[blindkid] Bicycling & Other Fun Activities

DrV icdx1111 at gmail.com
Fri Jul 18 05:39:37 UTC 2014


Hi Lalena & all.

Along the lines of tricycles…

Google “adult tricycle” & you will find quite an array of cool-looking
options. For sighted folks an image search of the same quickly shows an
expansive variety of such adult tricycles - some are even “medium sized” &
look like they would be fine for an older kid.

I got crazy & for fun added in the work “tandem” – as in “tandem adult
tricycle” & was amazed to find a wide variety of those as well – some 2
person side-by-side, others the traditional tandem except it's a tricycle –
pretty cool – Actually looks fun & practical – Now I’m now seriously
thinking about getting one.

Also, at a number of beaches I have seen a number of style of 4 person
buggy bikes for rent – that looks like a fun family activity (you can
google that too).

There are also all sorts of variations on Big Wheels.

Throughout the years, we’ve had fun in 2-4 person kayaks on river, lakes &
even the ocean (good idea to wear a life-vest if you plan on hitting the
waves)

Out in California the United States Adaptive Recreation Center (
http://usarc.org) runs both winter & summer programs for kids with
disabilities. The instructors are great. We’ve participated in the winter
program – adaptive skiing & snowboarding. This last winter I walked in to
the Adaptive Ski Hut with my son for a lesson & someone loudly exclaimed
“Oh my gosh, it’s Dr. V” – caught me & everyone else off guard - it turned
out it was a patient of mine who arranged for ski lessons for her autistic
son – small world. Her son, as did both my boys, had a great time. They
even have sit down skis/sled combos for kids who can’t stand on their own
to go all the down the slopes, where the instructor(s) guide the skier
down, but the kids get the speed & skiing experience. At the end of each
lesson the instructors leave detailed notes so the next time the kid take
lessons, the instructors already sort of know the kid's strengths &
weakness. That way they work over time towards any given child’s maximal
level of ultimate independence in the task.

I’ve had quite a bit of interaction with a variety of adaptive ski
instructors over the years. The ones in our program go through some pretty
intensive training & are required to complete regular refresher classes on
top of that. In fact I’ve been so inspired by the experience over the
years, that I’m looking forward to becoming an adaptive ski instructor
volunteer when I retire :-)

There are lots of cool & exciting options out there.

All the best,

Eric


On Tue, Jul 15, 2014 at 9:47 PM, Lalena Fayre via blindkid <
blindkid at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Hi Ashley
> Unfortunately my life as a single parent doesn't give me a great deal of
> time but of course I will contribute as I can.
>
> In my eyes a heated discussion is sometimes needed and necessary. To step
> in and cool the room as if we are bunch of children is disrespectful IMHO.
> If we are ever going to understand an opposing viewpoint then we need to be
> allowed to voice words bluntly.
>
> I really like your idea of activities like yoga and swimming. He has shown
> interest in bicycling ad well but I'm not sure quite how to do that
> independently. He's too big for a typical tricycle and wants that
> independence. So hmmm......there. that's a specific question. LOL



More information about the BlindKid mailing list