Access Adventures - All suitable for amputees

A double amputee waterskiing (picture courtesy of Access Adventures)
A double amputee waterskiing (picture courtesy of Access Adventures)

Be Bold And Try Out Something New

Fancy trying water-skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking, biking, kiting or skiing? All suitable for amputees. Access Adventures is a non-profit organisation, aiming to improve the quality of life for people with physical disabilities through organising outdoor adaptive camps.

 

 

Outdoor Activities As An Effective Rehabilitation Tool

The founders believe that outdoor activities can be an effective rehabilitation tool, with the potential to improve physical and psychological well-being. All the camps are designed to build self-confidence, encourage participation and inspire hope for the future.

 

A series of adaptive adventure camps enable groups of participants to engage in exciting outdoor activities that are not easily accessible for people with disabilities. Each camp follows a carefully planned format that provides a safe but challenging environment for participants to push their own boundaries and experience the sense of freedom, exploration and exhilaration offered by these activities.

 

The charity pulls together all the elements required to enable disabled participants to access the lakes, rivers, forests, beaches and mountains where these activities take place including accessible accommodation, transportation, qualified instruction, able-bodied volunteers and adaptive equipment. 

 

 

Creating A Community

There’s also such a great sense of community and fun on the camps. Having a disability is not only about the physical limitations it may result in. Some people struggle with low confidence and self-esteem. Being involved with Access Adventures, being around people who understand your situation, can really help improve this.  

 

Many of the participants go on to become active members of the adaptive sport community. They’re often motivated to try other sports and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

 

 

Making Amazing Experiences Affordable

Unfortunately, adaptive sports are often far more expensive than their able-bodied equivalent – the mission is to make outdoor adventure accessible and affordable for everyone with a physical disability. 

 

Access Adventures has a hectic schedule next spring/ summer, aiming to deliver more camps than ever before, therefore introducing as many people as possible to the positive benefits of adaptive sport. There are 16 separate camps planned over the next 12 months, plus various fundraising events to allow us to subsidise the cost for the participants.

 

 

Participants Are Thrilled

Don’t just take our word for it though! These participants had this to say:

 

"I can honestly say I had the best week ever on the ski camp. The work Access Adventures do is great, allowing you to re-engage with life and other people in a similar situation to you. Being on their camps enabled me to feel it's ok to leave the safety of my own home and gave me the opportunity to meet some great people along the way. It made me realise that my life is really worth living. Keep doing what you do guys so more people's lives can be worth living."

Terry, Ski & Ride Camp participant

 

“Such a fabulous day, fab weather and even more awesome company.......hanging out, trying new things and pushing ourselves to see what we can achieve and having so much fun and giggles! Part of me wants to keep Access Adventures a secret so I can attend their camps more but I also want to shout out from the rooftops how amazing they are with organising such incredible days/weekends and week-long camps which only promote positive attitudes, infectious energy, camps to suit all and create memories and friendships which can help pull you through the darkest times.”

Hannah, Cable session participant

 

“Amazing memories from Keros beach learning to kitesurf. Being boldly lead by the fantastic team of Access Adventures, being taught by the coolest of cool teams Surf Club Keros, cannot tell you just how it felt. It was another experience that has really opened my eyes and shown that with the help from really great people, it is not our bodies that limit what we can do... only our minds!”

Tim, Keros Kite Camp participant

 

It’s reassuring to know that others share our view on the power of adaptive sport.  There’s nothing quite like seeing empty wheelchairs or prosthetic legs in some stunning location, the occupants off enjoying the exhilaration and freedom of another exciting action sport!

 

Come and join us for an adventure in 2019!

 

 

Guest post by Access Adventures. If you want to learn more about Access Adventures, visit their homepage or follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

 

Further Reading

Please meet Jasmin and Andreas

 

This week I have the pleasure to talk to Jasmin and Andreas. Both are above knee amputees. Both haven't been amputated for very long. Both have had a long odyssey before their amputation. And both are currently testing the revised Genium X3 by Ottobock. Today I would like to introduce them to you. And tomorrow we will hear more about their experiences. read more

Testing the new Genium X3

 

In the first part of this interview we got to know Jasmin and Andreas. They shared their personal stories with us, told us about their plans for the future and what they expected from a prosthetic device to help them live their dreams. Today we hear more about their experiences testing the revised Genium X3. What tasks did they put the knee to and how did it perform? read more

Kayaking as an amputee

 

While water sports are generally great fun, they are especially well suited for lower limb amputees: They offer the added advantage of the water carrying most of our weight. An advantage not to be underestimated for many amputees.

Swimming, snorkelling, diving, kayaking, surfing - no matter which one of these activities you fancy, they are all great fun and well worth a try. read more