Program Offers Bike Training for the Disabled

A unique program in which individuals with disabilities are taught to ride a bicycle will take place in Arlington from April 15-19.

The program, iCan Bike, is being presented by iCan Shine, a nonprofit organization that provides learning opportunities in recreational activities for individuals with disabilities. Its goal is to teach participants, ages 8 and up, to ride a conventional bike and become lifelong independent riders.

Using a fleet of adapted bicycles, trained staff members lead a specialized instructional program to teach participants how to ride a bike. Riders attend a daily 75-minute session for five consecutive days where they are also physically assisted and encouraged by two volunteer “spotters.” Over the course of the camp, the adapted bike is adjusted to gradually introduce more instability in an effort to challenge riders at their own individual pace.

The iCan Share organization, founded in 2007, plans to expand its offerings to include swimming, dancing and gymnastics.

The Arlington bike camp, to be hosted by the Arlington Recreation Department at Ottoson Middle School, has reached its limit of 25 participants. However, there is still a need for volunteer “spotters” for the week, and sponsorship donations also are being accepted.

For more information, visit the website http://icanshine.org/ican-bike-arlington-ma/ or contact Nina Fischer at arlingtonbikecamp@gmail.com. Fischer, an Arlington resident, is co-coordinator of the camp with her sister, Sharon Fischer, of Medford.

Tax-deductible donations may be made securely online through First Giving:

https://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/ninafischer/arlingtonbikecamp

– Submitted by Ken Krause