Program teaches visually impaired campers to surf

"Pop up!"

Meghan Fink, 14, heard those words from her surfing instructor and planted her feet on the board. She found her balance, stretching her arms wide, as the wave pushed Fink to shore, where a crowd of onlookers cheered her on.

"It's a thrill," said Fink, of Seaford. "It makes you excited that you can actually do this, especially being legally blind."

Fink was one of about a dozen kids who learned how to surf at Long Beach Tuesday in a program geared toward people with impaired vision.

The class grew out of a similar project by the nonprofit Surf Pals, which is aimed at helping autistic children ride the waves. Founded in 2002, the group has since changed its name to Surf for All and expanded its mission to serve youth with a wider range of disabilities, said founding member Jim Mulvaney.

"For the disabled population, it's not about what they can't do; it's about what they can do," said Mulvaney, deputy commissioner of the state Division of Human Rights, which helped coordinate the event.

"To see individuals liberated in this way so they can experience life without impediments is really a beautiful thing," said the agency's commissioner, Galen D. Kirkland.

For Michael Taylor, 11, who is blind, the sensation was akin to being airborne. "It felt like I was flying, a little bit," said Michael, of Westbury.

Instructors paddled out with students and gave them verbal cues about when to stand on the board and where they were headed. At first, the instructor held onto the back of the board to steer the young surfers, or stood on the board with the kids to help them gain their balance.

"Towards the end, we put them into the wave on their own," said Cliff Skudin, who along with his mother, Beth, and brother Will, a professional surfer, volunteered as instructors. About one of the students, Cliff Skudin said: "It was awesome to see his determination."

Most of the surfers were drawn from a summer camp for athletes with impaired vision in Garden City called Camp Abilities Long Island. Its founder, Lisa Innella, said she made contact with Surf for All by coincidence, only to learn that she and Mulvaney shared a deeper connection.

The classmate at Long Beach High School who inspired Innella's career in physical education for special populations turned out to be Mulvaney's son, Danny, who is autistic. "We treat these kids as if they're any other child," Innella said. "Just because they're a child with a disability doesn't mean they're not kids first."

The sole adult to surf for the first time, Devin Fernandez, who is legally blind, said that after overcoming some apprehension, he was hooked. "It's a strange feeling, being nervous and excited. . . . When you first get in the water, you're disoriented," said Fernandez, 53, who runs a martial arts and yoga studio for the visually impaired in West Islip. "I could do this all day."
Mulvaney said the group plans to host another event next month, and is working toward creating a mentoring program between surf instructors and children with disabilities.