Sign Up for Winter Fun in Massachusetts!

Snowshoeing at D.A.R. State Forest

DCR's Universal Access Program announces its Winter 2011 Schedule this week with many wonderful recreation opportunities around the state to enjoy. Visit an indoor program at at state skating rinks to kickstart your outdoor adventures in a warmer environment where you can play on the ice and find out more about outdoor opportunities - or - just head straight for the great white playground at any one of the state park programs listed below! You'll find friendly faces and camaraderie - and all programs are free! Most equipment use comes as part of the program, though some may need to be rented on site for a fee. Call the numbers listed to reserve space and get more information regarding programs. Consider returning to some locations to play on your own! Please contact the site in advance to ensure equipment is available.

The Importance of Field Testing

Heading out to test the Renegade wheelchair at Mt. Tom.

This month I've been involved in field testing a variety of adaptive recreation equipment to better understand what items we're considering for purchase in DCR's Universal Access Program. Over the years I've learned that it is vital to test equipment prior to purchase and observe people with disabilities testing products and get their feedback. Products can seem like the perfect solution at first glance, but may not always work well for everyone. This post offers a few insights into the process and three products we've been field testing, as mentioned in recent posts.

It is harder for some people to adjust to a different way of doing something familiar that new equipment entails. This alone can be an obstacle to success. Plan to spend some time just getting used to new motions the body may need to make to adapt, in an easy environment before expecting instant results. Some may get the hang of it immediately, take off, and really be able to test the equipment. Many will find starting slowly and getting some good instruction by someone who really knows the equipment most productive. In some cases having such an instructor also using the equipment so that they can demonstrate technique is essential.

It Is Never Too Late To Re-Create Yourself



Rich Ramos back at home on the water.
Photo by Kitty Mears.

I first met Richard Ramos a year ago at our first REC Connect Power Chairs On Ice program. Rich came nearly every month through spring 2010 and joined us on the ice again this month in Revere for our second season. I was intrigued to discover at that recent program that Rich has been expanding his recreation activities, so I called him up to find out more.
Rich grew up on Nantucket, infused by the sea, and developed an early love of sailing ships and birds, two things that represent freedom to him. "I was in love with nature", he said with ease, "and had a deep intimate connection to bogs, ponds and the seashore." When he was 12, he learned to sail, and got a boat for his birthday. When he was 16, he broke his neck.

The BuddyBike - An Alternative Tandem Bicycle

I tested the BuddyBike last week, in my ongoing quest for potential bike purchases for our adaptive cycling program. The BuddyBike is a two-wheel tandem designed to support a front rider who needs a little extra balance support while riding, either in an ongoing fashion or to transition to riding a two-wheel bike independently. Wide handlebars allow the rear rider to steer the bike and give the front rider a chance to experience biking at the front of the ride versus behind the lead rider as on a conventional tandem.

I first tried this bike quite a few years ago, when it was an earlier incarnation known as the Love Bike. At that time I didn't get much time with it and never quite got the hang of it. I was especially interested  to see how user friendly it would feel this time. I was pleased to discover it took me, as an average adult cyclist, just a minute or so to get the feel of riding the BuddyBike. I test rode it with 6 year old Nate Coleman, then in both in back and front with Nate's mom Kerri, who is a sales rep for Bike-on.com, a regional distributor of the Florida-based BuddyBikes.

The Dzialo Family Blazes a New Trail

Adam Dzialo enjoys the Shining Sea Bike
Path in Falmouth, MA near where  he lives.

I remember the day that 12 year old Adam Dzialo nearly drowned in the Deerfield River. It was the summer of 1998 and I was 3 years deep into my current career of recreation program coordinator. As I gazed at the headline on the front page of the Greenfield Recorder, my heart sank into my stomach. Something had gone terribly wrong in an outdoor recreation program in our community. It was a program coordinator's worst nightmare, but this gut wrenching fact was irrelevant compared to the incomprehensible agony of Adam and his family.

Now, twelve years later, the story of the accident and the ongoing recovery of Adam and his family are now available in a new book called Ceramic to Clay, by his mother Sharon Dzialo. It is so new off the press, I don't have a copy yet, but plan to give it my full attention soon. You can find it on Amazon or at the link above. Adam's father Phil has recently started a blog called Healing, Empowering and Thriving, which chronicles the many aspects of this family's unique approach to supporting their son's recovery to the fullest extent possible. Their story is a raw and tender journey we should all know and respect. Their model is a true guide for others who strive for solutions outside the box and want to keep and care for their loved ones at home beyond the realm of typical institutional care.

FreeWheeling in November

I am finally getting the hang of the FreeWheel, an adaptive accessory for manual wheelchair users. Despite my lack of wheelchair skills and savvy - I plunged merrily through puddles in my zeal to test the product and naturally got soaked - it was a thrill to be able to wheel with ease over soggy grass, irregular hardpacked surfaces, and debris on the ground. I found the effort to propel the chair and the strain on my upper body amazingly reduced with the use of the FreeWheel compared to without it. I could travel in places I otherwise couldn't and get much farther with dramatically reduced effort. Wow! It seems well suited to this time of year too.

Excellent Innovation - SideStix and Renegade Wheelchair

Yesterday morning, Brenda Davies of Outdoor Access and I "crashed" an Occupational Therapy conference in Norwood, MA to hear Sarah Doherty give the keynote address, then recieved a pair of her all terrain sports crutches called SideStix to try out in our Universal Access programs. We spent the afternoon at Spaulding Rehab Hospital in Boston checking out the Renegade Wheelchair with John Rackley, its intrepid quadriplegic designer. What a treat it was to be introduced to two wonderful adaptive designers and their exceptional equipment, in one day!

Sarah shows off her SideStix in the sand.


Sarah Doherty grew up in Taunton, MA and traveled from Vancouver, BC to re-connect with the OT community in Massachusetts. At 13, she lost one leg, and has been on an amazing trajectory ever since. Her keynote speech was the story of her life, which includes not only becoming an occupational therapist, but being the first woman to summit Mt. Rainier in Washington on crutches and the first person to summit Mt. McKinley in Alaska with one leg. In the process, she learned a lot about what she needed from her crutches in extreme conditions, and SideStix are the result. Lightweight, resilient, and well-engineered, Sidestix feature shock absorption and rotational "ankles" with interchangeable tips for various conditions including snow, sand and mud. Sarah, now 50, will be field testing her shoulder-saving product on Mt. Rainier again next year. Go Sarah! I had arranged to pick up a demo package in advance, and still we couldn't believe we were walking away with a pair to try with our program participants! Check out SideStix on video!



Peer Mentors Needed for Adaptive Recreation!

DCR's Universal Access Program is building a small network of peer mentors as part of its REC Connect Project. If you live in the Boston, Worcester, or Holyoke areas of Massachusetts, have a disability, and want to help out at programs as well as have fun at them, contact Heidi Marie-Peterson at 413-577-3840.



Adam assisted our recent hike at Borderland.

Adam Markell is our first peer mentor in the Boston area. He is an avid hiker and swimmer and  has been assisting hiking programs in eastern Massachusetts this summer and fall. Adam is using this opportunity to explore and experience outdoor recreation for people with disabilities. He is making all kinds of connections between disability networks as well as providing great physical and social support to our programs. Adam will also be helping us survey participants, track their progress in activities, and refer them to a wide variety of recreation opportunities. The work he is doing is building his resume and job skills and giving him valuable work experience in addition to assisting us with our goals. I'm looking forward to seeing Adam at the Weston Ski Track this winter, where we will be cross country skiing, kicksledding, and snowshoeing.

If you think you would enjoy being a peer mentor and would like to join Adam in our programs, we'd love to talk to you. Check us out on facebook! Call Heidi or email her at Heidi.Marie-Peterson@state.ma.us. We are open to working with your individual interests and abilities to determine your unique peer mentor path!

Beauty at Borderland, Beach Chair Makeover, and Upcoming Halloween Treat at Maudslay



Charms Collaborative group at the entrance of the Ames Mansion.

If you haven't been to Borderland State Park, it is well worth an autumn outing! Located on the border of N. Easton and Sharon, Massachusetts, this former estate south of Boston offers miles of forested carriage roads and trails, six ponds, glacial outcroppings, an unusual mansion, and a fascinating slice of history. Oakes and Blanche Ames were both from prominent Boston families and devoted to the outdoors. He was a professor of botany at Harvard; she was an artist, feminist, author and inventor who designed their unique stone home, now 100 years old. Both had numerous civic involvements, and together they collaborated on a lifelong study of orchids, which are one of the most thoroughly documented plant families thanks to their efforts.

Mass Audubon Introduces Sensory Trails



A post and wire guide system allows blind visitors to access
nature at Stony Brook Sanctuary in Norfolk.

Interpretive nature trail designers are increasingly aware that it is vital to include all of the senses - sight, sound, taste, olfactory and tactile - in planning self-guided educational trail experiences for visitors. By doing so, trail users of all ages are more likely to engage with nature and retain what they've learned. Experiential learning also tends to be more enjoyable for everyone. For trail users who are blind or have partial sight, drawing upon non-visual elements and designing for navigation is key to providing an experience that can be fully appreciated.