autism Archives - Waypoint Adventure MA

Tag Archive for: autism

Wilson is in a red kayak in an indoor pool. He is wearing a red life jacket and blue and yellow swim shirt. A staff member is in the water next to the kayak. Both of them have big smiles on their faces.

Embracing the Unknown: Wilson’s Journey of Growth

May 3, 2024/in Achievements, Kayaking

Wilson first joined a Waypoint indoor kayaking program with his Boston Public School autism classroom at CASH back in 2022. Wilson came to the pool with curiosity, but had reservations about entering the water. Along with the encouragement from staff and peers, Wilson made the choice to step out of his comfort zone, strap on a life vest, and slowly entered the water. Timid at first, he felt most at ease when holding the hand of a staff member. As the season progressed, Wilson started to find himself reaching for someone’s hand less and less. He learned to challenge himself in the pool — at his own pace.

This year, Wilson’s class returned to Waypoint for another season of indoor kayaking. Waypoint staff framed the series with the theme of Growth: Any time we open our minds to challenge ourselves to learn a new skill, we are growing! After a quick paddle tutorial, Wilson did not just dip his toes in the water, he hopped right in the kayak, with a smile from ear to ear! It was clear to everybody at the pool that day that his confidence in the kayak had blossomed! But most importantly, it was clear to Wilson.

At Waypoint Adventure, we believe in letting folks choose their own adventure, just like Wilson did! He started with small steps and slowly cranked up his exposure to the water. Wilson proved to himself that the courage to try something new and unfamiliar – one step at a time – can lead to triumph! Wilson showed the power of starting small and building up to something great. Throughout this spring season, we are so excited to see Wilson continue to challenge himself and experience growth on his terms!

Wilson is in a yellow kayak, in an indoor pool. He's smiling and holding a paddle. He is wearing a red life jacket and wearing a blue and yellow swim shirt.

Wilson paddling with confidence this indoor kayaking season.

One Participant Selling Bracelets for Waypoint

January 19, 2024/in Achievements, Fundraisers, Support

Zoe Spiegel has been a Waypoint participant since 2021 when she tried snowshoeing for the first time along side her mom at Weston Ski Track. Then, in 2023, she braved the snow again on skis!

Zoe at Weston Ski Track with Trip Leader Brenda writing her name in the snow

Zoe and mom, Mira, standing together on snowshoes smiling at Weston Ski Track

Zoe and Waypoint staff/volunteers on skis!

Zoe’s family was so impressed with her snowshoeing and skiing experiences, that Zoe’s mom, Mira, arranged for a grant from the Needham Education Foundation to fund a Waypoint Adventure School Series for Zoe and her peers at Needham High School! So far, they’ve had awesome Waypoint-led Team Building and Indoor Rock Climbing adventures!

Now, Zoe is channeling her bracelet-making skills into raising funds so that other adults on the autism spectrum and/or with disabilities also have access to the adventures that give her such a sense of accomplishment.

Mira shared, “For Zoe to be able to walk away having learned how to do something gives her a real sense of accomplishment. We wanted to make sure that Zoe’s enterprise, Zo Much More, could give back to the organization that gave her so much.“

Zo Much More is a family-owned and operated social enterprise powered by Zoe herself. Like so many other individuals with ASD, she is capable of so much more than she is often given credit for. Zo Much More provides a platform for Zoe to demonstrate some of her strengths (making custom bracelets, assembling kits, etc.) and hopefully create a model for others. Zo Much More selects different charity partners – like Waypoint Adventure – who are committed to improving the quality of life for individuals with disabilities and donates 20% of their topline revenue to those charity partners. Zoe also designs a customized “Spirit Bracelet” for each charity partner – and her custom-made Waypoint “blue and green” bracelet was a huge hit. Zo Much More recently made their largest charity partner donation since the inception of their business when they donated $1,037 to Waypoint Adventure!

The Waypoint Blue and Green Spirit Bracelet

Thank you, Zoe, for all your hard work making bracelets and selling them so that people with disabilities can have access to meaningful adventures!

If you want a Waypoint blue and green spirit bracelet, Zo Much More will make you one! Head over to ZoMuchMore.com to request one or shop from Zoe’s extensive collection of beautiful jewelry.

Click a picture to read caption

IAC Backpacking 2019

October 8, 2019/in Backpacking, Hiking, Latest News, Open Enrollment, Past Programs, Volunteer

Our annual Inclusive Adventure Club (IAC) backpacking trip was one of the best IAC programs to date. Our vision for this club is that all people regardless of ability have the opportunity to share in the costs and rewards of the experience. We recognize that the thrill of backpacking can be even more rewarding when done alongside a diverse community! So…

On September 21st, 15 adults and their packs filled with food, sleeping bags, tents, and the like, journeyed up to the White Mountains for a beautiful weekend of fall backpacking. The specific destination: Franconia Brook Campsite. S’more-making; star-gazing; bowl-licking; weird wraps (peanut butter, cheese, pepperoni, hummus, and Doritos); and games around the fire were just some of the many highlights that made for a magical trip.

Several people by the end of the weekend said that this trip made their year. It is rare when a large, new group of people can come together and work so effortlessly. Genuine adventure allows that to happen!

If you are interested in backpacking or in other inclusive adventure club adventures, please check out our IAC 2019 Flyer and sign up!

The photos speak for themselves:

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

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!

Winter Summit 2019

April 1, 2019/in Backpacking, Hiking, Latest News, Open Enrollment, Special Events

Waypoint Adventure conquered Mt. Willlard for our 8th annual Winter Summit Weekend!

Filled with anticipation and excitement, the group of 9 set out for the Highland Center in legendary Crawford Notch, NH. For some, it was another chance to summit Mt. Willard. For others, it was their first experience being up in the White Mountains in winter and hiking there with new friends.

The theme for this year was this: It Matters. Throughout the weekend, group members were given the challenge of reflecting on the decisions that they made and interactions that they had with each other to determine why they matter.

On the final night together, everyone shared their favorite moments from the trip. Some things that were said were: “This was the most challenging hike I have ever done, but I feel so proud of myself for doing it!”, “I needed this. This empowered me to get out into the world.”, and “This was excellent! (coming from a participant who uses limited speech)”.

After each person shared their favorite moment, they were given a cutout piece of the map from the trail they had just hiked. With a sharpie, each person wrote their favorite part on the back of this piece and had to figure out how their pieces came together to form the whole map. Without all the pieces, the map would have been incomplete. By the end, everyone realized that all the small things can make a huge difference in our lives. They Matter.

While the summit of Mt. Willard was truly a magical and special place, the weekend was made complete through the difficult journey up and down the mountain, eating way too much food, and hanging out with quality people in the lodge (not to mention the endless games of corn hole and ping-pong to boot!). Mt. Willard was just the icing on the cake.

But don’t take our word for it! Below are some pictures from the weekend.

Lodge Life:

Hike:

We are so grateful to have such a welcoming and loving community of people come out with us every year. 2019 was a very special year and we hope to continue the tradition in 2020. Thank you to AMC YOP for extra gear and the reservation at the Highland Center, Peter Fuller Vans (shout out to Jim Cubeta!) for the van and everyone else who made this all possible.

Best Buddies; A Series Built on Trust and Accomplishment

February 27, 2019/in Past Programs, Rock Climbing, Series, Volunteer

We see it all the time, but it never gets old: Participants and their communities surprised at what they can achieve when they accept a challenge and are given support through that challenge.

Thulasi arrived for our climbing program with Best Buddies fully expecting to just watch. Her goals were social – she would just hang out with her friends from Cotting School, her new “Buddies” from Meadowbrook School, and watch others climb. But after engaging in the group activities and feeling support from her friends the option was presented to her and she changed her mind. Girded by the support of classmates and friends, Thulasi climbed to the very top!

Thulasi’s dad choked up in our closing circle. He said “I am constantly surprised by my daughter. I never thought she would climb! But seeing her at the top was a great reminder of what she is capable of.” Thulasi pushing her limits on the rock wall changed things for her dad that day. Thulasi’s confidence certainly grew, but so did the understanding of those that love and support her.

Waypoint Adventure and Best Buddies (an organization spanning 123 different cities and 14 different countries) are teaming up in 2019 for a 3-program-series designed to provide “Buddy” pairs experiences in trust building and real life challenges. Relationships that go deep are founded on trust and vulnerability and what better way to make new friends than on a challenging adventure where support is vital! Middle School pairs of students from Meadowbrook School and Cotting School were the first in this 3-program series and the kick-off was a resounding success!

We’re thrilled to be working with students like Thulasi and organizations like Best Buddies for the opportunity to break down misconceptions of abilities and barriers to access so all can experience powerful transformation!

Thank you again as always to Central Rock Gym for the space to learn and grow!

Breaking Down Expectations and Building Up Families

February 4, 2019/in Hiking, Special Events, Uncategorized

We met Oanh Bui, the founder of the Circle of Vietnamese Parents, in the summer of 2015 when her daughter who is on the Autism spectrum came on a kayaking program. Oanh’s passion is to build up families of Asian descent and believes adventure-education programs are a key element to her work. Her parents’ support group provides educational and emotional support for Vietnamese-speaking families who have youth with various disabilities including Autism. Her mission is to provide social and recreational opportunities for young adults so they can integrate more into their communities and to empower parents who are always the best advocates for their loves ones.

Due to social stigma and different perspectives about disability within the Vietnamese community, many Vietnamese families with children with disabilities, autism, or mental health issues hardly have opportunities to participate in any public events. Parents from the Circle of Vietnamese Parents face language AND cultural differences so the opportunities to recreate in linguistically and culturally appropriate programs are hard to come by!

Thanks to the DCR’s Universal Access Program, Waypoint Adventure and the Circle of Vietnamese Parents had the exciting opportunity to hike last week in Blue Hills Reservation! It was a COLD day and, honestly, the expectation was that a few people would probably cancel due to temperatures being in the single digits. But to our surprise, EVERY SINGLE person came and the parking lot started buzzing at 10am with families excited to participate and layer up with donated Patagonia gear for our beautiful winter hike! It was an awesome day and Oanh recalled later how impactful the experience was for these families. Parents got to see their kids overcome challenges and participate fully ….something a lingering negative stigma would have never expected them to do.

Hikes like this one help re-frame the expectations we have for our kids and ultimately builds the family and transforms lives!

A unique series in skill-progression

December 10, 2018/in Latest News, Rock Climbing, Series, Uncategorized, Volunteer

We just wrapped up an awesome Rock Climbing series with LABBB Collaborative! It’s not often a group will contact us and say they want to do a focused series on one adventure-type in particular, but this school was all for it! They wanted to progress in their rock climbing and self-confidence skills!

LABBB Collaborative, based in Bedford, Massachusetts, serves students with disabilities from Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Burlington, and Bedford and helps them reach their potential by integrating academics, social, recreational, and vocational services. This was year-two of an awesome Waypoint+LABBB partnership and 6 participants this year really progressed! We spent four Wednesday nights at Central Rock Gym in Watertown raising the bar for each individual’s level of challenge and working on autonomous decision-making. With ample time devoted to all the skills of rock climbing, each participant got a chance to learn knots, all about gear, and even belaying!

By the end of the series, students were working hard, implementing climbing strategies, and were responsible for their own knot-tying and equipment! It was awesome to watch this group form and progress in skill. Check out pictures from our series!

As always, we are so grateful for all our volunteers (Mary and Jim!) and our partnership with Central Rock Gym. Without you all, we would not be able to run successful programs!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!