Accessible Techcomm

Disabled Sailing in Canada and The U.S.A.

Canada

Photo of a disabled person sailing a small boat — Disabled sailor sailing a small boat.

The Adaptive Sailing Association of British Columbia (ASABC) (formerly DSABC) has been providing opportunities for people with physical disabilities to experience recreational and competitive sailing in fully accessible sailboats for over 30 years. Updated

Sailing for people with significant physical disabilities got its start in Canada in 1989, when Sam Sullivan used a British-made Sunbird dinghy to launch the first few sails at the Jericho Sailing Centre on English Bay. Today, the ASABC operates eight specially designed Canadian made Martin 16 sailboats and hosts 1000+ sails each (non-COVID) year at Jericho and more from its affiliated branches in Victoria, Chemainus, and Kelowna. The Martin 16 sailboat is designed specifically to be accessible for all levels of ability, with use of either a joystick control or sip and puff technology. Participants range from novices to experienced racers who advance to join the Race Club, representing ASABC in local regattas and national competitions.

Inspired by ASABC and Sam Sullivan's efforts to expose more and more people with very high levels of physical disabilities to the sport, adaptive sailing has now spread across Canada, throughout the US and around the world. Disabled sailing played a major role in the Summer Paralympics every four years up until 2020 when it was dropped for the Tokyo Paralympics. See the post Para Sailing will not be included in the Paralympic Games for LA28.

There are several other training and competitive programs throughout Canada such as:

AbleSail Network / Réseau Voile Adaptée. The ASN is the custodian of the Mobility Cup / Coupe Mobilité Regatta, Canada's international regatta for sailors with a disability[Canada] Updated

The AbleSail Network website has a list of links to other sites for disabled sailing organizations in Canada by province. See AbleSail Network's member programs are not-for-profit organizations that provide accessible sailing programs.

Updated

Sail Canada: Cansail Para.

U.S.

Photo of a sailing assistant with a disabled sailor. — Assisted sailing.

Adaptive Sailing, once part of the Disabled Sports USA organization, is now part of the new Move United organization that was created when Disabled Sports USA merged with the Adaptive Sports USA organization in 2020. [Wikipedia] Updated

Move United is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. The organization (headquartered in Rockville, Maryland) operates community parasports programs through over 210 member organizations in 45 states. Mission: Ensuring everyone, regardless of ability, experiences the life-changing power of sport and is included in their community.

Follow Move United in one of several social media aps. New

Facebook #MoveUnitedSports: Move United Sport

Instagram @MoveUnitedSports: Move United

Twitter @MoveUnitedSports: Move United

YouTube @MoveUnited: Move United

There are several adaptive sailing training and competitive programs throughout the U.S. such as:

On this page:

ATVs
Accessible Gaming
Disability Sports

ATVs:
- All-Terrain Vehicle Safety by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) are among the most popular recreational vehicles in the nation today, but along with popularity comes increased risk and sometimes carelessness.
  - ATV Safety Institute
  - Motorcycle Safety by the U.S. Department of Transportation. (NHTSA). "Born to be wild" may be an anthem for a generation of motorcycles enthusiasts but the accident rates are a sobering reminder that there's more to riding than the romance of the open road.
  - Snowmobiling Safety by the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA). Make sure you get back to the lodge safely.
  - Safe Riders! Snowmobile Safety Awareness Program. This program has been produced through a partnership between the American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA), the International Association of Snowmobile Administrators (IASA), and the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (ISMA) with financial assistance from the Recreational Trails Program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation — Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Accessible Gaming New
- AbleGamers Charity Combating Social Isolation Through Play. Creates opportunities that enable play in order to combat social isolation, foster inclusive communities, and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. Get Help. Give Help. New
- Accessible Gaming Quarterly. Accessible Gaming Quarterly is a zine devoted to accessibility and disability within the tabletop RPG space. Each issue features articles and art by disabled contributors, but the zine isn't only for people with disabilities. It's full of articles designed to bring together disabled and non-disabled gamers alike.
- The Secret World of Disabled Gamers | MIT Technology Review. By Emerging Technology from the arXivarchive page, July 3, 2018. By some estimates, as many as 2.6 billion people take part in digital gaming, a significant fraction of the global population. There is much ongoing study by games makers and researchers into why and how people play: for fun, for the challenge, to relax, to engage with friends, and so on. And yet one group of people are conspicuous by their absence in this research: people with disabilities. There is growing anecdotal evidence that many disabled people enjoy gaming and are increasingly involved in it. But little is known about who these people are, what games they play, and what challenges they face. And that is a significant barrier to improving access for the disabled.
- Can I Play That? is a hobby site to a destination for players and developers alike that provides all forms of accessibility information on video games and the industry. Reviews, news stories, and features at CIPT exclusively report on the ever-growing presence and adoption of accessibility features within the gaming industry. Can I Play That? works to share stories that influence game updates, inform disabled players, educate and entertain players and developers, and provide a voice for one of the largest player bases in the industry. They have also developed professional workshops that tackle topics such as diversity, equity, and inclusion, and accessible community management. These workshops are available for studios to book.
- The Rise of Accessible Gaming
- How game-makers are catering to disabled players Hardware and software solutions open gaming to a wider audience than ever. By Meagan Shelley, 8/29/2021, 5:20 PM. (Download the PDF.) New
- The Conversation, It's designers who can make gaming more accessible for people living with disabilities, Published: January 17, 2019 2.13pm EST, By Ben Egliston, PhD candidate in Media and Communications, University of Sydney. (Download the PDF.) New
- Combating Social Isolation Through Play
- Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF) Accessible Gaming. CPF worked with Microsoft to develop the Xbox Adaptive Controller that let's us all play Xbox!
- "Game accessibility" article by Wikipedia
Disability Sports:
- Armchair World: Handicapped-Accessible Tours fishing, kayaking, white-water rafting…
- Disability and Sports from the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Disability New
- Disabled Horseback Riding
  - Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program [Maryland]
  - Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.)
- Masters Athletes by Sheila Kealey, a health promotion consultant, writer, and athlete. She covers the new and active way of growing old in America. No longer are people settling for shuffleboard. Or mall walking. Or deep knee bends. They are running track, playing baseball – yes, hardball! – and even surfing well into their 60s and beyond. You'll get updates on current health and wellness topics, the latest nutrition research, healthy recipes, and nutrition strategies for optimal health and athletic performance.
- The Olympic and Paralympic Games
  - Canadian Parasports
    - Canadian Olympic Committee
    - Canadian Paralympic Committee
  - National Olympic Committees
  - International Paralympics Committee
  - Move United. Move United uses sports to push what's possible so everyone, regardless of ability, has equal access to sports and recreation in their community. Established in 1956, Move United is an Affiliate of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. New
  - Special Olympics
  - Special Olympics Maryland
  - Adaptive Sports Coalition [Powell, Ohio]
- Water and Boating Safety
  - Adaptive Sailing Adaptive sailing refers to programs that provide unrestricted access to the water and experiential sailing for persons with disabilities. New
  - Disabled Sailing page on this website. Updated
  - International Paralympic Committee
  - Learning to Adjust the Sails of Life New
  - Spine Trauma From Personal Watercraft Usage report from the National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information. New
  - Personal Watercraft (PWC) Safety Guide New
  - United States Coast Guard Personal Watercraft Safety
- Wheelchair Sports
  - Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association
  - National Wheelchair Basketball Association
  - International Wheelchair Basketball Federation
  - About USTA Wheelchair Tennis: Tennis made Accessible
  - International Tennis Federation's Wheelchair Tennis
  - USTA Tennis Association's Special Populations Program: Adaptive Tennis The game of tennis can be adapted to accommodate any age, environment, condition or disability. The charge of USTA Adaptive Tennis is to promote and develop recreational tennis opportunities for individuals with varying abilities and circumstances through inclusion, knowledge and support. The USTA continues to support programming for individuals with physical, developmental and situational challenges.
  - USTA Wheelchair Tennis
  - Spokes 'n Motion services include the distribution of equipment, sports program advice, and instructional services for the disabled community. Equipment and services now cover skiing, water sports, wheelchairs, cycling, travel, adventure sports, and acccessibility products.
  - U CAn Do Wheelchair-height pinball machine
  - "Dancing with Disability — A Look at the Infinity Dance Theater" by Lindsay Martin, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Stories, American Artscape Magazine, Healing Properties: Art + Health. The Infinity Dance Theater is a nontraditional dance company in New York City that features dancers with and without disabilities, including those in wheelchairs. Combining classical ballet with components of modern and jazz dance, the dance company was founded in 1995 by Kitty Lunn after a life-changing accident. New
  - Wheelchair Dancing / Para Dance Sport Wheelchair Dancing or Wheelchair Dance Sport (now Para Dance Sport) involves athletes with a physical disability that affects the lower limbs. Dancers may participate in "combi" style dancing with an able-bodied (standing) partner and "duo" style dancing for two wheelchair users together. Wheelchairs users can use a power or manual wheelchair. The Strictly Wheels Foundation aims to promote and inspire people to take up wheelchair dancing as a social activity and at competitive levels. Its about "Ability not Disability". See clips from the World Para Dance Sport website.
    In competition wheelchair dancers are classified based on the physical ability, movement and function into 2 classes – Class 1 and Class 2. Class 1 are those with a higher disability or those using power chairs and Class 2 with more use of their upper body.
    
    In 1998, Wheelchair Dance Sport became an IPC Championship Sport, but is not yet part of the Paralympic programme. It is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) which re-branded as Para Dance Sport in 2017, is widely practised by athletes in 29 countries.
    
    [United Kingdom] Updated
  - Wheelchair Sports and Recreation Products

Tag: sport

Disabled Sailing

Disabled Sailing in Canada and The U.S.A.

Canada

U.S.

Sports and Recreation

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Disabled Sailing in Canada and The U.S.A.

Canada

U.S.

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