(Photo above courtesy of Oregon Adaptive Sports)
People with disabilities can get outside and play. First timers, weekend warriors to seasoned athletes come out to recreate with Oregon Adaptive Sports (OAS), a nonprofit organization that offers outdoor recreation for individuals with disabilities. For nineteen winters, folks came out for adaptive skiing with OAS at Mt. Bachelor and HooDoo Ski Resort. Today OAS has expanded from their alpine skiing roots to an integrated year-round service.
The Pacific Northwest premiere adaptive ski program began implementing summer pilot programs three summers ago. Today, OAS offers monthly adaptive golf clinics during the summer season with Awbrey Glenn Golf Resort. Private one-on-one kayak lessons are available on the flat stretches of the Deschutes River. Cycling sessions have been delivered to groups at Pine Park Nursery.
Two successful weeklong youth and teen day camps were implemented, full of outdoor adventures such as rafting, kayaking, and geo-caching. Additionally, over a dozen OAS sponsored adaptive athletes competed at Pole Peddle Paddle, Tour Des Chutes and the Pacific Crest Sports Splash Pedal Dash.
More recently, OAS hosted its last summer program of the season, a successful all-inclusive sports weekend retreat in Redmond for 11 veterans with physical disabilities and their families. Warriors and their families got to partake in sports ranging from golfing, kayaking, cycling and a day hike at Smith Rock.
Outdoor recreation is something many of us take for granted living here in the Pacific Northwest, but approximately 1 in 5 individuals living with a disability can face barriers to recreation. No more is OAS a winter-based program. After OAS’s third most successful summer, OAS is proud to dig their stakes in becoming a year-round service, making outdoor recreation a reality for many who never dreamed of summer recreation outings. Exciting times are here now.
541-306-4774
www.oregonadaptivesports.org
