Adapted Bike

What's the camp about?
Each year Society for Handicapped hosts an adapted bike day camp for children. The purpose of the day camp is to provide an "immersion" experience in bicycling for children with special needs, using specially designed equipment and teaching methods. The equipment and methods allow children who have had difficulty learning to ride a two-wheeler to learn to do just that, usually within the one-week camp session. The equipment consists of a progression of increasingly challenging bikes that provide extra stability, along with the same dynamic qualities of a standard two-wheeler. The children thus have additional time to master the skills needed to balance and steer a two-wheeled bike. They are less fearful, more confident, and more willing to practice – self-esteem soars!

Staff consists of Adapted PE teachers from nearby school districts, university students, junior college students, and high school assistants, who work one-on-one with each child. All of the bike camp volunteers have been carefully screened including background checks.

Camp sessions are one hour and fifteen minutes long and during this time, children are encouraged to spend as much time as possible riding their bicycle.

Is the camp appropriate for my child?
Children with a variety of disabilities' have had success at the camps – some of these conditions include Down syndrome, mild to moderate autism, mild cerebral palsy, visual impairments, and other developmental delays.

A few basic prerequisites are necessary for success: the child must be ambulatory; the child must have good cardiovascular fitness and the ability to pedal a bicycle for 45 minutes a day for 5 consecutive days; able to keep their feet on the pedals and maintain pedaling; able to keep their hands on the handlebars and turn; able to see sufficiently to avoid obstacles and maintain a path of travel; willing to follow instructions; and motivated to learn to ride. Our experience has shown that behavioral considerations are extremely important – a child may be physically able to ride, but if she/he cannot be persuaded to get on the bike and follow our instructions, they may not succeed. We have also found that children 8 years and older tend to do better than younger children, but even more important is how motivated is the child to learn.

If you would like to discuss the appropriateness of the camp for your child, or if you have additional questions, contact Carole McFarlane by phone at 209-524-3536 or by email at Carole@societyforhandicapped.org

What is the cost?
The fee is $150 per camper for the week. Limited full and partial scholarships may be available, by contacting Carole McFarlane Director of Programs at Society for Handicapped at 209-524-3536

When is the camp?
2011 Adapted Bike Camp dates and venue will be announced in January 2011. Check back on this website for more information.