Accessible Recreation Kayaking and adaptive kayaking for People with Disabilities, their Families and Caregivers: New Horizons Un-Limited

Adaptive Sports: Kayaking

Kayaking is a great sport to have fun, get exercise and enjoy nature. Like any water sport activity however, there are inherent risks. Be sure to assess your physical abilities, observe all safety equipment and precautions for the sport. Never boat alone and always where a life preserver. All kayakers know it is not if you will flip your boat and end up in the water, but when. You must learn how to recover from the capsize. There is much to learn and plan before heading to the water.

National
State Listings: IL / WV / / (Official USPS State Abbreviations)

National

Adaptive Kayaking by US Adaptive. If you’ve never been in a boat before, the first thing to do is find a local adaptive program. At your first lesson, you’ll likely head to flatwater, a kayaker’s term for a pond or lake with little to no current, where your instructors can help you get fitted into the right boat, show you any adaptations you’ll need, and teach you the basic techniques of launching into the water, paddling and water safety. This guide discusses types of boats, how you should fit your boat, launching, adaptive the boat and paddle for various disabilities and what to bring.

Disabled Sports USA More than 30 chapters offer kayaking through out the year. To find the chapter nearest you with a kayaking program, visit the website and type ‘kayaking’ in the search bar.

Learn How to Kayak Like a Pro, a Step by Step Beginner’s Guide by Derek from Floating Authority. This is a great in-depth article about learning the basics of kayaking from a beginner’s perspective. You’ll find information about what you’ll need to get started, what type of kayak you should use for each type of different activity, and other information about how to move the kayak in general. The guide also discusses safety equipment, safety precautions, actual how to kayak, and FAQ.

Team River Runner a chapter of Disabled Sports USA, has 51 programs in 30 states that provide a variety of kayaking opportunities for those interested in starting. To find your local Team River Runner program visit the website.

The Ultimate Kayaking Guide For Beginner’s – How to Kayak? from Water Sports First an article by Larry Wilson, answers common questions and queries concerning the art of kayaking, links articles and other sources where necessary, and explain things in a simple and concise manner. After reading, you’ll feel a lot more confident in taking a narrow boat onto a body of water than you did before. There are a lot of things to note before stepping into a kayak, there are inherent dangers, so the article has safety tips and tricks that are going to make your experience enjoyable and fun.

State Listings

Illinois

Kayak Chicago offers group and private kayak lessons, kayak tours and trips and adventure races to people of all abilities. They also participate in the Moving Mountains program, which offers weekend adventures for people with disabilities including wheelchair climbing, hand biking and adaptive kayaking. For more information, visit their website, e-mail dave@kayakchicago.com or call (630) 336-7245.

West Virginia

Adventure Pursuit is a non-profit organization that is a group of volunteers who enjoy working with diverse groups of individuals. They organize adventure sports, like kayaking. Some of their programs include Junior Olympic Canoe and Kayak team, Special Olympic Kayaking team, programs for mentally challenged individuals, programs for physically challenged individuals, programs for at-risk youth and a recreational program for anyone interested in kayaking.