Adaptive Recreation in Massachusetts

2025 has been a year of play for our family. We really got into exploring adaptive recreation opportunities, and oh my gosh, we have had so much fun!

It all started with a bike ride.

All Out Adventures coordinates recreational events for people of all abilities through Universal Access Programs in Massachusetts. They make it possible for your family to be active in the great outdoors of New England- hiking, biking, kayaking, snowshoeing, ice skating- how cool is that!!!

And their adaptive bike program brought accessible and adaptive bicycles to our beautiful Holliston Rail Trail. They scheduled four events for us this year, two last Spring and two more coming up this Fall (click on Pink Granite Pedalers to register or volunteer).

Mom, Dad, and Teen signed up for the June date. It was a gorgeous day, and our rail trail- if you have not visited- is amazing! (On a side note, it’s one of my favorite spots for photo shoots). The trail stretches for 6.7 miles from Milford, through Holliston, to Sherborn. Besides being a great place for a walk or jog, dogs welcome, it also hosts festive events like an Annual Trail Run, a First Night Trail Walk, and a Halloween Pumpkin Walk.

Anyway…back to adaptive cycling. There were a variety of bikes to choose from- some were adapted for disabled individuals to ride on their own, and others allowed for tandem rides for higher need individuals to sit back and enjoy the ride. 

One style of adaptive bike has a seat attached to the front, with its own third wheel and a five-point harness to keep the individual safe. Another style actually has a full platform attached to the bike that could support a rider who needs to stay in their wheelchair. Creative technology is my favorite kind of technology, for sure!

Our family chose the bike with the attached seat, and my husband and son were in absolute heaven, flying down the path at a pretty good clip. I watched with my mom friends, and we got some steps in, carefully avoiding the cyclers of course. We can’t wait to do it again!

Our next adventure was adaptive sailing.

My son received a very generous holiday gift last year- a day of adaptive sailing in Newport, RI with Sail To Prevail. We never even knew this was a thing! It is indeed a thing, for over 40 years, in fact. It was the very first sailing program for people with disabilities in the US, and it is still going strong.

The sailboat was big enough for five of us, plus our captain. So my son’s BFF and her mom met us at the dock at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, and we lucked out with yet another gorgeous day.

The accessibility is impressive. Wheelchairs can roll right down the pier to the boats, and right on the dock where the boats are moored is a hoyer lift– perfect! (I was really wondering how this was going to work, since my kid is almost 120 lbs of love).

The volunteers (all high school and college students) carefully settled my son into the seat, and then the rest of us boarded, and we cast off into the Narragansett Bay. The water was calm, the breeze refreshing, and we all could not stop smiling. We will definitely sign up again next summer!

One more time on the water.

The last activity we got in before the school year was adaptive kayaking in Hopkinton State Park, also through the All Out Adventures Universal Access Program.

The three of us (Mom, Dad, and Teen) squeezed into a 2-person kayak, Dad in the back doing most of the paddling, and Mom in the front with the large teen in her lap. We had floats attached to each side to ensure we didn’t tip, and the guides helped us do a few laps around the lake. It was fun, but my feet fell asleep!

I’ve always known there were resources like this available in Massachusetts, and I’m so glad I finally started using them. I highly recommend these programs- whatever the obstacle, they can make it work! Make sure you click on the links to check them out.

You can read about some of our other adventures on the Sunschein Photography, blog, Shining a Light – adaptive skiing was an incredible experience!

I’m excited to start planning our next adventure! What do you think your family will try first?