Catch the Sochi Paralympics! Join a Paralympic Sport Club!

Brenda Davies teaches the fundamentals
of turning on a sitski at the Weston Ski Track.

Today is Day 7 of the 10 day Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. The host country is far ahead of the international pack of 45 competing countries with 50 medals, 18 of them gold. The U.S. had 8 medals so far, 4 silver and 4 bronze, thanks to wonderful ski performances in challenging conditions . The US sled hockey team, undefeated in the Vancouver 2010 Paralympics, will fight Russia for the gold medal on March 15.

Don't miss the Winter Paralympics! They are in progress through March 16. Media attention on this spectacular event is more extensive than ever before! You can view great daily coverage on NBCSN, YouTube Paralympic TV, and even On Demand if you get NBCSN. Like U.S. Paralympics on facebook for updates, stories and images. Catch video clips of Team USA here.

Swim With A Special Child

The Connell Pool features a ramped entry, pool lift,
wheeled pool chair and dolphin mural.

An adaptive swimming program was started at the Connell Pool in Weymouth over forty years ago and it is still going strong today. Intrigued by this model of longevity and sustainability, I visited the program in November at the only indoor pool operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. The program, known as Swim With A Special Child, was the inspiration of a few moms back in the 1970s. Little did they know how long it would last!

The program takes place from October to May in conjunction with the pool's schedule of operation. It is offers a great opportunity to prepare for the outdoor swimming season! Read on for a description of the program and how to sign up!

Unique Invention's Ice Sleds

A gentle game of hockey shows ice sleds with and without
stroller bars attached.

Seated ice skates offer a greater opportunity for skaters of all abilities to have fun on the ice. Not just for people who use wheelchairs, ice sleds give ambulatory people with balance,  fatigue, and other issues the ability to switch skating modes and explore new ways to move and play.

DCR's Universal Access Program has been providing ice sleds at state rinks for about 15 years. Ice sleds built by Unique Inventions of Peterborough, Ontario have met our standard for program use and provided hours of fun for users of all abilities indoors and out.

Walk on the Wild Side in Boston

Inspired by recent completions of sensory trails by Massachusetts Audubon, I visited two sanctuaries in the Boston area just before Thanksgiving.

The trail at Boston Nature Center offers easy access to a
natural place.

At the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan, I discovered a fragment of wild space where birds and other wildlife take refuge from the buzz of surrounding urban activity. A quick mid-day walk on the 1-2 miles of trails revealed a flock of wild geese flying over, a perched red-tail hawk, a gaggle of wild turkeys in the underbrush, and a foraging flock of songbirds, including one of my favorites, the white-throated sparrow. It was easy to find birds with the leaves down. With very little effort I got a much needed dose of nature!

A mile of the trails includes audio tour stops, which you can access with your cell phone. Since I was short on time, I opted out of the audio component and let the signage guide me along the wide level trails. The Boston Nature Center is located on the former state hospital grounds and so healing is a featured theme on site. Just the presence of a natural sanctuary space offers a sense of healing. I was surprised to find a hidden body of water suitable for migrating waterfowl to rest, well secluded from urban stimulus but viewable from a wheelchair accessible boardwalk.

Later in the day at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, I activated the audio tour there and found it a helpful addition to my enjoyment of the Ice Pond Trail and the start of the Farmyard Loop Trail, before my battery died. Make sure your cell phone is fully charged if you plan to visit any one of the ten Mass Audubon sanctuaries statewide that feature these Sensory Explorations Trails for all senses, all seasons, all people. The trails are a wonderful self-guided interpretive resource in the natural landscape. The audio tours provide a comfortable amount of information and a user friendly approach that allows you to listen only when and where you wish.

Sensory trail interpretation doesn't get any better than this!

I was delighted by stops along the Ice Pond Trail that featured plaques with sculptural renditions of local wildlife. The trail itself offers a navigational system with a rope mounted along a wooden fence with large wooden beads indicating signed stops. Small signs provide titles for audio tour highlights in large print and Braille. Sculptural plaques provide a tactile opportunity to compare size and features of pond residents. This type of feature demonstrates the commitment and dedication Mass Audubon has for serving people of all abilities at their sanctuaries.


People with visual impairments and other disabilities were consulted in the development of these trails, which are well worth visiting whether or not you have a disability! Find out more by clicking here!

At the end of the short Ice Pond Trail, I passed the Drumlin Farm Visitor Center and continued on the Farmyard Loop Trail where I immediately encountered several wild turkeys in and alongside the trail. Since it was the day before Thanksgiving it seemed like an appropriate surprise to be running into turkeys in each sanctuary! These were very calm and relaxed, not bothered by human presence at all.

There is an opportunity to observe rehabilitated wildlife in outdoor aviaries and exhibits before the farm yard tour. I was a bit transfixed by the unexpected chance to observe a fisher loping and jumping throughout its hillside habitat on Bird Hill – what an energetic and lithe creature!

Bring a map with you for the Farmyard Loop Trail. When my cell phone died after Bird Hill I couldn’t figure out which way to go to sequence the stops. With a rainstorm pending, I headed back up to the gift shop to do a little holiday shopping. No matter what, you have great choices at Mass Audubon!

I look forward to returning to Drumlin Farm for the farmyard tour! 

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.