Blind girl's drowning raises old questions
MINNEAPOLIS, July 23, 2003 -- The drowning death of a 7-year-old blind girl on Friday has raised questions about a camp's policy of having blind-only counselors. Brianna Nelson drowned Friday during an outing at Lake Calhoun in Minnesota, one of eight young blind swimmers being supervised by three blind counselors. The 4-week camp was run by Blind, Inc., a Minneapolis groups that helps blind children learn life skills from adults who are also blind. According to camp director Joyce Scanlan, the counselors had swimming experience, and, she said, they were "listening, staying close enough to touch them and constantly calling out their names." When Brianna didn't call back, she said, they summoned help. They immediately notified lifeguards, who found the girl 70 feet from shore.