Moderators PLEASE let this go for a little while

[pyrokitty]

Knowing from experience that on the tippy thread people are most open, i decided to post this here tell me what u think.

Yesterday i was out working at my local field, and i came to learn that one of the players was deaf... Obviously he had managed to be snuck past the orientation without his disability being noticed, and i didnt say anything and let the guy play. I am now wondering if what i did was the wrong thing, but this guy fallowed All of the rules and regulations better then most people without disabilitys, and he truely had the time of his life. His friends, (the whole group was in their twenties) thanked me multiple times for making it possible for him to have such a great time, ( he also was incapable of speach 0_0) and told me that he had the time of his life...

Is what i did wrong...

P.S. I leant him a pod of paint mid game which allowed him to get his only kill all day, he was fliping out with joy... ( made me happy inside fealt like throwing that in)

Moderators please dont kill this thread...

[Coenen]

Meh, what part of that could've been wrong? He played safe and he had a great day.

We used to play with a couple of guys out here who were deaf, they were both absolute killers on the field. I always felt dumb when he and I played together and I was still yelling positions without really thinking about it. I'd call whatever bunker it was for a few seconds before I realized that he couldn't hear me and I was looking stupid.

Still though, paintball is a sport for everyone, you did the right thing.

[bronze]

couldnt agree more coenen. its how i see the sport everytime i play. as long as we all go home safe its a good day. When i get a few kills in, meet tons of great people then its been a great day.

lol only thing u did wrong was putting this in the tippmann forum. But whatever.:P

[Corrupted355]

Yeah, really the only disadvantage he'd have would be not being able to hear where the opposition was. However, being def, he's probably extremely adept at hand signals and gestures. If he were able to maintain a line of sight with his team members, he'd have the potential to be a wicked player, especially in the woods. Someone good at silently communicating where the enemy is has a great advantage in woodsball.

[PoetVice]

Why exclude him? You let him play and he proved that he is just as capable as anyone else. Hell, more than half the time those that can hear act like they can't giving the game a bad rep. I say you did a definite right. Why do we all play paintball? I personally do to have fun.

[Uziel Gal]

Some people could argue that he wouldn't be aware of things raised in the safety orientation, though that could be alleviated if he lip reads.

Beyond that, the only issue I could see would be that he may not react to commands given by a marshall during game play.

Other than that, I really see no issue with it.

It would be nice to think that if the people running the site were aware of the situation up front, that some mechanism could be put in place were his disability were taken in to account and catered for, but I have a feeling that it would probably be classed as too complicated, too big an insurance risk, and that he couldn't play.

Frankly, bottom line, if he can play without endangering himself or others, then it should be all good.

[nicksniper]

one guy at our field,( reg player) it totally blind in one eye but has little vision in the other but you want him on your team. ex. woodsball very quiet, he can tell you where anyone is on the other team and where they are moving to and has saved some guys from being shot is the A$$

you did the right thing.

[Papiriqui]

I say that was great on your part. A really nice gesture if i might add. Props to you man.

[Klim0009]

You did the right thing. Just because he is deaf doesnt mean he cant play. If he followed the rules then its ok. Personally I think it should be encouraged that they play. I think it makes them feel like a normal person.
I watched a blind kid wrestle and take third or fourth in state, I cant remeber which one.

[pyrokitty]

sweet i feel great now that made the guys day, his friends told me that they are going 2 get him a gun he liked it so much

[aboh6leenz]

Let the man play. I have a deaf buddy and he's the best everyone that meets him loves him not because he's deaf or whatever but because he's cool. So who cares if someone is deaf as long as he followed the rules then it's all good imo.

[Lenny17]

I watched a blind kid wrestle and take third or fourth in state, I cant remeber which one.
I've been beaten by a blind guy in Wii Tennis... :laugh:

Seriously, a buddy of ours is blind, but he hasn't let it stop him. He loves tabletop miniatures games, loves card and board games, loves the movies. We were having a party amongst the friends at Christmas, and there was a Wii set up, and people would rotate in for Tennis. He wanted to give it a shot, learned how to play (the speaker on the controller helped him) and he was really pretty good. I felt bad about losing to him, but after he skunked the next two guys, i didn't feel so bad... :)

But to the OP, as long as there isn't a safety issue, there is no reason to stop him from playing.

[Govinda_T]

This thread is epic win. Really makes my day to read this sort of thing. I agree that it was an awesome gesture to allow him to play. This just proves that people can overcome any obstacles in their life. Someone once told me not to define people by their disability, but by their character, personality, and ability to overcome adversity. You have done the sport a great service by choosing not to discriminate. Sounds like this kid is gonna grow up to be a real contender in the not so distant future. :D

[BigTom21]

hells yea you did it right bro. i am a huge supporter of special needs and people with disabilities. i am a special olympics coach, i had an aunt that was mentaly retarded and my g/fs sister is aswell. they are people just like the rest of us, they just need some help to get some things done. i can't wait till this weekend i am playing in a big game where the general is now paralyzed and in a wheel chair. i think i might see if he wants to play with my double trouble for a while.

you sure are a person of good heart and i applaude you for your kindness to the world..... man that sounds i'm going to knight you or something.

awww what the heck

*Takes out Sword*

I Dub thee Sir Pyro Kitty this weeks Super Ref and man of goodness

[GT_Hawk]

ok well first off its GREAT he had fun and got to play and follow all the rules. But I see the concern, if say someones goggles comes off in mid game and a reff starts blowing the whistle to stop and such, he may not notice and end up by, mistake, shooting the guy with no goggles in the eye.

this dose play on how fields play the game, really reffs use whistles and such to communicate, all sound based which is what puts this guy at the disadvantage and where the concern is. Now do remember someone who losses a sense or 2, there other senses sort of ick into overdrive so when you or I may not see a reff waving a red flag out of the corner of our eyes I am betting this guy would have. So to take care of safety concerns, maybe a flag or 2 of diffrent colors and just others on the field watching out for the guy, Ie refs and friends just to make sure the guy gets the message would take care of any fears/concerns/worries I would have over the communication aspect.

so he has a disadvantage, but not one that should stop the guy form playing, but I would say the reffs should know about it just to be on the safe side. Now there is the issue, some fields may say no can't play just because they don't want to take that extra step of just keeping a eye on the person which I think is wrong. Good way to find out is call up fields in area and ask if your friend can come play he can't hear and gauge reactions and ask things like can the reff just keep a eye out, nothing major. any real field owner who cares about players having fun would be happy with it.

so sum it all up, have reff add hand signs or colored flags, IE red = stop green go thats all, hell even just 2 pieces of cloth. And then all safety concerns should be covered and at that point hey person should just have a GREAT time playing with everyone else.

[rridgeway]

i just want to know how he knew the game was over? i can hear and i still don't always know lol. i wouldn't want him to sit there and play on while the game is over.

i wouldn't have a problem playing with a deaf guy, it sucks you can't tell him where people are and what not but for rec ball anyway who cares.

[GT_Hawk]

^^ as for telling people where others are in BIG 500 person games found its so much easer to just my arm to point at people. Have even come up behind a person put my arm over there shoulder and was able to show them using my arm exact locations, trees bunkers I wanted them to watch. Simple hand signs can be very effective.

[MisterMister]

Hell, IMO he could have had standing to sue if the field excluded him for his disability. Im not saying he would win (depends on what state your in I suppose), but he would have a case.

Thats also not to say he would have done so, but my point is that morally, ethically, and legally, you did the right thing.

[pyrokitty]

Well with the comunication thing the guy had some truely awsome friends, who would stay within about twenty feet, and use very basic hand motions to show him when the game started, ended, and where opponents were, i soon started standing on bunkers when calling the games, and waving my hands to show the game start and such, and *** i said before, he read the waiver, and knew all the rules... Im so glad that u guys think i did the right thing, i was afraid of getting alot of crap, hell if my boss found out ide probably be fired...

[KGknight]

i do not usually post too often on the forums but i think you did a great thing letting him play. As you stated he played and followed the rules better than most, so clearly in his case actions speak louder than words. Alot of time people with disabilities put force 110% more effort than those of us without impairments and i can only wish all of us played with the integrity that, that person did. On top of that you made that mans day, probably his week, if nothing else that counts alot.

[nu cidd]

Why get fired?? Everyone should have the right to play, no matter what their dissability is. In one of my PB magazines (cant remember which one), it had a picture of a guy playing with a wheelchair. He wasnt paralized, but he looked like he had parapalegia, a muscle degenerative disease. So I really think you did the right thing.

[beaver_fever]

I was just scanning through threads and came upon this one. Good, good thread. I didn't read all posts so I don't know if anyone else who posted is deaf or hearing impaired. Myself, I have only about 25% of my hearing left in both of my ears. I'm not bragging, but the people I play with consider me lethal on the field. I always make it known to anyone playing with us for the first time that I can't hear well, so if they want my attention they have to use hand signals or tap on my shoulder. I have had a few guys try and take advantage of this fact, usually they end up with a mask full of paint. Those of us that are deaf or hearing impaired can still read rules/regulations, we optimize our use of sight, and we are usually alot better with hand signals than those who can hear.
My hats off to you pyro. Keep an eye on this guy. I bet that he will become a great asset on the field.

[GT_Hawk]

^^ Wow good to see everything I posted about was true lol especially that hand singnales/visual cues where a great for people such as yourself beaver_fever. And great to know you have just as much fun as the rest of us, and even better to know you are just as effective as anyone else on the field, maybe even better :D

[pyrokitty]

As to the firing thing, my boss is a huge safety nut, and would probably freek if he knew that i " endangered other playes" dont get me wrong, my boss is a great guy and i love him for all the crap he has done to put me in the position in the paintball world i am toda, but he can be a bit closed minded about cetain things... o ya guess what gun they are planning on getting him!

[I'm Rick James]

That just made my day. Thats one of the best things I have heard all day.

[pyrokitty]

should i tell my boss about this guy so he can make accomodations that in his eyes make it ok 4 him 2 play?

[PoetVice]

Be honest with your boss. I don't see why it would be such a big deal. How is a deaf person on the field a safety issue? I'm sure a deaf person pays a lot more attention to rules and other details a lot better than one who is fully capable. If I was your boss, I'd commend you for encouraging the sport with all types of people.

[Uziel Gal]

You might want to present it to him as a "what if" scenario, and see how he reacts - "What should I do if I thought a player was deaf?" Covers you both ways, as if he is positive, you can then say, "OK, 'cause I think that guy over there may be." You've not admitted that you knew before hand. If he is negative about it, then you can just leave it as a question "you've though of on the spot." And hope that if the guy does get found out, he doesn't dump you in it.....

Really, while I can still see there being some potential issues with on-field communication (by which I mean if the marshalls neeed to get his attention, not other players), there really should be no issue surrounding the safety orientation - it would just be a matter of having some printed copies of the speech available to hand out.

[Curly Fry]

it would just be a matter of having some printed copies of the speech available to hand out.

exactly what i was gonna say

[pyrokitty]

ok i will try the what if aproch