It can be difficult to find sports, recreation, and fitness opportunities for kids with disabilities, especially in the winter months. Here are a few ideas to get your child with disabilities involved in a sport or activity this winter!
Southeastern Michigan
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit Adaptive Social Club: Brings groups of peers with disabilities together on Saturdays for socialization and fun. Activities include physical fitness, games, crafts and community outings. Contact your local Y program and see what’s available near you!
DMC Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan Adapted Sports Program: The Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan’s SportsAbility program offers wheelchair basketball, hand cycling, adaptive snow skiing, wheelchair tennis, weightlifting clinics and more. Multiple locations available in and around the metro Detroit area.
Oakland University Indoor Recreational Sports: Oakland University has many indoor adaptive winter sports offerings – including swimming, indoor soccer, judo, basketball, yoga, robotics, and others – specifically for disabled children and teens. Located in Auburn Hills, MI.
Wheelchair Hockey League of Michigan: Michigan’s only Wheelchair Hockey League which offers indoor adaptive wheelchair floor hockey for anyone who uses a manual or electric wheelchair (ages 10-65).
University of Michigan Adaptive & Inclusive Sports Experience (UMAISE): UMAISE provides people with a broad range of abilities access to various sports programs, including basketball, softball, hockey, skiing and soccer. Located in Ann Arbor, MI.
Oakland County Adaptive Recreation: Programs through Oakland County Parks and Recreation that exist with the help of certified therapeutic recreation specialists who help to provide golf, pedal boats, hiking, and other adaptive recreation activities. They also offer monthly gatherings for disabled adults (18+), such as the yearly Jingle Bell Ball and the Almost New Years party! Events located across Oakland County.
Inclusively Fit: A fitness and exercise facility dedicated to making fitness opportunities more accessible for both disabled children and adults. Located in Sterling Heights, MI.
Sterling Heights Special Recreation: Recreation, social and physical activities are available for individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Offerings include cooking, softball, fitness, a splash pad & art classes! Located in Sterling Heights, MI.
Belightful Yoga: Adaptive yoga classes available in group sessions or private instruction for people with disabilities. Located in Royal Oak, MI.
University of Michigan Adaptive Gymnastics: A student volunteer-based organization that provides gymnastics classes on the weekends – no previous gymnastics skills necessary! Offering classes on Saturdays in Ann Arbor and Sundays in Hartland, MI.
Mid-Michigan
Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports: Mary Free Bed offers a large selection of competitive sports teams and clinics for disabled people of all ages with options such as softball, basketball, tennis, sled hockey, cheerleading, and many other sports. Located in Grand Rapids, MI.
Special Olympics of Michigan: provides a useful map tool to locate opportunities nearby! Or you can search by typing your home county into the search bar.
Southwest Michigan
Wheelchair Curling: Wheelchair Curling is an adaptation of the game of curling for people with a disabilities affecting the lower limbs or gate. The Kalamazoo Curling Club is holding beginner orientation sessions in November & December at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo. The orientations will be about an hour of instruction followed by an hour of on-ice experience.
Northern Michigan
Challenge Mountain Lodge & Ski Area: An organization that offers sports programs for individuals with disabilities year-round! In the winter, they have downhill skiing, sledding, snowboarding, and other winter sports at their location in Boyne Falls.
Northern Michigan Adaptive Sports & Recreation: A program based in Traverse City that offers sports and recreational opportunities for people with disabilities. For many years, they have offered adaptive skiing at Crystal Mountain.
Disability Network of Northern Michigan: Has compiled a comprehensive list of local recreation resources and accessible activities.
Know of any Michigan winter adaptive sports programs we missed? Comment below to add it to the list!
About the HIE Help Center
The HIE Help Center is run by ABC Law Centers, a medical malpractice firm exclusively handling cases involving HIE and other birth injuries. Our team of lawyers have been advocating for children with disabilities since the firm’s inception in 1997.
If you suspect your child’s disability may have been caused by medical negligence, contact us to learn more about pursuing a case. We provide free legal consultations, will inform you of your legal options and answer any questions you have. Moreover, you would pay nothing throughout the entire legal process unless we obtain a favorable settlement.
You are also welcome to reach out to us with inquiries that are not related to malpractice. We cannot provide individualized medical advice, but we’re happy to track down informational resources for you.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.