6. Accessible Outdoor Programs
- Gabrielle Watkins
- May 15, 2021
- 5 min read
Cover image: Three people on a hike, one in the front holding I believe a guide dog
Welcome to my next post! Here, I will highlight various outdoor programs that are designed for people with disabilities to have great outdoor experiences. These experiences are geared towards outdoor “adventures”, and I wanted to briefly reiterate that though this is not the only way or a superior way of experiencing the outdoors, it is still extremely important to improve access so that disabled folks have an equal opportunity to participate in it. It was really great to see how many of these programs are out there and these are just a few that I came across. They show that accessibility in outdoor adventure recreation is very possible when the right conditions and accommodations are present. I have included links to each of them so feel free to check out any that you have particular interest in.
Oregon Adaptive Sports
This organization is based in central Oregon and was founded twenty four years ago. They offer a ton of different sports programs for people with disabilities, including, cycling, hiking, golf, mountain biking, rock climbing, paddling, skiing and snowboarding. All of their summer programs are also free of charge which is amazing and makes it much more accessible for people who might not be able to otherwise afford it. Adaptive equipment that they have to help people with disabilities explore the outdoors and play sports include adaptive golf carts, “advenchairs” (off-road wheelchairs), on-road and off-road handcycles (for people with limited leg mobility), recumbent trikes, tandem bikes (for people with visual and/or balance impairments), a mechanical advantage rock climbing system (to assist the climber further) various different kinds of rock climbing harnesses and different kinds of ski equipment that allow people with one leg to ski standing up or wheelchair users and other mobility impaired folks to ski in a seated position. One other piece of adaptive equipment that improves outdoor accessibility (outside of this organization) is beach wheelchairs, which have thick tires allowing them to roll on sand. This organization looks amazing and has mottos like “ski for all” on their website and social media. On the homepage of their website they say, “Oregon Adaptive Sports envisions a day when everyone has the benefits of outdoor recreation, regardless of ability.” I believe that they are making great strides for this day to come. This is definitely an amazing resource for people with disabilities looking to explore the outdoors in an active way. Here are a few images from the program of the adaptive equipment that they use, check out their website to see more.
Image: Someone skiing downhill on a monoski, a device with a bucket seat and a single ski underneath
Image: a man mountain biking using an off-road hand cycle with two large frontal tires and one small tire in the back. He pedals with his arms instead of legs.
Adaptive Sports Association
This association is located in Durango, Colorado. Their mission found on their website is as follows, “Our mission is to provide outdoor, sport and recreational experiences for people with disabilities. These activities are provided regardless of individual financial limitations and create an atmosphere for learning and enhancing self-esteem.” Adaptive Sports Association was founded by Dave Spencer, a man whose leg was amputated due to cancer and wanted to create a ski and sport organization for people with disabilities because of it. I think it is really neat that this organization was created by a person with a disability who may share a similar experience to clients. The organization provides financial assistance case by case, trying to increase access for people who struggle to afford it. They also provide similar adaptive equipment and do a wide range of sports, including, camping, cycling, kayaking, canoeing, rafting and skiing; the programs look like a lot of fun. One thing I did see on this website that made me curious was the line in the mission section of the website, “By working with participants to overcome physical and cognitive challenges in a supportive environment, ASA helps participants explore possibilities.” I know that the “overcoming” disability narrative has been deemed very harmful by disability studies, and I was kind of confused about if they were implying that their program overcomes disability itself or if it meant that they are overcoming the situations like lack of access that create disability.
New England Disabled Sports
This organization is located in the White Mountains of New England was founded in 1987 to provide adaptive sports instruction. Their vision and their guiding principle about equality resonated with me the most, “We envision a world where disabilities are not barriers... To ensure that every person, regardless of ability, has an equal opportunity to participate in sports and recreation in their community.” To achieve this equal opportunity, we need to make accommodations and adaptive equipment available, like these programs do, as well as reshaping our narratives surrounding the outdoors and thinking about access when making trails or sites. This program is unique in that it does custom camps for ten to twenty-five people as well as having a program for physically and emotionally wounded veterans. It also offers all of the same sports and much of the same adaptive equipment as the previous programs do, with the addition of archery.
Paradox Sports
Paradox Sports is based in Boulder, Colorado and focuses on providing rock and ice climbing opportunities for people with disabilities. The section of their vision that resonated with me the most is, “Ability does not inhibit opportunity”. I think that the work they are doing shows that it is possible for people with disabilities to rock climb when access is created- removing the disabling aspect- and they are a part of creating that world. Paradox Sports advocates that they serve people with a wide range of impairments, including neurological conditions, amputations/limb difference, spinal cord injuries, visual impairments, post traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic brain injuries. I think that this is really important to show because a lot of the research I did focused mainly only on how people with mobility impairments struggle with access in the outdoors. I did not see exactly how they make their trips and programs (including local indoor climbing as well as some national outdoor excursions) accessible but it looks like they have different kinds of adaptive gear and the staff is trained in teaching methods.
Adaptive Climbing Group
Adaptive Climbing Group has indoor clinics in New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as hosting some outdoor trips. It has the motto, “Anyone can climb”, helping teach people with disabilities of all ages and was officially founded in 2013. One thing Adaptive Climbing Group recognizes is that it is not just about the climbing, it also about the disability community created as a result which I really loved to see.
Thank you for reading and I hope that you found these helpful!
Comments