming

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Tonya Emery, right, of Portland paints a tree stump Saturday afternoon in the gymnasium at Unity College. Emery, who is in a wheelchair, was among 11 adults with mental disabilities who participated in a weekend of events and activities called “Able in April” at the college. “It’s like a family,” said Kayla Higgins, a professor who teaches the class that organized the events.

Staff photo by Scott Monroe

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Joined by 10 other adults with developmental disabilities at Unity College, the Portland woman said she was having so much fun with all of the weekend activities. Also on the agenda: tie-dying T-shirts, a campfire, rockwall climbing, karaoke and the "flying squirrel" activity involving lifting people into the air with a harness and ropes.

When the three-day "Able in April" program concluded Sunday afternoon, Emery was given the Larry Wilbur Award for the best spirit displayed among the group. The award is in honor of the man who got the program started several years ago, after he was in a motorcycle accident and suffered brain injuries.

"Tonya, she portrayed all the values of commitment," said Alicia Natchie, the class teacher's assistant who helped organize the events. "She had fun, was open and very positive the whole time, and had the values Larry would have if he were still alive."

The 11 adults attending the program ranged in ages 25 to 60 and they have suffered traumatic brain injuries, or have autism or Down syndrome, according to Natchie. Most are from the Belfast or Portland area.

They were joined by 16 students in the college's Universal Programming class and a handful of other volunteers, who helped guide the activities and shared meals with the participants.

Natchie said the idea is for the participants to enjoy adventurous, therapeutic activities that challenge them. And having fun is the key.

"It's about bringing in people with disabilities and getting them to interact with activities they hardly have a chance to do," Natchie said.

The program was scheduled to feature more outdoor events, such as canoeing and kite-flying, but those plans were canceled because of rain.

In the Universal Programming class, students develop programs for adults with disabilities and learn how to best interact with them, according to Kayla Higgins, who graduated from Unity in 2007 and now teaches the course. Higgins said the weekend event is the culmination of those efforts, as students are taught to be supportive, encouraging and, above all, flexible.

"They get to challenge themselves physically and mentally," Higgins said of the adults with disabilities. "They're stuck with a bunch of college kids all weekend -- and it can be exhausting."

Honing communication skills is key, Natchie said.

"A lot of the time, you have to calm down and enter their level," Natchie said. "If they're having a problem, you have to talk to them. I always let them make their decisions."

Steve Burns, of Saco, who was participating in the event for the second time, said he loved the opportunity be active with others.

"People like us don't get out that much," he said.

The connections don't stop after this past weekend, either. Emery, for example, says she likes to call Higgins on the phone to "make sure she's all right."

"It's like a family; like a family reunion," Higgins said. "We keep in touch."