Education United States Project #33416

Access to Adventure for People with Disabilities

by Waypoint Adventure

Access to Adventure for People with Disabilities

Project Report | Jul 1, 2020
Project Report - June 2020

By Dan Minnich | Executive Director

Dear Donor -

You, as a member of Waypoint’s community, are what I am most thankful for and proud of right now. This community has rallied around the mission of making adventure education accessible over the last 10 years, and I want to say, THANK YOU for believing in us, participating in programs, volunteering, and not giving up during this unprecedented time!

Many of us are experiencing isolation for the first time in our lives. For many in the disabled community, isolation is the norm. This highlights the importance of Waypoint Adventure, and our role in breaking down the barriers of isolation for everyone in our community by making the outdoors accessible.

We’re not slowing down! Waypoint is answering the question, how do we further our mission in a world where bringing people together for adventures is just not safe. And, we’re preparing for the day when we can adventure together in person again soon.

Here’s what we’ve been doing.

Checking in with our school partners to see how they are doing, what they are struggling with and how we can help
Created an online virtual hike corriculum
Building a Waypoint Adventure map of local preserves and wilderness areas where people can go for a hike or get some fresh air
Launched a wheelchair loan program – adaptive equipment doesn’t do any good sitting in the shed. We’re sharing equipment for families to safely enjoy the outdoors right now
Repairing damaged equipment and building storage for tandem bikes
Brain storming and piloting ways to engage our community virtually
Creating the structure around the ability to offer private lessons to individuals

We need your help while we navigate this new world together. Your financial support is needed during this time. The fundraiser we had to cancel at the beginning of April raises 35% of our support from individuals each year.

Please consider giving a donation to Waypoint during this time. We know that life is currently shrouded in uncertainty, and giving in this time is challenging. Your gift will help add certainty that Waypoint will be here when we can start running our group adventures again. I’ve heard from many people that their value of time in the outdoors has increased during this period of distancing. Waypoint’s programs will be needed now more than ever!

We sincerely appreciate your consideration of a gift – and above all – your being part of the Waypoint community.

Sincerely,

Dan Minnich

Links:

10 years on, a message from our co-founders

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Jun 22, 2020
Making Adventure Education Accessable

By Dan Minnich | Executive Director

Dear Donor -

This story is a bit delayed, but I wanted to share one that we completed back in March of this year. At Waypoint Adventure, we talk about the importance of community all the time. There is no better example of this than on our programs with the Carter School. The Carter School is a Boston Public School high school for students with both severe, intensive disabilities and complex health needs. Carter students and their families participated in hiking and kayaking programs last spring. Three communities came together to make these programs possible: the Carter School, the Snowden International School, and Waypoint Adventure.

All Carter students and their families were given the chance to participate on a program in the Blue Hills on one of three days dedicated to hiking. Many students from the Carter School got to hike for the first time alongside peers from another BPS school, the Snowden International School. Snowden students learned how to push and pull some of Waypoint’s specialized off road wheelchairs, so Carter School students’ family members who usually are responsible for their child’s care at home had a chance to enjoy the hike without having to do any of the pushing. We had three great hiking days full of learning mapping skills, getting to know each other, and exploring nature (including smelling skunk cabbage). Since these hikes, we have loved finding out that Snowden students continue to volunteer at the Carter School for special events, further strengthening the relationship between the two schools.

The final program of the partnership is one of the biggest Waypoint has ever run! It was a cookout and kayaking day at Hale Reservation to celebrate the end of the school year. Families were welcome to join their child for the day. We had almost 70 people on that program! Carter students and their parents and siblings all got to try kayaking on Noanet Pond with experienced Waypoint volunteers. We all had a blast trying something new together!

Check out our pictures from these programs. We feel so lucky to be able to participate in this amazing partnership, and we cannot wait to watch these communities come together again to make these programs happen this spring!

Links:

Watch a video from Mark O'Connor, Principal of the Carter School

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Jan 15, 2020
Project Report - January 2020

By Dan Minnich | Founder and Executive Director

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