Adaptive Bocce in Massachusetts

The Italian game of bocce is a fun, versatile and inexpensive sport that can be adapted for play by people with disabilities. Long known as an intergenerational pastime in Italian communities, it is especially favored by older men as a way to enjoy long afternoons. Bocce can be played anywhere balls can be rolled out on flat ground or on standardized courts. Official rules can be simplified for easy play with kids. A set of bocce balls can be purchased for as little as $25.

This year I've been exploring ways to play bocce and how it can be adapted for people of all abilities. I took a bag of the eight colorful and hard bocce balls and the small white one known as a jack to my neighborhood swimming pool and initiated informal games on the lawn, where curious kids jumped in to play. I also played it with friends indoors seated on a large rug which defined our court. If you haven't played bocce it is definitely worth getting to know this game! 

Cindy Walker's Paralympic Journey Towards Rio

Photo courtesy of U.S. Sailing.

I met Cindy Walker when she came to one of our ice skating programs last year and have been marveling at her journey ever since. 

Thanks Cindy for your Guest Post on what it is like to train as a Paralympic athlete! 

Best of luck on your way to Rio! 

Readers can support Cindy's journey at www.Teamporteouswalker.org

      Sailing for me started as a hobby and has become a passion. In my eyes sailing is one of the only sports where everyone, can take part, unless you’re afraid of the water.  I have truly become a sailor at heart. Whether I’m racing or on the water with my family and friends I’m at peace. 

The first thing that comes to mind about being a Paralympic sailor might be sacrifice, but at the end of the day I whole heartedly enjoy what I do, so in hindsight I’m not sacrificing anything because there isn’t anything I’d rather be doing with my life. I am on the “Road to Rio” aka, training and competing for the next 3 years in the hopes of representing the U.S. at the 2016 summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Crotched Mountain Accessible Trails

View of nearby ridge from the top of the Gregg Trail.

Looking for an accessible hike in gorgeous New England mountain scenery? Get yourself to Crotched Mountain! It’s worth the drive!

Recently Tom McCarthy and I found our way to Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire for an autumn treat. It was a 2 hour drive from Amherst, Massachusetts. We’ve been curious about two accessible trails at the Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center that offer a hiking opportunity on the wilder side and wanted to get some “state of the art” inspiration. These are the longest accessible hiking trails in a mountain environment in the U.S. and are recognized by Yankee Magazine and New Hampshire Magazine as the best wheelchair accessible trails in 2013.

Take a Fundraising Walk!

Have you ever been on a fundraising walk? Don Summerfield, a stroke survivor living in the Boston area, is a long time participant in DCR’s Universal Access Programs. He also participates in fundraising walks to raise money for important causes. On the morning of October 6th while watching the news, he saw that a walk was happening at DCR’s Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. He hustled down there and joined the walk on the spur of the moment. From his excitement I am learning more about these types of events. Thanks Don for your Guest Post!

I woke up this morning, and while watching the news, one the team leaders of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at the Hatch Shell was talking about falling then getting up 8 times as a metaphor for being a Breast Cancer Survivor. I felt a strong urge to help her and others fight this scourge! Getting a second chance to walk again after my stroke in 2002 helped me realize that by walking for others that can't, I can help!

I jumped in to help raise awareness, since I didn’t have time to secure donations for this walk, which had no entrance fee or fundraising minimum. The longest choice was 6 miles. I picked a 2 mile route and walked one mile. Despite occasional rain, it was great walking weather! I saw one person in a wheelchair and no doubt other people with disabilities were present. 40,000 people walked for this event and over 3 million dollars were raised! Not all the walking has to happen on the day of the event, so there are lots of ways to participate.

I like fundraising walks for giving back to those in need and to thank those who give us so much. They are lots of fun! You get to walk with folks that have similar values, like giving back. It is great exercise too!  Of all the fundraising walks I've done, two have made a very lasting impression. One is the BABIS Heads Held High Brain Injury Awareness Walk, which I have done 8 times! I also did the MS WALK in 2010. I’ve raised between $100 and $3000 per walk. Some walks do have fees or fundraising minimums so I usually prepare in advance.

I also raise money directly by word of mouth. Please contact the group that you feel will do the most good! Consider taking a walk to help!!

Tour the Boston Harbor Islands!

I recently spent a day on Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor. What a refreshing outing so close to Boston! Just off shore, with the city in full view, you can experience an island getaway!

Boston Harbor has a surprising number of islands - most people don't realize the islands are even there, let alone 34 of them! Many are part of a combined National and State Park and accessible by ferry from Long Wharf. The islands offer hiking trails, beaches, ranger tours, camping, boat cruises, nature walks, historic sites and various events throughout the warmer months. There are even a few winter tours.

Paddling the Quinebaug River

Fall is a great time for paddling, especially on  warmer days with fall color along the edges of wetlands. I escaped the office one day this week with intrepid flatwater adventurers Charlie and Bob and got onto the Quinebaug River in central Massachusetts. Charlie and Bob continue to explore rivers on a weekly basis three years after my last excursion with them. What a life they live!





The Quinebaug is a 5 mile stretch of a narrow river and a national recreation trail that winds through open wetlands between Holland Pond and the East Brimfield Reservoir just east of Brimfield. The current is gentle so we paddled both upstream and down, basking in the beauty of a sunny day in a remote place loaded with autumn color. Herons and migrating birds were easy to view. Few people were using the river on a weekday but we did see a couple of fishermen and paddlers. Clear water allowed us to enjoy the streaming vegetation beneath our canoe and kayaks and catch glimpses fish and swimming turtles. I was thrilled to experience a few hours in this magnificent place.

Cape Cod Adventure!

Have you been to Cape Cod for a vacation? Did you have an easy time or difficulty with access? If you are looking for more accessibility information on one of the most popular vacation spots on the east coast, David Whitenett offers his perspective as a person who uses a power wheelchair in search of trails to enjoy nature. Thanks Dave for sharing your experiences in this Guest Post!

In late August 2012, my wife Brenda and I visited Cape Cod. We did a lot of Internet research before our visit to find information about accessibility, and that effort paid off. We were there for three days and two nights. We spent the majority of our time exploring locations in the Cape Cod National Seashore, plus some time in Chatham and Yarmouth.
Continue reading for site by site descriptions!

Accessible Parks in NE Massachusetts

This accessible picnic spot along the Ipswich
River offers a sense of privacy and beautiful view.

I visited two state parks last week that I highly recommend for access to the outdoors.

Both are located north of Boston in Massachusetts. Breakheart Reservation is a rocky forested area with ponds just north of the big city in Saugus. Bradley Palmer State Park is a former estate along the Ipswich River in Topsfield. These parks offer wonderful opportunities to enjoy nature through the seasons.

Breakheart Reservation was named by some lonely soldiers posted there during the Civil War era I learned from a fellow hiker. We shared the task of pulling a participant in a rickshaw style mountain wheelchair during a Universal Access hiking program through the park. Traveling along the two mile paved road loop through the park I was reminded that the road makes the park quite accessible, even with some hilly terrain. Indeed we passed someone walking using a rolling walker and another person using a cane for stability. It was great to see people with many levels of mobility using the park road that day.

I Love Kayaking!

Do you love kayaking? Marianne Somes is one of many paddlers with disabilities who have been making good use of adaptive kayaking programs offered by DCR's Universal Access Program this summer in Massachusetts. If you feel hesitant or fearful about kayaking, read on!  If you love kayaking, can you say it better than this? Thanks Marianne for sharing your passion for the outdoors in this Guest Post!

Hello to all you wonderful people out there! My name is Marianne Somes and I love being outdoors. I love kayaking as it is so freeing and relaxing. The kayak I use is a Kestrel 120 OC with two small pontoons on the back end for extra stability. Kayaks are very stable boats to begin with and the addition of the two small pontoons to this boat makes it extremely stable.

I have been kayaking for years now with adaptive programs. I would live on a kayak if I could.

Greater Access to Nature at Mount Tom State Reservation

Beautiful ten acre Lake Bray at Mount Tom.

Now that late summer is arriving and mosquitoes are just a bit less pesky, consider an outing at Mount Tom State Reservation in Holyoke, MA, where a recently built bridge across the wilder backwaters of Lake Bray offers a new view of the park to visitors with mobility limitations in the Connecticut River Valley.

The trail extension project, initiated by the Mount Tom Advocacy Group,drew upon community resources to expand the existing universally accessible woodland trail system. Bill Finn, a member of the Advocacy Group, wrote a proposal for funding which was granted by the federally funded Recreational Trails Grant Program. With a $7000 award, help from the Appalachian Mountain Club and other volunteers, the entire project cost 1/10 of what it would have cost had the work been done with contractors. The new trail provides better grading and 3 bridges to bring hikers more easily to a wetland area at the back of Lake Bray that is rich with wildlife. Kudos to all the volunteers who put in over 800 man hours to complete the project!!