My best advice is to get out there and do it. Know your abilities and your limitations. It doesn't matter if you are a kid, a teen, or an adult, sports and recreation is a vital part to mental and physical well-being. Getting started and finding someone to believe in you is the hardest part. Find a friend or family member that might be willing to work with you. Your local church or parish and the local Parks and Recreation department are good places to start. Search the internet for organizations that focus on persons with disabilities or on your specific interest like skiing, snowboarding, golf, etc. If you are searching for a simpler form of recreation like just throwing the football around, biking, or fishing, ask around your home town, family, friends or neighbors. Understand that the volunteer helping you in your sport or activity may not know how much to help or not help. Be honest and flexible. Keep the lines of communication open. This will make the activity more fun for you and your guide, volunteer, assistant, whoever. In getting out there, you can show others that anything is possible with a little teamwork, creativity, patience, and ingenuity.
If you are seeking to become more involved with adaptive sports or recreation or have a family member or friend with a disability, there are a number of opportunities for you to become involved. You may volunteer at any specific organizations near your home town such as Challenge Aspen in Aspen Colorado or Wilderness Inquiry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Your church or local government may offer some special programs in sports or recreation for physically-challenged persons. If you know a particular individual, ask them if they need a friend to help them in any sport or recreation activity. It may be as simple as taking a couple of hours a week to throw the football around or shoot hoops with a blind person. It might be taking them for a bike ride. The possibilities are endless, depending on the person, their interests, and their disability. Know that it can be difficult for a physically-challenged person to ask for assistance to be involved in a sport or recreation activity. This applies to kids, teens, and adults. I think we sometimes forget that an individual with a challenge or disability needs to have fun and be physically active, too. We meet their basic needs, but forget about the recreation or fun element so important to good mental and physical health.
Now, Go Get Involved! It will be rewarding not only for the person with the disability but for you also.
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