Adaptive Recreation Fair in Boston June 4th!

Now is the time and THIS IS THE EVENT to discover adaptive recreation opportunities in the Boston area and beyond! Come to Artesani Park along the Charles River on Saturday, June 4 from 10am - 3pm and enjoy a day in the park! Test ride all kinds of adaptive bicycles for adults and kids. Stroll the green, meet adaptive recreation providers and see their equipment on display! Take a short hike in a mountain wheelchair or with a sighted guide! There are myriad possibilities for summer fun to be found here, so don't miss out! This is your chance to do one-stop shopping, meet friendly people and make new connections!

Participating organizations include:

Ability Plus
All Out Adventures
Bike-on
Blue Frog Party
CapeAble Adventures
Community Boating
DCR Universal Access Program
New England Disabled Sports
Northeast Passage
Outdoor Recreation of Hopkinton
Piers Park Sailing
Spaulding Rehab
Stavros Outdoor Access
U.S. Paralympics
Waypoint Adventures

Equipment on display will include the Hippocampe, Trail Rider, a wheelchair accessible camping tent, a beach wheelchair, and a sailboat. Check the sidebar here for links to the organizations above.

Facepainting, craft activities, gentle hikes, letterboxing, and a quest offer additional enjoyment for all ages. Light refreshments and water will be available. Bring your own lunch and picnic on site! Bring your bathing suit if you want to cool off in the spray pool!

Artesani Park is located at 1234 Soldiers Field Road in Brighton. Call 617-626-1294 to pre-register. ASL interpreters will be on site. You can read about last year's event here! This is "not just any day in the park"!

Set Sail in Boston!

I paid a visit to Community Boating in Boston on a gray day recently, to check out their brand new dock and catch a glimpse of their Universal Access Program in action. Wow! The new dock is fabulous - broad, spacious, clean, with a comfortable (and to code) grade from the boathouse to the boats. Most amazing of all, there is a designated slip for the adaptive sailboats. New dock, new program, same great price!

Community Boating (CBI) has the ideal location for learning to sail in Boston, right on the Esplanade and the Charles River, where the tide and commercial traffic pose no issue. Kids and people with disabilities are a high priority for this sailing organization now in its 8th decade of operation. So is affordability - membership dues are still $1 for the season - though of course donations are always welcome!

Everyone Rides in the Berkshires



A therapist jogs alongside during a test ride on a
recumbent trike along the scenic Cheshire Reservior.

The rain held off for a special event in far western Massachusetts today - the kickoff of the new Everyone Rides program, a community collaborative project which will make a fleet of adaptive bicycles available for people with disabilities to use free of charge on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail.

The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is my favorite rail trail in Massachusetts, traveling 11 miles from Adams to Pittsfield, passing along the Cheshire Reservoir at the base of Mt. Greylock. The adaptive bikes were purchased with money raised from an annual inclusive trialthlon event called Farnum's Challenge. Two local disability organizations, Ad Lib and UCP of Berkshire County, along with the Berkshire Bike Path Council , Mass DOT, and DCR, have worked together to obtain the bikes and develop a plan to make them available for independent use.

At today's event, interested riders met with a therapist to be custom fit to the right bike - a process that is required as part of the program. Once you have been properly fit to the right bike (interchangable seating allows for more personalized options), you can call to make a reservation to ride. All inquiries and reservations can be made to Dawn Matthews of UCP at 413-442-1562  ext. 24 or via dmatthews@ucpberkshires.org

The introductory array of new bikes on display today was chosen to help provide access to the trail for a wide variety of users including adults and children. Four adult bikes by AmTryke included a handcycle, a conventional trike, a recumbent trike, and a trike with assistive supports. There were also four trikes for small kids designed to meet various needs and abilities. A Duet wheelchair tandem will also join the fleet soon, allowing for a passive rider to enjoy the front ride while being pedaled by a driver behind. A new building along the rail trail owned by DCR will house the bikes and has space for future additions to the fleet.



Merle Ferber - an inspirational force for access
in the Berkshires.

Merle Ferber, longtime disability rights activist in the Berkshires, received an award today for her role in helping to develop the Farnum's Challenge event and carry forward the vision to create Everyone Rides. "There are so many people out there who want to help us," she told the crowd, "Now we have bikes in our own community we can use to ride our local rail trail. Thanks to everyone who helped make this possible, and don't forget to wear your bike helmet when you ride!"

This year's Farnum's Challenge will be held on July 24. Each team must have at least one member with a disability. To participate in this popular event and support adaptive cycling, contact Ad Lib Independent Living Center at 413-443-4338 or UCP at 413-442-1562.

Spring Into Cycling!

Adaptive cycling opportunities continue to grow throughout New England! Here's what I know is happening this spring - please add additional information via the comment box!

Northeast Passage has an Introductory Clinic indoors this Saturday, May 7, in Durham, NH. For $20 you can try out several brands and styles with individualized attention and fitting to find out what works best for you. Brands include Top End, Quickie, Hase, Greenspeed, Trailmate, and Freedom Concepts. There is a morning and an afternoon session.  Call Northeast Passage at 603-862-0070 or email northeast.passage@unh.edu to sign up. They will have a similar clinic on Cape Cad May 14 and have organized rides scheduled June 18 and 19 at Acadia National Park in Maine and June 27 on the Windham Rail Trail in New Hampshire.

Also on May 14 in the Berkshires, Bay State Bike Week will kick off with a new opportunity called Everyone Rides on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in Cheshire, MA from 10am to 12 noon. Sponsored by several organizations including the Berkshire Bike Path Council and local disability groups, Everyone Rides will make several styles of adaptive bicycles available for use throughout the biking season by request with support from the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Come on May 14 to be fitted to bikes by a therapist, participate in a group ride and find out more! Contact Dawn Matthews at 413-442-1562 x 24 or email dmatthews@ucpberkshire.org

On May 16, the Asperger's Association of New England, (AANE) is offering at Bike Riding 101 for Parents workshop in Watertown, MA (Boston) from 7-8:30pm. The presentation will help parents break down the complex process of riding a bike into manageable steps for children with Asperger Syndrome and related disabilities. There is a $40 fee for AANE members ($50 for non-members). For more information, including partial scholarships, or to register, call 617-393-3824 or email info@aane.org.

Coming up on Saturday June 4 is the DCR Universal Access Program Adaptive Recreation Fair at Artesani Park in Brighton (Boston), MA. Adaptive cycling is the primary recreation activity at this free annual event that runs from 10am - 3pm. Many styles of bikes will be on site and available for short test rides through the park along the Charles River. Call 617-626-1294 or 413-577-3840 to register in advance. All Out Adventures, Northeast Passage, Bike-on, and other cycling programs will be representing their bikes. This fair is a great place to find out about all kinds of recreation opportunities taking place in the greater Boston area and beyond this summer! Read about last year's event here to see what it is all about.

On June 11, from 9am - 12noon, the Sports Association of Gaylord Hospital will host a free Adaptive Cycling Clinic in Cheshire, CT - yet another opportunity to get individualized fitting to a wide selection of bikes. From 12:30 - 2:30pm, there will be Cycling Club Spring Ride along the Farmington Canal Greenway for those who already have their own bike. Bring a lunch if you are coming for both sessions. To participate you must register at 203-284-2772.

If you are shopping for an adaptive bike, check out Bike-on.com, based in Rhode Island. Not only do they sell the widest variety of adaptive cycles internationally, they offer an on-line community with listings by state in the U.S. for people who seek handcycle and trike riding companions and connections. Check out the All Out Adventures website for other relevant bikes not available via Bike-on. Handcyclists on the west coast may also want to look into Intrepid Cycles.

Since I've covered all but one New England state so far, I'll end by mentioning the Tandem Cycling Program offered by Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports. They haven't yet posted their cycling schedule. Keep an eye on their website and facebook page if you are interested. They have a variety of tandems and offer rides on bike paths in Burlington, Castleton and Stowe in the summer. (And if you think I didn't give Maine good enough coverage here, contact Maine Handicapped Skiing to learn about their adaptive cycling program in Portland.) Happy riding!

Celebrate the Season by Flying a Kite!

Anyone out there flying kites this spring? We are considering kite flying as a new activity for our REC Connect grant and are seeking information about accessible kite flying. If you have a disability and fly kites, we'd love to hear from you! If you are simply interested in kite flying, we'd love to know!

Kite flying is a colorful, inspiring activity that spans many cultures and dates far back into history. It can be enjoyed alone or with others, typically on an open field or beach where wind conditions are most likely to be ideal. Kite flying open us to the sky and celebrates spirit. The festive presence of kites is a cultural tradition in many places from Afghanistan to New Zealand.

Flying a kite can be as simple and affordable as buying one for $1 and launching it in a city park. Many specialty kites are available and stunt flying with kites on two or four lines has become increasingly popular.

Local clubs and regional organizations such as Kites Over New England (based in Billerica, MA) offer social events, lessons, demonstrations and events.  The American Kitefliers Association has established April as National Kite Flying Month and provides nationwide information. Kite flying aficionados (known as "kiters") may create fanciful homemade creations of substantial size that take as long as a year to build. Kite design has come a long way since I last flew one in my teens as I learned recently from this breathtaking Italian music video.

People with disabilities are engaging with this intriguing pursuit, yet information is scattered as to how and where to go about it. Searching the internet turns up people with disabilities of all kinds who fly kites, including people who are blind, have developmental disabilities, or use wheelchairs. I also found a fully inclusive kite flying events in Australia and India, plus a few examples of kite flying events as fundraisers for disability organizations, most notably one in Africa which promotes mental health and attracts an attendance of 20,000 people. For the more adventurous souls, kite flying can be used to power experiences on other equipment, including carts, surfboards, skateboards and more. Check out the Mobius Disability Kite School in England.


Kite flying in India at a festival.

If you are inspired to start flying kites, the best strategy seems to be to link up with a kiter, presumably through an organization like the ones above, or simply trying it on your own. Kite flying by people with disabilities and others can even take place indoors, without wind, with either miniature kites or a full size BioKite. A young man with epilepsy who is a great spokesperson for the benefits of kite flying flies one on America's Got Talent.

If you'd like to comment on kite flying, please do so here or contact Heidi at 413-577-3840 or heidi.marie-peterson.state.ma.us. We'd love to hear from you! You can also visit us on our facebook page!

Thanks to Wilderness Inquiry for the beach photo and Kites Over New England for 2nd two images.

SideStix in Action

We finally got to test SideStix today in an urban park in Worcester. Dwayne Boyd has provided us with the first real run on these adaptive all-terrain crutches and the feedback I've needed to assess them for our hiking program. Dwayne is a few months shy of forty and has cerebral palsy. It was his second time testing SideStix. Both times he marveled at the reduced impact on his joints that the shock absorbing design offers.

Last month we took a short walk outside the Buffone Rink before a skating program and tried SideStix on a rapidly melting snowfield still over a foot deep. He was amazed by his ability to float on top of the snow using the snowshoe attachments. Afterwards he said, "With these crutches I could go out in the yard and play in the snow with my kids! I know this product is intended for specialized use, but I would buy them to use everyday!" Since then, he's been working every angle to acquire a pair. Dwayne has written his own account after his first use of SideStix which you can link to here.



Dwayne uses an allen wrench to swap out tips on SideStix.

In today's test adventure we tackled the beach and a gravelly acorn-laden uphill trail, scrambled over a stone wall, ambled through the paved parking lot, and took a short stroll on footpaths to get onto a wooded knoll. Dwayne's mother Linda joined us for part of the time, and treated me to a potent dose of  mother's pride. "I remember the doctor sitting down with us when Dwayne was a kid," she said. "He gave us a list of all the things Dwayne would never be able to do. I'll never forget the day when Dwayne crossed the last one off the list - that one was 'having children'." I was dying to hear what else Dwayne had crossed off the list, but I had to run to keep up with him!



On the beach, Dwayne once again discovered he had better grip on the ground with SideStix. "This would be impossible on my regular crutches," he noted. With the spike and trail basket at the crutch tip, they performed well in both wet dense and loose dry sand. SideStix gave Dwayne more efficient use of his energy - he could travel farther than on his own crutches. He also traveled faster on level ground. The rotating articulating tip gave him more secure contact with pavement and all its irregularities. He found the spike surprisingly easy to adjust to using on the trail.

Dwayne had to give the crutches up briefly to get over the stone wall, took a tumble when he stepped on the trail basket at the crutch tip by accident, and decided not to tackle a steep grade with loose gravel when he met the edge of his comfort zone. Otherwise, Dwayne would have kept going until dark I think. Playing with his daughters at our skating program was on his agenda for the afternoon. Between "sidesticking" and ice sledding, Dwayne should sleep well tonight!

Summer Camps for People with Disabilities in Massachusetts and Beyond



Camp Arrowhead buddies in the waters of Lake Cochituate.
Photo by Ken McGagh, MetroWest Daily News Staff.

I've been hearing about summer camps for kids with disabilities in Massachusetts and decided to investigate further. Turns out many camps have been around for over 50 years and have well-established communities. It is truly inspirational to scan through their websites. I offer a few descriptions here as a sample of the possibilities.

Camp Arrowhead on the shores of Lake Cochituate (just outside Boston) is sponsored by the Town of Natick Recreation and Parks Department. The day camp serves both kids (age 5 and older) and adults with a wide range of disabilities from late June through mid August. A one week trip to Lion's Pride Camp in Durham, NH offers a residential experience later in August. Camp Arrowhead is open to Natick residents with some spaces available to non-residents. Each camper is paired with a teen companion in what appears to be a very successful community-based support system.
Camp Jabberwocky is a small residential vacation camp for kids and adults on Martha's Vineyard, that originally began as an opportunity for kids with cerebral palsy and has since expanded its audience, serving about 100 campers each year. Activities include dance, community plays, jet-skiing and para sailing, with occasional visitations by island celebrities. Campers and staff are profoundly dedicated.

The Bridge Center offers several summer day camp experiences in southeastern Massachusetts, specifically oriented towards campers with autism spectrum disorders, learning and cognitive disabilities, and behavioral issues. Campers are organized into small groups based on disability similarities and engage in both traditional and therapeutic recreation activities including swimming, archery, horseback riding, and a low ropes course.
Camp Howe in Goshen is over 80 years strong and offers a full range of traditional day, overnight and weekly camp activities on a waterfront with a farm experience adjacent to the D.A.R. State Forest. This is an inclusive camping experience. A program called ECHO works with campers with disabilities separately and mixed in with general campers. Camp Howe is dedicated to cultivating understanding and appreciation of individual differences.


Accessible tree house at the Fowler Center.

I could go on and on! There are many more camps and quite a few specialize in particular individual circumstances such as diabetes or limb differences. If you are seeking information about summer camps this year, link into a one-stop resource on the New England Index website. If you have a camp to recommend here, feel free to comment!

I confess I have unabashedly borrowed these photos in order to help promote the summer camp opportunity for people with disabilities. I also cannot complete this post without mentioning the Fowler Center in Michigan as further inspiration - a unique facility lovingly created by a visionary individual with cerebral palsy that offers an accessible tree house and a camp for kids on ventilators (with medical doctors from the University of Michigan as dedicated staff). Perhaps we have an equal here in New England - my research ends without revealing this possibility.

Jump-start Recreation Opportunities April 5

I'm back from vacation and looking out the window at an April Fool's day snowstorm! Perhaps you too are still half in winter and half in spring mode. There is no better time to consider all the possibilities! The Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Connecticut is once again offering their annual Day of Discovery on Tuesday, April 5, from 5:30 to 8pm. It is a fantastic bull's eye opportunity not to miss.

"Every sport! Every season! Everything you want to know! All in one place, one night! Slides! Videos! Equipment! Coaches! Athletes!" sings the poster for this free event. In one evening you'll have the opportunity to learn  about a wide variety of adaptive sports programs offered in southern New England. Meet the people involved, pick up program calendars, and sign up for programs! Activities include golfing, tennis, skiing, archery, sailing, kayaking, sled hockey, curling, adaptive cycling, horseback riding, water skiing and more.

New Ruling Allows Power-Driven Mobility Devices on Trails

Effective March 15, people with mobility-related disabilities will be able to legally use power-driven mobility devices other than wheelchairs to access trails on public lands. This Department of Justice Ruling has been under consideration for awhile, with much input from the disability community and others. It specifically applies to those entities covered under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). In reading through some of the text of the ruling, I find it admirable to see how well considered the needs of people with disabilities are taken by the federal government, although the new law does not apply to federally managed public lands, such as National Parks. State, local, and private land managers are scrambling now to figure out how to integrate the new DOJ ruling into practice, since it will apply to trails not normally open to motorized vehicles. Areas that have been assessed according to DOJ standards may be exempt from the new ruling.

Five years ago at one of our Universal Access Program events in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, a woman on a Segway using the Ashuwilliticook Rail Trail rolled up to talk to us and demonstrate her new mobility device. It was exciting to see the Segway in use, particularly by someone with multiple sclerosis. The Segway is a good example of a power driven mobility device designed for broad public use, with great potential for some people with disabilities. Other examples include golf carts and ATVs.

Wheelchair Accessible Maple Sugaring!

Tired of winter? Time to jump start spring and get your taste of a New England Tradition! Sample the syrup as it is being made this month at the following locations and events near Boston.

March 12 and 13  10am - 4pm  Maple Sugar Days at the Blue Hill Reservation in Milton, MA - This annual event is wheelchair accessible! Admission is $6 per person, ages 2 and younger are free. Enjoy the smell of sap cooking down, the taste of the latest batch, a free shuttle ride, and activities for all ages at beautiful Brookwood Farm. DCR and Mass Audubon jointly host this highly popular program. Nearby at Trailside Museum, visit outdoor wildlife exhibits. For more information, please call 617-698-1802 or 617-333-0690.