Crime and danger are rampant, and everyone's a potential victim. Some predators think people with disabilities are the easiest victims of all. Some predators have a surprise in store.

Taijutsu instructor Jeffrey Prather simulates an attack with a crowbar. P.J. Dixon traps Prather's arm with his chin and his foot with his wheelchair. The attacker, experiencing pain in three spots, will either loosen his grip and lose his balance, or get a broken arm.

Self-defense courses teach people with any level of ability to ward off personal attack by knowing how to use everything available as a weapon -- from arms and legs to car keys or a wheelchair's wheels. Using such techniques can enable intended victims to:

• avoid suffering serious injury or losing consciousness by deflecting punches or breaking the attacker's balance and thwarting his intention
• surprise an attacker so that he gives up and leaves
• gain enough time for someone else to come to their aid
• immobilize the attacker and end the fight quickly

Self-defense has been learned by people with cognitive, visual and hearing disabilities, as well as by amputees and wheelchair users who have strong arms and those who don't. For the latter, the chin and head are weapons, as are the teeth and the wheelchair itself.

Almost all self-defense courses draw on the Asian martial arts, all of which combine psychological, spiritual and physical lessons. Along with techniques for disabling an opponent, students learn alertness, breathing techniques, concentration and confidence.

Bill Austin of Perry, Okla., has studied martial arts for 11 years and earned a third-degree black belt in a style called Wu Shu Kung Fu, which combines techniques from several of the arts. It focuses on "fighting inside" or "short techniques." Rather than the showy kicks and leaps of competitive martial arts, masters of this technique are prepared to fight up close.

Austin, who uses a power wheelchair because of spinal muscular atrophy, has defended himself physically. He's prepared to respond to an attacker by "leaning back and then going forward with my hand on my electric knob for my wheelchair. If they get close to me I'd bite them, or hit them with my head, shoulder, whatever to draw them in." A power wheelchair slamming into the shins is a serious deterrent.

"A lot of it is surprise, and a lot of it is you have to put yourself in a position to react normally without any glitches, and that's where concentration and relaxation come in," Austin says.

P.J. Dixon of Tucson, Ariz., studies a technique called Taijutsu, based on an ancient ninja skill of fighting with the hands. Dixon, who has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, is helping his teacher, Jeffrey Prather, instruct classes for people with disabilities.

In Taijutsu, Prather says, "We use timing and distance, instead of speed and strength."

While one of Prather's wheelchair-user students, LeNae Liebetrau, can perform many techniques with her hands and arms, Dixon relies on his head, chin and quick wheelchair maneuvering for self-defense.

Liebetrau says, "I feel better knowing there's something I can do, things I can try."

Because an attacker is committed to moving in one direction, self-defense instruction focuses on knowing how to throw him off balance at the right time. Liebetrau says, "You learn how to work their body to your advantage."

Dixon, a third-degree black belt, values the spiritual dimensions of his martial arts training, which has helped him handle many situations in life.

"The objective is to recognize what you're capable of. It changes your perspective on life. It's a way of understanding how things work in the universe, and incorporating wisdom and knowledge in all areas."

Last year, Dixon's wheelchair was hit by a car turning into traffic. "I remained calm and moved with it," he recalls. "I was not afraid. I tucked and rolled to get out of the way of the wheel."

He attributes his calmness to his self-defense training. "Nothing got broken but the wheelchair. I reacted appropriately. But being clear-minded helped."

If you'd like to learn self-defense, look for a class that's geared toward people with disabilities. If there isn't one in your community, visit some classes and talk to instructors. You need one who's willing to work with you to modify techniques and adapt to your needs.

Liebetrau cautions, "Know your body and your limits, how much activity you can handle. Part of learning self-defense is to advocate for yourself and communicate to others." 

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