It can be difficult to find sports, recreation, and fitness opportunities for kids with disabilities, and especially so 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
Michigan Adaptive Sports Program: An organization that provides year-round sporting opportunities for individuals with disabilities. They’ve taken a temporary hiatus, but they will be back soon with options available for Winter 2023!
YMCA of Metropolitan Detroit Adaptive Youth Fitness Program: Offers adaptive sports and fitness programs for people with varying disabilities. Many programs are indoor and occur during the winter months. 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.
Rochester Avon Recreation Authority Adaptive Programs: has a large range of adaptive sport options including yoga, archery, dance, kung fu, basketball, and bowling programs specifically made for youth with disabilities. Located in Rochester, MI.
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 (age 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, soccer, and many other sports. 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 upcoming 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 & 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
Kentwood Adaptive Recreation: Kentwood Parks and Recreation offers both an adaptive rock climbing club and adaptive bowling during the winter months.
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.
Northern Michigan
Challenge Mountain: 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 Challenge Mountain Lodge and Ski Area in Boyne Falls.
Special Olympics of Michigan: provides a useful map tool to locate opportunities nearby! It is divided into four regions on the map itself or you can search by typing your home county into the search bar.
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 Michigan-based lawyers have been advocating for children with HIE and related disabilities across the country since the firm’s inception in 1997.
We are passionate about helping families obtain the compensation necessary to cover their extensive medical bills, loss of wages (if one or both parents have to miss work in order to care for their child), assistive technology, and other necessities.
If you suspect your child’s disability may have been caused by medical negligence, please contact us today to learn more about pursuing a case. We provide free legal consultations, during which we 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.
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