Class act

Jet ski challenge

This class act is a straightforward lesson plan for teachers. Use it in any educational
setting with young people, particularly as part of citizenship education or informally. It
will help students think about and discuss what it is like to be someone else, and
understand and reflect on other people's situations and feelings. It is part of the British
Red Cross humanitarian education programme.

Summary
This class act lesson plan is based around a man
called Graham Hicks who enjoys extreme sports.
At first, the lesson gets students thinking about
risk taking, and encourages them to imagine
what it might be like to be someone else. As the
story develops, and students find out that the
initial scenario really happened, the discussion
will move onto an entirely different topic –
disability.
Timings
You should be able to cover phases 1 (15
minutes) and 2 (25 minutes) in one lesson,
leaving students to do the phase 2 activity as
homework. You can then follow up with phase 3
in the next lesson. However, the resource is
flexible, and by omitting the optional activities you
will be able to run the class act in a single class.

This resource is divided into three phases. Each Learning outcomes

phase provides nuggets of information for
discussion and reflection, and encourages
students to think creatively. There are several
optional activities that can be completed during
the lesson or as homework.
The social model of disability briefing for teachers
is a useful preparation tool for this class act.
Age group
This resource is designed for 7 to 14 year olds,
but can also be used with older students.
> Students will attempt to imagine what it is like
to be someone else.
> Students will appreciate that, just like
everyone else, people with disabilities and
impairments have unique wants and goals,
but that there may be barriers to these being
fulfilled.
> Students will think about the lives and needs
of a person with a disability and explore why
everyday tasks can be very challenging,
especially without the right support.
See page 6 for curriculum links

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Class act: Jet ski challenge
Phase 1
Ask your students to imagine the following:
You have signed up for a fundraising
challenge to support a charity. You are going
to jet ski across the North Sea from Norfolk to
the Netherlands, with a tough time limit. But
on the day of the challenge you arrive at the
shore to find thick fog lying across the water.
You can see virtually nothing – not even your
hand help up in front of your face.
Do you go ahead with your challenge, or
cancel?
Ask students for their initial thoughts and
reactions, either as a whole class or in smaller
groups, and encourage them to consider the
following:
How would you decide what to do? Many people
have pledged money in support of your big
adventure. But going ahead with it could mean
failure, as well as putting your own safety at risk.
What factors are most important? Who would
you listen to before deciding what to do?
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Encourage students to think about what the
dangers would be. Are there any precautions
they could take to make it safer? Might there be
devices to help them navigate despite not being
able to see the way? What else might help?
You might choose to extend the discussion with
the following, or use it as a short writing activity:
Imagine yourself standing on the shore in your
wetsuit, looking out into the vast, wet
greyness ahead. Your jet ski is there, ready to
go. Friends and relatives have turned up to
see you setting off. You are weighing up your
options – going home, or jet skiing to the
Netherlands in thick fog. What thoughts are
going though your mind? How do you feel?
What do you decide to do, and why?
Ask students to write down their final decision –
to jet ski or not to jet ski – and any safety
measures they would take.
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Class act: Jet ski challenge
Phase 2
Reveal to students that this situation happened:
Someone did decide to jet ski from Norfolk to
the Netherlands without being able to see a
thing. But the poor visibility wasn’t due to fog
– the person is blind. Graham Hicks is also
profoundly deaf.
Get students’ reactions. Are they surprised?
Impressed? Why? Talk about disabled people
doing extreme physical challenges. Is there any
logical reason why someone with an impairment
shouldn't enjoy speed and extreme sports?
Discuss what senses a deaf or blind person
would rely on most for discovering and enjoying
new things – touch, feel, sight or hearing. What
about someone who is both deaf and blind?
What sensations would they be aware of when
jet skiing, for example?
Some people love extreme sports like skydiving
or bungee jumping. Maybe a student, or
someone they know, has tried one. Who would
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like to, and why? Who would rather go shopping
or hang out with friends at home? Does this give
an idea of character differences within the
group?
Revisit students’ jet ski decision. Who decided to
head home? Who decided to go for it? Invite
students to consider whether there might be
similar differences in likes and dislikes among
people who are deaf or blind or both. Discuss
whether a liking for extreme sports like jet skiing
is dependent on your personality or your physical
ability to do it.
Invite students to think about Graham Hicks
again. How does he manage to jet ski without
sight or hearing? What support must he need?
How might he get around the times when he
needs to see or hear when he’s jet skiing? How
does he know where to steer, whether to
accelerate or slow down, how to avoid
obstacles? Ask students to imagine Graham’s
solutions.
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Class act: Jet ski challenge
Phase 3
Tell the group more about Graham Hicks:
Graham Hicks is in his 40s. He went blind at
the age of 3 and deaf aged 6. He has poor
balance and needs to be guided and
supported when he moves around. He “hears”
through letters traced onto the palm of his
hand and speaks with his own voice. A Braille
display computer enables him to
communicate via email.
Graham gets a kick out of physical challenges.
In 2003 he set a Guinness World Record for
the longest jet ski journey by speeding from
Norfolk to the Netherlands in six hours. He
broke his own record two days later by
travelling 127 miles in under six hours on his
return trip.
Now reveal how he manages to jet ski:
Graham is the driver of the jet ski, and he has
another person who sits behind him. The
pillion rider uses a system of touch signals to
tell Graham when to adjust their course to the
left or right, to slow down and go faster. They
can also use the deafblind manual alphabet,
but this is difficult with the motion of the jet
ski, so they usually stop if they want to talk.
Had students guessed that he rode with another
person? Talk about how a simple touch signal
system has made it possible for Graham to go jet
skiing.
Broaden the discussion by thinking of other
inventions that help people with physical
impairments – hearing aids, Braille, a door bell
that activates a fan. What about glasses? Millions
of people with bad eyesight couldn’t in the past
do ordinary things like read and write. With the
invention of glasses, their sight was corrected.
Do we think of people with glasses or contact
lenses as disabled? Why not?
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Talk about how these inventions improve
disabled people’s quality of life. Think about the
importance of independence – wanting the
freedom to live your own life and make your own
choices doesn’t change just because you have
an impairment. But it might be a lot harder if you
don’t get the right support.
Many people with impairments feel disabled by
society. What do students think they mean? A
wheelchair might enable you to get out and
about, but what if your local train station has
stairs and no ramp or lift? What if a shop door is
too narrow to get through? How would it feel to
be barred from huge sections of society, such as
public transport, shops, cafes, clubs, schools
and sports?
Complete the story about Graham:
Graham works for an organisation called
Deafblind UK. He enjoys extreme challenges
and uses them to raise funds and awareness
of deafblindness. He said about his jet skiing
World Record: “I wanted to demonstrate that
being deafblind does not stop you from doing
even the most challenging of things and also
that deafblind people can be part of a team
with able bodied people – in this case I was
the leader.”
Why might Graham want to raise awareness of
deafblindness? Talk about negative stereotypes
of disabled people, for example, as helpless,
tragic victims. How is Graham’s portrayal of
disabled people different?
Stress that not all deafblind people are as
outgoing, successful, and well supported as
Graham. Many find everyday tasks – getting
dressed, getting out, shopping, keeping up with
the news – challenging enough. And many get
very little support. How well is society organised
to meet the needs of a deafblind person? What
could be done to make things easier for them,
and for other disabled people?
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Class act: Jet ski challenge
Optional extension – fingerspelling
Also known as fingerspelling, the Deafblind
Manual Alphabet is a method of spelling out
words onto a deafblind person's hand. A
particular sign or place on the hand represents
each letter. There is a chart showing each letter
and tips on communicating with deafblind
people.
Give students a copy of the fingerspelling
alphabet and let them experiment with each
letter. After a few minutes, ask them to try
communicating in pairs, only using the alphabet.
They can look at the chart, but not at their hand,
and they can’t talk. Can they understand each
other?
Why is it important for people who are not
deafblind to be able to communicate with
deafblind people? Discuss how everyone has a
part to play in making society more welcoming
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and adapted to disabled people’s needs. For
deafblind people, being able to communicate on
their own terms with strangers makes a world of
difference to what they can do. Why?
Ask students to imagine that they are fluent in
finger spelling and come across a deafblind
person for the first time. What would you ask him
or her? What might their answers be? This can
be a creative writing activity, possibly including
some research into deafblindness; a role play
activity based on a script and including some
finger spelling if students feel up to it; and you
could consider inviting a deafblind speaker to
your school to give students the opportunity to
talk to him or her about their experiences.
Deafblind UK do tailor-made school visits – visit
www.deafblind.org.uk/education/index, email
education@deafblind.org.uk, or call the
education team on 01733 358 100.
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Class act: Jet ski challenge
Curriculum links
England
Key stage 2 Citizenship
> 1a to talk and write about their opinions, and
explain their views, on issues that affect themselves
and society
> 2e to reflect on spiritual, moral, social, and cultural
issues, using imagination to understand other
people's experiences
> 4e to recognise and challenge stereotypes
> 4f that differences and similarities between people
arise from a number of factors, including cultural,
ethnic, racial and religious diversity, gender and
disability
Key stage 3 Citizenship
> 2a think about topical political, spiritual, moral,
social and cultural issues, problems and events by
analysing information and its sources, including ICT-
based sources
> 2b justify orally and in writing a personal opinion
about such issues, problems or events
> 2c contribute to group and exploratory class
discussions, and take part in debates
> 3a use their imagination to consider other people's
experiences and be able to think about, express and
explain views that are not their own
Northern Ireland
Key stage 2
> explore and understand how others live
> become aware of key issues which affect their
physical, social and mental well-being and that of others
> develop tolerance and mutual respect for others
> become aware of some of the issues and problems
in society
> contribute to creating a better world for those
around them
> be aware of how we rely on each other
> become aware of the imbalances in the world
around us, at both a local and a global level
> be willing to take calculated risks when appropriate
> challenging the routine method, accepting that there
is not always a ‘right’ answer
> valuing the unexpected or surprising
> listen actively and share opinions
> adapt behaviour and language to suit different
people and situations
Key stage 3 Local and Global Citizenship
> Diversity and Inclusion – investigate how and why
conflict, including prejudice, stereotyping,
sectarianism and racism may arise in the community.
Investigate ways of managing conflict and promoting
community relations, reconciliation
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> Diversity and Inclusion – investigate the opportunities
arising from diversity and multiculturalism and
possible ways of promoting inclusion, for example,
community relations work, shared festivals and
sporting events, integrated education etc.
> Human Rights and Social Responsibility – investigate
why it is important to uphold human rights standards
in modern democratic societies, including meeting
basic needs, protecting individuals and groups of
people
> Equality and Social Justice – explore how inequalities
can arise in society including how and why some
people may experience inequality or discrimination
on the basis of their group identity
> Investigate citizenship issues, explore problems,
undertake action projects and make informed
decisions
Scotland
Education for citizenship
> Contemporary local and global issues, paying regard
to available evidence, and to a range of ideas and
interpretations of their significance
> People's material and spiritual needs and wants and
the implications of these for issues such as
environmental sustainability and social justice
> The barriers to full opportunity to exercise citizenship
arising from socio-economic circumstances,
prejudice and discrimination decision making
processes in society and the roles of the media and
marketing in these processes
> Question and respond constructively to the ideas
and actions of others in debate and/or in writing
> Contribute to discussions and debate in ways that
are assertive and, at the same time, attentive to and
respectful of others' contributions
> Make informed decisions in relation to political,
community and environmental issues
> Develop informed and reasoned opinions about
political, economic, social and environmental issues
> Understand and value cultural and community
diversity and be respectful of other people
> Imagine alternatives to current ways of doing things
Wales
Key stage 2 PSE
> Community aspect – understand the importance of
democratic decision-making and involvement and
how injustice and inequality affect people’s lives.
> Spiritual aspect – recognise the uniqueness and
independence of individuals.
> Show care and consideration for others and be
sensitive towards their feelings.
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Class act: Jet ski challenge redcross.org.uk/education

> Respect others and their property, value their
achievements and their uniqueness and recognise
the importance of equality of opportunity.
> Value and celebrate cultural difference and diversity.
> Be curious and inquisitive and have a sense of
wonder at natural phenomena and human
achievement.
> Empathise with others' experiences and feelings.
Key stage 3 PSE
> Social aspect – understand cultural differences and
recognise expressions of prejudice and stereotyping.
> Community aspect – understand the nature of local,
national and international communities with
reference to cultural diversity, justice, law and order
and interdependence.
> Show care and consideration for others and their
property and be sensitive towards their feelings.
> Have respect for themselves and others.
> Value cultural diversity and equal opportunity and
respect the dignity of all.
> Empathise with others' experiences and feelings.

This class act is part of the humanitarian education programme produced by the British Red Cross. Teachers and other
educators are free to use it, copy it and circulate it for their work. Please always include this notice and the contact details
below.

This class act was written by Kristin Hulaas Sunde, based on an original idea by PJ White. It was produced in September
2007.

Schools and community education

British Red Cross
44 Moorfields
London EC2Y 9AL
reducation@redcross.org.uk

The British Red Cross would like to thank Graham Hicks and Deafblind UK for their collaboration in the writing of this
resource.

This resource and other free educational materials are available at www.redcross.org.uk/education

Registered Charity Number 220949

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