Stark Community Foundation has partnered with The Repository to highlight positive things happening in our community every Monday. We’re bringing you Good News Mondays!
Learning to ride a bike as a child is a special memory for most people. Thanks to the Greater Akron Autism Society and community volunteers, more than 30 local children with disabilities created those memories this month at iCan Bike Camp. At camp, the children accomplished a childhood “rite of passage,” learning to ride a two-wheeled bike on their own with unique training equipment and expert instruction.
The five-day camp, held at Jackson High School, taught people of various abilities ages 8 and up how to ride bikes. Since 2012, the Autism Society has been bringing kids from Northeast Ohio to Stark and Summit counties for its annual camp. The society works with national nonprofit iCan Shine to provide staff and modified bike equipment for the program and secure local high school facilities, participants and volunteers.
This year’s camp had 32 cyclists and 42 volunteers. Over the course of 11 camps, the Autism Society has empowered over 450 people with disabilities to learn to ride a bike and gain independence.
The nonprofit’s extensive network of disability support providers promotes the camps, and families supported by their local county developmental disability boards can use family support funds they receive from their counties to offset registration fees.
The Autism Society also has a limited scholarship budget to ensure that no one is turned away due to financial hardship, and thanks to the Safe Mobility Project, a collaboration between Akron Children’s Hospital and the Goodyear Foundation, all riders who attended the camp were provided with a free helmet to ensure their safety, as well as to display a well-deserved reward sticker.
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Many people with disabilities face challenges like hand-eye coordination that make it difficult to look ahead and pedal. Weak core muscles and low stamina can make it difficult to sit upright and pedal consistently. Balance issues and poor motor planning can also hinder a child’s ability to put all the moving parts together.
Instructors realize that parents want their children to experience the same joys of riding a bike that they experienced as children, but get frustrated when the traditional teaching methods they know don’t work.
During the camp, participants start by riding modified bikes that have rollers instead of the rear wheels, and learn how to pedal without balancing.
Riders then practice on tandem bikes, with a staff member sitting behind them to assess the steering, balance and pedaling skills they need to improve.
From this step, riders mount two-wheeled bikes with spotters on the back, allowing volunteers to help them start, stop, balance and turn. By the end of the week, many riders will be on their own two-wheeled bikes, ready for family bike rides or neighborhood rides with friends.
As one participant’s parent said, “Words can’t describe how amazing the experience was. The staff at iCan Shine were so kind, especially to the children. Words can’t describe how amazing this program is.”
The Autism Society offers programs throughout the year to support families with disabilities in the community, including monthly community events. A nine-week water safety program and social club for ages 7 through adults begins in September. For more information, visit www.autismakron.org/events.
Stark Community Foundation helps individuals, families, businesses and nonprofits achieve their philanthropic goals through a variety of charitable funds and strategic initiatives. Ranked in the top 10% of community foundations in the nation, the foundation and its family of donors have contributed more than $250 million to nonprofits since 1963. For more information, visit www.starkcf.org.