Special Needs (con' t) Sports, Wheelchair, Hunting & Fishing, Veterans, Seniors, Travel and Other

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This is a really long page. You can either scroll down to the very bottom to see what is on this page, or you can click on the topic links below to jump to the special needs section you are interested in.

Our Topic Headings are:

Team and Individual Sports-

• USA Swimming Org, teaches swimming and other water skills to people of all ages and skill levels. The organization has adaptive swimming programs for people with disabilities.

• National Wheelchair Softball Association. Wheelchair Softball is one of the fastest growing wheelchair sports in the U.S.A.

• North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, the nation's oldest and largest association for handicapped horseback riding. See also our second entry below under Disabled Veterans for their Horses for Heroes Program.

• HorsesNHeros, located in  Citra, FL. This is a local non-profit for low income girls with special problems, teaching them the skills and discipline required later in life.

• Horses4Heroes, Las Vegas, Nevada. Horses4Heros makes horseback riding affordable and accessible for the children of police and correction officers, fire fighters, military personnel, and other heroes in the community. 

• National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA). The national sponsoring organization for state wheelchair basketball tournaments. They have a good directory of State Wheelchair Basketball teams. See them at: http://www.nwba.org/index.php and click on the link to the left for Team Directories.

• .Roll-With-It, Clearlake, Mn, part of the NWBA (above). They have two teams, the Minnesota Royals (Eagan, Mn), and the St. Cloud Cyclones (Saint Cloud, Mn).

• Courage Center Sports, is home to the Mn Lightening, Mn Blaze, and Mn Rowdy Rollers, in Golden Valley,Mn, among many other teams. They are currently looking for Coaches and Referees. Part of the NWBA (listed above.)
• See also: Courage Camps and The Courage Center, on Page One, of Special Needs (previous page).

• Michigan Thunderbirds Wheelchair Sports, Ann Arbor, MI. They run programs in wheelchair basketball, bicycling, and soccer. This is the home of the Nationally-ranked Thunderbirds Varsity and Junior Varsity Wheelchair Teams.
   They are part of the new fast growing Quad Rugby Association. See Quad Rugby at: http://www.quadrugby.com/toc.htm .They are also a member of the NWBA.

• U.S. Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association (PowerHockey.Com), Eden Prairie, Mn. Read about the Powerhockey Cup Championships at  the Calgary Power Hockey League NAPHA web site; home of the Calgary Selects located in Canada.

• Wheelchair Hockey League, located in Pinckney, MI. It appears they are a fast growing Michigan Wheelchair Sports League.

• Wheelchair Sports Association of Grand Rapids- A multi-sports association with a national audience. Sponsors of the Grand Rapids Pacers and Junior Pacers BB Teams. Offers adult and junior basketball programs, adult and junior tennis programs, road racing, hand cycling, a 5-day sports camp, snow skiing, and hosts adapted water ski clinics. A fast growing organization. For those of you in the Michigan area, check them out! The MI Branch is located in Grand Rapids, MI,while the WI Branch is located in Menominee Falls, WI. The WI branch sponsors the Waukesha Thunder W. C. Basketball Team.

• American Association of Adapted Sports, in Atlanta, Georgia. This is primarily an after hours sports program for wheelchair youth. The Association is expanding its outreach to other ages and disabilities.

• Wheelchair Sports USA. A rapidly growing membership organization, Wheelchair Sports USA, offers their members competitive Athletics, Basketball, Billiards, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Track & Field, and Weightlifting. Primarily for junior athletes with physical disabilities ages 7-21, their coaches, and parents.

Hunting & Fishing-

• Capable Partners, Golden Valley, Mn. This is a relatively new group of outdoor sportsmen dedicated to helping the disabled hunt, fish and do other outdoor activities.

• Challenge the Outdoors, Shiocton, WI. They are "dedicated to serving the recreational needs and desires of the physically challenged", especially in hunting and fishing.

• Adaptive Sportsmen Inc., Greenfield, WI, sponsors hunting & fishing trips for physically challenged sports people from the Great Lakes Area. They have a very good links page to other disabled outdoor programs in the country.

• Handicapped Anglers of Michigan. They are a small private organization of handicapped fishermen in the Great Lake State.

• The Disabled American Veterans, works with government agencies and private providers to assist veterans in their transition to civilian life. Please visit with them at their Disabled American Veteran's Rest Camp, and the affiliated Wounded Warriors Resorts.

• NARHA Horses for Heroes- for Military Veterans, This is a relatively new horseback riding program that is being very well received by wounded war veterans.

• National Disabled Veteran's Winter Sports Clinic, The nation's largest veteran's sports clinic enabling injured vet's to learn Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, scuba diving, trap shooting, horseback riding, snowmobiling and sled hockey. They have 2 related links: http://www.defenselink.mil/PhotoEssays/photoessay.aspx?id=256&Page=1&Count=5   and,  http://www.challengeaspen.com/veterans-programs.cfm    

• Disabled Sports USA and the affiliated "Wounded Warrior Project". This is a much needed and highly acclaimed project for veterans of recent combat action.

• Friendship Ventures, Annandale, MN. This is a fairly large and well connected non-profit offering opportunities and hope to children and adults with mental and physical disabilities through outdoor activities.

• Challenge Mountain-MI, of Petoskey,MI. Challenge Mountain offers individualized instruction for people with limitations in skiing, hiking, and camping.

• Sun Valley Adaptive Sports, Sun Valley, ID. Sun Valley Adaptive Sports is for people with disabilities to experience: "the thrills of alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and rock climbing. They want people to enjoy the "excitement of hiking, biking, running, martial arts, and skeet shooting". SVAP encourages  people "to discover the serenity of fly-fishing, yoga, theater, swimming, and hot springs".

• U.S. National Park Service, s This is a lifetime free pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities. The pass can only be obtained in person at a NPS Park. Other Park Passes (such as the Seniors Pass), can also be obtained at this NPS Park Passes web-site.
  

• Minnesota DNR "Open the Outdoors", making MN state parks accessible to all people with disabilities.  

• Wisconsin DNR "Open the Outdoors", making WI state parks accessible to folks with disabilities.

• MichiganAgrAbility Project- administered by the Michigan State University Extension Division helping injured farmers get training to continue working on the farm after their injury.

• Minnesota AgrAbility Project- administered by the University of Minnesota, College of Food, Agriculture, & Natural Resource Sciences,helping injured farmers get training to continue working after their injury.

• Wisconsin AgrAbility Project, administered by the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension. This University's Program helps injured Wisconsin farmers continue on.

• Wilderness Inquiry, Mpls, Mn. They have guided adventure trips all over the world for people of all ages and skill levels with a particular emphasis on low-income children and developmentally disabled children.

Standers Metro Walker at Active Forever  

• Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality, assists people with disabilities in overcoming barriers in traveling and are advocates for accessible world-wide travel.
• Read an interesting article called 'Trekking through Wisconsin" for accessible travel in the Wisconsin Parks and other recreational facilities.

• Over-50-Lifetime Fitness Alliance, has fitness programs, training, and special summer fitness camps for seniors. Recently they have a renewed emphasis on life-long recreation.

• Seniors Enjoying the Outdoors. An on-line journal for active seniors.
             

• Seniors Go Travel. An on-line travel resource for primarily Canadian and U.S. Seniors.