Who are we?
We are the Adaptive Abilities Club — a service-based group of volunteers that partners with local adaptive sports organizations to give children and adults with disabilities the opportunity to participate in various sporting activities. Some of our most popular activities include rock climbing, downhill skiing, scuba diving, and wheelchair rugby.
Opportunities our club has to offer:
- Get hands on experience with different special populations, even before you’re in professional school!
- Interact and connect with a diverse community of individuals with disabilities through sport and recreation events.
- Learn about adaptive sporting equipment and how to modify different activities to include people of all abilities.
Our mission statement:
The purpose of this organization is to connect students with individuals from the community who have disabilities through events that provide opportunities to promote inclusive recreation. The mission of our club is to give our time, hands, and hearts to serve our community through adaptive sport. Our goals are:
- To grow and learn as we discover the unique abilities that each person possesses
- To work to become better future health care professionals and more conscientious and inclusive
- To provide opportunities for hands-on experience physically interacting alongside individuals with disabilities using adaptive equipment
Adaptive Abilities Club activities
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Adaptive Rock Climbing at Adventure Rock
Come volunteer to help individuals with varying abilities rock climb at Adventure Rock in Brookfield. With adaptive climbing, you will learn how to belay peers and participants, side climb along participants helping them up the wall based on their unique abilities, use different adaptive equipment for climbing, and work with individuals with many different disabilities! This event occurs twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of every month from 3-6PM. Transportation is typically provided by a club member driving a Marquette service van.
Location: 21250 W Capitol Drive, Brookfield
Information: https://adventurerock.com/climb/adaptive/
SEWASP Adaptive Skiing at Alpine Valley
The Southeastern Wisconsin Adaptive Ski Program (SEWASP) is a non-profit volunteer-based organization that provides adaptive alpine skiing and snowboarding lessons to people with disabilities. At this event, some of the adaptive equipment used includes mono-ski, bi-ski, outriggers, reins and tethers, and snowboards to give people of all ages and disabilities the chance to enjoy time outside on the slopes. Volunteers help participants get on their adaptive ski equipment, transfers on and off ski lifts, get and carry gear, encourage participants along the way, and so much more! This event occurs on Thursday nights from 6-9PM and select weekends during the winter months January-March. Transportation is typically provided by a club member driving a Marquette service van.
Location: Alpine Valley Ski Resort, East Troy
Diveheart is a non-profit organization that provides support and educational scuba diving programs. The mission of Diveheart is to provide physical and psychological therapy through scuba diving. Volunteers are assigned to a participant and their dive team to help set up and get on scuba gear, transfer into and out of the pool, and see the magic effects of a gravity-free environment under the water. There is also a chance to swim with the participants or learn to dive! We have formed a tight knit community and Diveheart loves partnering with us. This event takes place at the Marquette Helfaer Rec Center pool one Saturday a month from 9AM -12:30.
- Wheelchair rugby is a highly competitive, fast-paced contact sport. Individuals who play wheelchair rugby must have all 4 extremities impaired to qualify to play. Players are assigned point values based on their level of ability. Volunteers to help participants transfer into their rugby chairs, tape their hands, help with scrimmage (referee, shag balls, etc.) and even hop in a chair to help play if more people are needed. Volunteers can also get involved with athlete classification. Practices are on Monday evenings 6-9PM at Kosciuszko Community Center (7th and Lincoln).
- There is not a current coordinator for this sport, but if interest is expressed then the club can find one and ensure there are enough volunteers.
- Find more information here: https://www.usqra.org/rugby-basics The documentary “Murderball” is about the sport and available on Netflix.
"This is How We Roll” wheelchair fashion show
- Every April the Ingleside Hotel in Pewaukee holds the annual “This Is How We Roll” wheelchair fashion show. This fashion show fundraiser and community awareness event helps benefit the Bryon Riesch Paralysis Foundation, which helps fund important paralysis research. Volunteer positions include stage safety, organizing models backstage, concessions and tickets, and so much more!
- Find more information here.
