Ski for Light Event Planning Manual

June 2011

17. Local Volunteer Recruitment and Orientation Coordinator

The management of local volunteers at the Ski for Light International event is an important role. They provide the extra pairs of hands needed for such tasks as greeting people at the airport, tagging and moving luggage, assisting participants from bus to registration area or from registration to their rooms on the day of arrival, and helping with the race/rally.

The orientation they receive is also important so that they feel comfortable working with our group.

Pre-Event

Planning Meeting

• Depending on travel distance, time and budget constraints, you may be asked to attend the planning meeting. If you do not attend, please ensure your responsibilities are carried out by someone who does.

October 1

• Contact chairs concerning volunteer needs. Typically, approximately ten people will be needed at the airport for Sunday arrival day and Sunday departure day; approximately six people will be needed at the hotel on the first Sunday assisting arriving VIP's to their rooms; and approximately twelve people will be needed to assist with the race/rally.
• Begin planning for recruitment of volunteers.
• Resources that can be found in almost any community include: Rotary, Lions and Elks clubs, Boy Scouts, 4-H, Ski Clubs, colleges (some fraternities and sororities have community-service groups), Chambers of Commerce, Sons of Norway lodges, and personal contacts with the SFL family. Also, placing small ads in the local newspaper can produce results. The contact with the local area is one area where a local Coordinator can help immensely. Some SFL guides come up only for the weekend and these people can usually provide some help. Guides who arrive early and are not involved in other tasks or spouses of people arriving early are also good people to tap for help early in the week.
• The organizing of all of this should begin early. It may require some letter-writing, phone calls and follow-up to ensure the number of people needed. The needs for volunteers will change from year to year.
• Surveying various Coordinators for numbers needed should also be done as soon as possible. The information needed includes numbers, time and for how long. Committees that will need volunteers include: Registration, Race/Rally, and Transportation.

November 1

• Discuss volunteer needs with Event Chair and obtain SFL information needed to aid in recruitment.

December 1

• Notify Hotel Function Coordinator of room needs for volunteer orientation.

January 15

• Confirm with individuals or groups the tasks that they are responsible for, times that these occur, and time for orientation.
• Confirm with Transportation Coordinator the number of volunteers that are needed to meet people at the airport and the number needed for luggage tagging and handling. From this point on, the Transportation Coordinator will communicate with them directly.

International Week

Sunday

• Conduct orientation sessions for local volunteers.

Local Volunteer Orientation

• Orientation sessions should last about 15-20 minutes (including time for questions). If the Local Volunteer Recruitment and Orientation Coordinator is not a blind person, the orientation of volunteers should either be conducted by a blind person or with the assistance of a blind person. This person should be comfortable talking about his/her blindness and be able to answer a wide variety of questions.
• Provide volunteers with:
  · Name tags
  · Map of hotel
  · SFL program journal, if possible
  
• Thank them for their time and have sign-up sheet for names and addresses so that they can be sent a thank-you note and a program journal if they haven't already received one.
• Tell them about the week and the program overall.
• Orientation should be done mid-day on Sunday before buses start arriving with alumni guides and skiers. Don't orient people too early or they will be waiting around for a long time before the buses arrive.

Orientations Topics

• General information:
  · Talk about Ski for Light, its history and purpose, and how the week is structured; tell who attends (age range, geographical distribution, range of occupations, etc.).
  · Provide a general reminder not to make assumptions about what people with disabilities can or cannot do. After all, a person with a disability is just that-a person, not a disability. People with disabilities are just like anyone else except that they may have to do things a little differently because of their disability.
  · Explain briefly different kinds of visual impairment (range from high partial to total; congenital to adventitious; and how those differences may affect functioning of participants or variations in needs).
• Preferred Words:
  · Blind or visually-impaired instead of sightless or unsighted. It is okay to use words like "see" and "look" in front of blind people. They are a common part of our language. For example: "Do you see what I mean
• " "Look this over and tell me what you think." When talking to visually-impaired people, use specific language such as "left", "right", "in front", "behind" (including distance such as six inches, one foot, etc.). Remember that if you are facing the person, your left is his/her right. Remember that "over there" has no meaning to someone who cannot see where you are pointing. Do not talk louder unless you know that the person also has a hearing impairment. Speak directly to the person using his/her name if you can (do not ask a nearby sighted person "Does he/she want...").
  · Disabled or mobility-impaired instead of crippled. It is okay to use words like "walk" and "run" with a physically disabled person. These are also common in our everyday speech. For example: "Will you run down the hall..."
• Guide Dogs: The dogs are trained to guide a blind person. They should not be distracted or interfered with when they are working. They are working when they are in their harness. When they do not have their harness on, they are just like any other dog. They can be played with and petted like a pet dog. If you pet or talk to a guide dog when it is working it will distract it from its job. The dog has limited vocabulary and only knows words like forward, right, left, inside and outside. The blind person and the dog work as a team. The blind person gives the directions. The dog is trained to stop at curbs, stairs and ramps and to wait for directions. Give directions to the blind person, not the dog.
• Cane travel: A blind person using a cane sweeps the cane in a diagonal pattern in front of him or her to make sure the path is clear and safe and to detect any obstacles in the way. Never grab the cane of a blind person. This can be distracting and disorienting. Canes are usually white and fairly long so that the person can travel at a comfortable pace. Some canes are foldable and some are not.
• If you encounter a blind person coming toward you in the hall, say "hi". That way, the person will know that you are present and where you are. Many sighted people have a tendency to move aside and keep quiet, thinking they will not disturb the blind person. This could result in the blind person being startled when coming close to you or that he/she may walk into you or hit you with the cane as it is swung. If you are conversing with a blind person, tell him/her when you are leaving; otherwise, he/she may be embarrassed to learn that he/she has been talking to the air. If you follow these tips, you will avoid discomfort and embarrassment for yourself and/or the blind person.
• Sighted Guide Techniques: When you are walking with a blind person, the blind person usually walks at your side with his/her hand holding your arm just above the elbow. He or she is a half step behind you. In this way, the person can tell when you make turns or go up and down stairs. It is a good idea to let the person know if you are at stairs and if the stairs go up or down. When you go through a narrow area or doorway, drop your arm behind you and the blind person will naturally fall in behind you, switching hands if necessary. Walk at a normal pace. Walk up to a chair with a blind person and put his or her hand on the back of the chair so that he/she knows which way the chair is facing.
• Use common sense: Relax, ask if the person needs help, ask how the person needs help.

Other considerations

• Develop any handouts that will help with the presentation.
• Develop script or outline of topics.

Saturday

• Help Race/Rally Coordinator in organizing volunteers for the race/rally.

Post-Event

• Write thank-you notes to local volunteers.