The Kelly Brush Foundation and the National Ability Center are teaming up to help people with paralysis try, learn, and own adaptive sports equipment.

The National Ability Center is a world-class adaptive sports program in Park City, UT. They provide people with any disability the opportunity to get active, have fun, and even master a sport.

We help people with paralysis purchase and own adaptive sports equipment. Our grant program has helped over 475 people in 47 states get their own equipment.

Now we’re teaming up! Together, the National Ability Center and the Kelly Brush Foundation are helping people:

  • TRY adaptive sports at the National Ability Center,
  • LEARN and receive personalized instruction on a certain piece of equipment at the National Ability Center, and
  • OWN and take that equipment home.

 

HOW IT WORKS

  • The Kelly Brush Foundation purchased 4 handcycles for the National Ability Center to use in its programming.
  • People with paralysis can go to the National Ability Center and use that equipment.
  • Program participants can then apply to the Kelly Brush Foundation—demonstrating the desire and skill to use it independently—to make it theirs!

 

ELIGIBILITY

  • Attend programming at the National Ability Center.
  • Have paralysis caused by spinal cord injury or spina bifida.
  • Demonstrate financial need.

 

WHY

Without a disability, someone can get active by going out and buying the equipment they need to do that sport or activity (for example, a pair of running shoes, a bike, or a tennis racket). There are generally cheap options where someone can start. For more involved sports like skiing, you can rent equipment until you’re ready to buy.

But for the disabled community, equipment can be prohibitively expense and access can be very challenging. An entry-level handcycle starts around $1,500, which is the equivalent of a $200 bike at a local bike shop. And this is for people that generally already have a higher cost of living.

This is where adaptive sports programs, like the National Ability Center, play an extremely important role. They provide the opportunity to try sports and recreation, the instruction to learn how to do it, adaptive rental equipment, and the community in which to do it effectively. But the ability to live an independent, active lifestyle often hinges on the transition from trying to owning equipment, which can be difficult and prohibitively expensive.

That’s where our grant programs and others like it come in. But it takes time. While we’ve fine-tuned our application over many cycles, it can still be a challenge to really get to know the applicant and their abilities. There are two particular things we’d like to know more about:

  • Is this the right piece of equipment for an applicant’s skill and ability, and
  • Does the applicant have the desire to use the equipment regularly and make it a part of their lifestyle.

This is the promise of the Path2Active partnership. Together, we can improve how people with paralysis develop independent active lifestyles, scale our collective impact, and spend our grant funding more efficiently.

We hope that this is just the first of many successful Path2Active partnerships. If you want to learn more information about Path2Active, contact Zeke at [email protected].

For more information, CLICK HERE.