Occasionally, Greg Pinson likes to throw himself out of his wheelchair. And while that might sound strange, it’s for good reason.
Pinson, who was born with spina bifida, is a keen indoor skydiver and the brand ambassador for indoor skydiving provider iFly.
In a way, his ‘flying career’ began with relearning how to have fun; after he began transitioning to a wheelchair around the age of 30, he thought he wouldn’t be able to have much fun anymore. But indoor skydiving changed that.
“A few people suggested I try out iFly Indoor Skydiving, and I was hooked. Even on my days off, I’d go in and just watch,” Pinson said.
Eventually, iFly approached Pinson and asked him to be their ambassador. He’s been in that role for around three years now and says he is loving every minute.
Accommodations for all abilities
Pinson’s job is to promote the organisation’s monthly all-abilities events. These are designed for people from all walks of life and all ages; in his words, “[for] pretty much every disability, we can get you to fly”.
As well as ambassador, Pinson says he has served as something of a test dummy so iFly can work out how to best help people with different disabilities to experience its flights.
“For myself, I’ll wheel all the way up to the door and sort of just throw myself out of the chair… and dive in,” he said.
Staff then help him back into his wheelchair after the flight, and he says they have worked hard to develop the safest and most respectful way to get each flyer from their chair to the tunnel, and vice versa at the end. For those with other disabilities, like blindness or low vision, staff use taps on the body to signify different movements (the tunnel is a noisy environment, meaning instructions can’t be conveyed verbally). Instructions are explained to each flyer before their flight. For flyers with sensory needs, the lights can be dimmed and the music can be turned down.
“We’re more than happy to accommodate… every person that comes in through the door,” Pinson explained.
IDPwD
iFly runs inclusive all-abilities events at a discounted price each month, and Pinson says they have gone “from strength to strength”, with strong community interest.
For International Day of People with Disability last year, iFly gave away free flights for people with disability, which sold out within 24 hours – something that Pinson said proves the level of demand for the services.
And he said participants have a blast.
“The joy it brings for people like myself… being able to get out of the chair for just a few minutes and to do an activity that’s, quote-unquote, normal – to be involved in that is something special,” Pinson said.
“At the end of their session, they are beaming!”