adaptive kayaking Archives - Waypoint Adventure MA

Tag Archive for: adaptive kayaking

Private Lessons Summer 2020

September 25, 2020/in Hiking, Kayaking, Open Enrollment, Past Programs, Uncategorized

It’s been a wild summer! Covid-times are hard times for sure, but the silver lining for us at Waypoint has been these private lessons! Check out pictures and some cool things we’ve noticed!

Participants are progressing in skills! We’ve been able to focus more on teaching directly to a participant’s skill set and learning style. On one kayaking lesson, we spent over 40 minutes with a participant near the shore breaking down the steps of kayaking very carefully and methodically – adding color cues to her paddle, arrows on white boards, writing out steps, and wading into the water next to her boat to practice the feeling of paddling. We just wouldn’t be able to devote that level of instruction in a group setting!
We’re developing closer relationships with our participants and their families. There’s a lot to chat about on a 90-minute lesson! We’ve seen fresh sides to personalities in a new one-to-one atmosphere and have learned so much about each person who has come out!
More people than ever are signing up that have never been on a Waypoint program! We’re getting calls and emails from all over the Boston area from people who’s school or program is closed and they are looking for something outdoors to do. People who have been on our mailing list for years and just never got around to signing up are doing so. And we think, partly, it’s desperate times, but for some people, they just thrive in a private-lesson setting as opposed to a group one.
We’ve been forced into trying new sites when parks were closed and they’ve turned out to be awesome for us! Some of our new favorites are paddling on the Concord River from Lowell Street in Concord, MA, the Ice House Landing parking lot in Maynard, MA which has access to the Assabet River and a great rail trail for biking, and we’ve used more than usual our favorite Cambridge kayaking spot, Magazine Beach!

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!

New Partnership with Riverview School!

October 8, 2019/in Kayaking, Latest News

New partnership alert! We’re working with Riverview School now! Riverview is a private boarding/day school founded in 1957 on Cape Cod for students with complex learning, language, and cognitive disabilities. We’re working with the GROW Adventure Club – students in post-high school transition who are interested in adventure, challenges, and the outdoors. We’re thrilled by this new partnership and a new place to run programs on the Cape!

Four big adventures are planned for this school year with the goals of challenging students with new and exciting adventures, and also opening up places and opportunities they can come back to in their local community to experience again! Our kick-off to the series was this evening kayaking program, but we’re also planning a winter hiking-weekend, an outdoor rock-climbing program, and a summer camping/kayaking weekend! Check out our sunset paddle on Wequaquet Lake in Barnstable!

We were impressed by the teamwork and care for each other this community demonstrated. One pair in particular made huge strides. When they were having a lot of trouble steering their boat, they became so frustrated that they just stopped paddling all-together. The rest of the group stopped too and offered tips and advice! This pair listened well and got to calm down, and then slowly but surely, they began to keep their boat straight and work as a team without getting frustrated with each other!

On the way back to shore, one of the students said, “This was harder than I thought it was going to be and my shoulders are pretty tired, but I feel great about what I did and that we were finally able to keep the boat straight!” We love the grit this team displayed and we can’t wait to see this team grow through more “first-time” challenges and exciting adventures! Stay tuned for our Winter Hiking Weekend!

Thank you again to Riverview for allowing us to work with your students and the Town of Barnstable for letting use Wequaquet Lake.

Summer of “I Can”

September 9, 2019/in Kayaking, Uncategorized

The summer of “I Can” is all about discovering more. Discovering what you CAN do, what your community can do, what’s possible, and what’s fun. We’re proud to be back for another year of MA DCR Universal Access sponsored programs and are grateful to be using beautiful Walden Pond for most of them. Thank you Walden Pond State Reservation for accommodating us so wonderfully. Participants, Volunteers, and Families, you inspire us every day with your love for kayaking and appreciation for our diverse community. Check out pictures of our adventures!

July 13th Open Enrollment at Lake Cochituate in Wayland: See our Post “Summer of I CAN Kicks Off”

July 16th at Walden Pond with The Carroll Center for the Blind

July 16th Open Enrollment at Walden Pond (Watch Tim and Max do a Wet Exit!)

July 18th Open Enrollment at Magazine Beach – See our Post “One Program with Many Firsts”

July 23rd at Walden Pond with Cambridge Street Upper School

“This will be the most memorable trip of the summer!” The staff at Cambridge Public School’s summer program are calling it now. “They did so much better than I ever thought possible!”… To be honest, we were surprised too! In the pouring rain, the bus arrived and every kid got off and was ready to go! Sometimes we forget that the bigger challenges are the most rewarding. Rain probably isn’t your top pick if you could pick the weather for your kayak program, but life’s surprises and a community that’s up for an adventure together create moments to never forget. We could NOT have done it too without the stellar support of volunteers from LogMeIn. Thank you all for your love of adventure and for not being afraid of a little rain 🌧. We all discovered I CAN KAYAK IN THE RAIN!

July 23rd Open Enrollment for kids at Walden Pond

July 30th at Walden Pond with Newton North High School’s Community Connections Program

July 30th Open Enrollment at Walden Pond

August 3rd Open Enrollment for Adults at Malibu Beach in Dorchester: See our post, The Biggest and the Farthest

Aug 6th at Walden Pond with Young Life Capernaum

Aug 6th Open Enrollment at Walden Pond (Watch the Video of the Launch)

Aug 13th with Newton South STRIDE at Walden Pond

Aug 13th Open Enrollment at Walden Pond

Aug 20th with Burlington Recreation Department at Walden Pond

Aug 20th Open Enrollment at Walden Pond

Aug 22nd Open Enrollment at the Woerd Ave Boat Launch in Waltham

The Biggest and the Farthest!

August 13, 2019/in Uncategorized

Waypoint kayaking programs are all over the Boston area, and we have made it out to a few of the Boston Harbor Islands… but never with a group this size before! Our group of 22 people paddled almost 5 miles in the ocean! And on the way back, into the wind, against the current, they were still Still Singing in Good Spirits!

Check out pictures of our biggest ever, farthest ocean paddle to date.

One Program With Many Firsts

July 25, 2019/in Uncategorized

July 18th was a very special day. Our kayaking program at newly renovated Magazine Beach in Cambridge had some big firsts! Several new experiences and accomplishments added up to one magical night on the water. Here’s the list.

1. Lydia paddled the back of a tandem boat with a participant in the front. This was her first time! Watch her talk about her “I Can” Moment: Lydia Paddles the Back of a Tandem Boat

2. A care-taker that came with a participant had a fear of the water. But he, too, embraced the theme of discovering what you can do and chose to paddle with us. Guess who he paddled with…. Lydia! Watch him talk about overcoming his phobia: Yinka Overcame His Phobia of the Water

3. We had a dog in a boat! This service dog was admirably obedient and brave for scooching all the way down in the cockpit of the boat seat his human was in. It was Sally’s first time kayaking as well! She learned that she doesn’t need ANY specialized equipment or kayak to go again on her own!

4. The Cambridge Police Department volunteered! Thank you Officer LeVecque for volunteering your time and bringing patches!

5. And last but not least, there’s NEVER been a bigger smile and happier-looking combo on a Waypoint program than Zach McLeod and his paddle-partner, Dave Su. Zach has the most infectious love for people and connecting with others than you’ll ever experience. (Zach’s been on Waypoint programs before, so this technically isn’t a first… but you get the idea). The McLeod’s just released a book “Hit Hard” about Zach’s football injury at age 16 and his family’s journey of letting go of what was and learning to live well with what is. You’ll read it in one sitting! Highly recommend. Buy it here.

There were so many more “Waypoint moments” on this trip. There’s just too many to mention. Check out more pictures of the program. And a shoutout to Friends of Magazine Beach, the City of Cambridge, and the MA Department of Conservation and Recreation for constructing an accessible boat launch! Waypoint was honored to have consulted on the project so that more people with disabilities can access the beauty and serenity of the water and the fun of paddling with a community. Come down to the park for an official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to open the launch on Thursday, August 1st at 9:30am… right before our last Magazine Beach kayaking program of the year!

Summer of “I CAN” Kicks Off

July 19, 2019/in Kayaking

A few years ago, a woman named Kamisha came kayaking with Waypoint on the Charles River. It was a full day and the afternoon’s wind picked up making it a big challenge for everyone to get back to the dock. As she was rounding the last corner, she told a Waypoint staff, “This is great for me because this reminds me that ‘I Can!'” It was the perfect summation of what Waypoint is all about: Moments of accomplishment to remember when facing other challenges in life.

Since that time, Waypoint has been implementing research plans and handing out participant surveys and a few key outcomes keep coming to the surface… one of them? Self-Efficacy – one’s belief in their own abilities to complete a task or reach a goal. You CAN!

And this year, we’re all about that. “I Can” moments are happening on programs and it’s continuing to shape people self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy! Check out pictures of our “Summer of ‘I Can'” kick-off on Lake Cochituate in Wayland.

Volunteer Training 2019

June 28, 2019/in Training, Uncategorized, Volunteer

Volunteer Training this year got an upgrade. Not only did we do our typical “soft skills” session Friday night and our “hard skills” kayaking session on Saturday, like we’ve done in the past, but this year, volunteers had the option of TENT CAMPING too at Camp Chickami in Wayland! We love how this Volunteer Community is always up for a grand adventure! It was an awesome weekend full of good questions, curiosity, positive risks, and learning about adaptive strategies among a supportive community.Our session on Friday night at the Waypoint office covered Disability Awareness and Sensitivity as well as our signature “CAP Sauce.” Volunteers got to hear about the three ingredients that go into every program to give it that Waypoint flavor. We had a cookout, watched a video, and got to dive in to important topics such as inclusion, language, statistics, etiquette, and those three key things: Community, Access, and Preparation.

Then the crew camped at Camp Chickami (thanks for letting us use your site, Camp Chickami friends!) and played a thrilling game of “Waypoint survivor.” You all know this fun night was dreamed up and designed by our very own Volunteer Coordinator Extraordinaire, Steve Dastous.

Lastly, on Saturday morning, we kayaked at Wayland Town Beach. We used task analysis techniques to teach 3 basic skills, (putting on a life jacket, getting in and out of the boat, and paddling), practiced transfers, got to use adaptive set-ups for seats and paddles, and practiced a t-rescue scenario. Volunteers got the basics of adaptive kayaking and walked away with a better understanding of their role on Kayaking programs in general. We couldn’t have had a more engaging group of volunteers and more perfect day to train. Thanks also to our new Trip Leader, Kelsey Gross for leading us! Check out pictures!

Friday night at Camp Chickami playing Waypoint Survivor.

It’s A Wrap! Somerville 2019

June 12, 2019/in Hiking, Kayaking, Past Programs, Rock Climbing, Ropes Course, Schools, Series

24 Programs! Our biggest partnership ever! What an awesome year it has been with the thriving Special Education Department of Somerville Public Schools. Thanks to a Cummings Foundation grant the Somerville SPED Department received and the tireless efforts of Wellness Coordinator and friend, Caitlin Kelly, Waypoint was BACK in Somerville for the 2018-2019 school year designing and facilitating quality adventure-education programs for 19 different classes across the district. Social-Emotional Learning was happening on these programs: students immersed in problem solving scenarios, supported by the process of learning and community, and given the right to take on challenging experiences and we saw it in action – the perfect recipe for character building come to life.

These programs were not just work for us. The buy-in from teachers and administrators made this series a joy to facilitate. We even had volunteers come out on one program and come back again and again and again because of how much fun they had just being a part of these days! Shoutout to Jim Bradley, Sylvana Weinstein, and some awesome repeat groups from Definitive Cares and The Shady Hill School. This community is vibrant and excelling because of your support!

You HAVE to peruse some of the pictures below. It felt like a family photo album putting these together and laughing about ridiculous things that happened on programs and awesome students, teachers, and volunteers we met along the way. Here are some snapshots from all of the programs we ran with Somerville during 2018-2019:

10/25/18 Ropes Course at Hale Reservation

11/14/18 Hike in the Middlesex Fells

12/19/18 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/9/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/11/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham

1/15/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

1/23/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover

1/30/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

2/5/19 Hike at Ward Reservation in Andover

2/13/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

2/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

3/19/19 Hike at Harold Parker State Forest in Andover

3/27/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

3/28/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

4/2/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton

4/10/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield

4/24/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn

5/1/19 Indoor Rock Climbing at Central Rock Watertown

5/15/19 Hike at Lynn Woods in Lynn

5/16/19 Hike at Prospect Hill in Waltham

5/23/19 Outdoor Rock Climbing at Hammond Pond in Newton

5/24/19 Hike at Breakheart Reservation in Wakefield

5/29/19 Indoor Kayaking at the Kennedy School in Somerville

6/5/19 Kayaking on the Charles River in Allston

We can’t thank our site partners from Central Rock Gym, Paddle Boston – Charles River Canoe and Kayak, Kennedy School Pool, and Massachusetts DCR enough for supporting this programming. THANK YOU!

And THANK YOU to all the students for participating, and the teachers and administrators that helped coordinate transportation, get forms filled out, opened the pool, and made sure adventure programming fit seamlessly into your curriculum. We believe it’s so important and it’s encouraging to see others agree. Looking forward to next year!

The “Wet Exit”

September 17, 2018/in Kayaking, Training, Uncategorized

Usually, when you go kayaking, you want to be on top of your boat sitting in the seat ;). But occasionally, whether by accident or on purpose, you might find yourself in the water instead. You’ve done a wet exit! This can be fun and exciting and it’s also a good skill/scenario to practice.

On Waypoint programs, our goal for participants is always simply this: That each individual would challenge him/herself in some way – whatever that means for them. When it comes to kayaking specifically, this may mean paddling from point A to point B, experiencing the social dynamic of a group, putting on a life jacket, or trying the wet exit. Wet exits and re-entries DO happen on Waypoint programs and they’re a lot of fun! (Especially on a hot day when it’s nice to get in the water and cool off!)

Waypoint staff spend a lot of time practicing getting people back in their boats or the “re-entry” for all different scenarios and body-types.

We spend a lot of time demonstrating this process to others.

And our participants spend a lot of time practicing their wet exits and re-entries! Check out some wet exits!

*Note, in the world of kayaking, technically a “wet exit” is when your boat goes over while you’re wearing a spray skirt. For our purposes, even though program participants do not wear spray skirts, we use the term “wet exit” most often instead of “capsize” because it helps frame the experience as fun and intentional.