Seattle’sChild March 2020 // Issue 481 “Seattle is my town. I know this city inside and out… or so I thought until I had kids.” Seattle’s Child is your guide to getting to know your city all over again. Finding things to do, places to eat, and how to get around — it’s a whole new ballgame with kids in tow. We’re interested in how parents make homes in a space-challenged urban environment, how families create community, and what parents are really talking about. Seattle’s Child reflects real Washington families and their broad range of parenting experiences. ANN BERGMAN Publisher, Founder abergman@seattleschild.com BOO BILLSTEIN Art Director art@seattleschild.com SYDNEY PARKER Managing Editor sparker@seattleschild.com JULIE HANSON Website Editor jhanson@seattleschild.com LEAH WINTERS Calendar Editor calendar@seattleschild.com MIKE MAHONEY Copy Editor JEFF LEE, MD Columnist ERIKA LEE BIGELOW, ERIKA ALMANZA BROWN, JEFFREY CHEATHAM, ASIA CITRO, CHRISTINE DAY, HALLIE GOLDEN, ARAN GOYOAGA, JIAYING GRIEGEL, ERIN GROTH, BRETT HAMIL, DANIELLE HAYDEN, NAT NEVILLE, JOCELYN SKILLMAN, JASMIN THANKACHEN, KATHLEEN VASQUEZ, DESIRAE WILKERSON Contributing Writers JASMIN THANKACHEN Admin Coordinator/Project Manager ADVERTISING KIM LOVE Ad Production Manager klove@seattleschild.com ROB WHITE Advertising Sales Manager rob@seattleschild.com 253-732-0429 RACHEL NEVARIL Sales Account Manager rnevaril@seattleschild.com 206-226-7844
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Department of Services for the Blind, and has been held at least five other times in various parts of the state over the past 12 months. People as old as 21 are welcome to attend these classes, which provide an introduction to defending yourself in a variety of situations. But these self-defense courses are just one of the many types of workshops offered to young people across the state who are blind or visually impaired by the department throughout the year. They include everything from a healthy eating class and emergency response workshop to a ski trip, with one-on-one instruction. The self-defense class was taught by Arvidson and his wife Collette, both 5th-degree black belts in the traditional Korean martial art of Soo Bahk Do. They also run Anacortes Soo Bahk Do, a martial arts studio. During the class, the pair takes the students through a series of basic moves, teaching them how to break free if someone grabs their wrist or comes up behind them and puts their arms around their chest, or puts them in a choke hold. They even bring out some small boards at the end of class for each student to break, using either their hand or foot. Beyond physical technique, the instructors teach basic exercises to boost the students’ self-awareness and
self-confidence. Andy Arvidson, 69, says he views these skills as a crucial part of self-defense. If you’re aware of where you are and who is around you, there’s less chance of being snuck up on, he explains. Toward the beginning of the course, he has the students stand in a circle and take turns saying as loudly as they can, “Get your hands off of me!” They practice breathing exercises to help them boost the volume of their voices. Collette Arvidson explains that it’s really important to be able to make your voice loud and strong when you need to. “Nobody’s going to even know if you’re just talking with another kid or you’re goofing off, so you have to be really verbal and say, ‘Get your hand off of me!’ so somebody can hear clearly,” she says. This is the second time that Eli McCalmont, 13, has taken the self-defense class through the services for the blind department. He said his favorite part has been learning how to get out of a choke hold. “I think that is the worst-case scenario, and it’s good to learn that, and I think it’s a cool move,” says McCalmont, who’s from Issaquah. Janet George, Youth Services Specialist for the Washington State Department of Services for the Blind, emphasizes that these classes offer the unique opportunity for students to learn important skills from someone who is blind. “He has been there; He knows what it’s like to be blind,” says George. “He knows what it’s like to have the need to defend yourself, and he can share his insights with the young people, and they’re going to be a lot more accepting because he and they walk the same road.”
