HMB Yacht Club’s Adaptive Sailing Program Creates Access for All for CUSD’s Special Ed Students

OWN VOICE. Submitted by Cabrillo Unified School District (CUSD) Adaptive Physical Education teacher, Angelle Gonzalez-Heldmaier.

March 2020 marked the last Adapted Physical Education field trip that students in Special Education at CUSD had participated in. We went out with a spectacular event of adapted skating that would start an almost two year absence of Special Olympics events on the Coastside. In years prior, the Special Education staff and the high school Physical Education department had just started hosting Special Olympics events at Half Moon Bay high school with such activities as soccer and basketball. Then  everything changed when we had to teach virtually…..

On Wednesday, April 19, students in Special Education at CUSD had the amazing  opportunity to attend the Half Moon Bay Yacht club and to participate in adapted  sailing. Since the Yacht Club obtained a specialized beach wheelchair and an adapted sailboat that accommodates people with disabilities, a whole new world on the water is  now accessible to them.

Kelly Pike and the crew at the Half Moon Bay Yacht club  provided instruction of the basic components of wind and sail power, followed by a hands on tour of sailing on the water. To see the excitement and smiles on the students’ faces was a reward in its own right, as my goal as the Adapted Physical Education Specialist is to promote social inclusion through sport activities, recreational  and physical fitness. 

Many of my students do not have the opportunity or access to the variety of  recreational activities that we offer on the coast. In fact, many of the students who  went out that day had never had the opportunity to be on a sailboat, let alone on one in their own back yard at Princeton Harbor.

Transferring students from their own wheelchair to a specialized chair that offers mobility on the sand, allows them access to do many water activities that were once closed to them. In addition, HMBYC’s new, adapted sailboat that seats two students who use wheelchairs, allows them to be the sailors (or pirates!) that they only dreamed of becoming.  

According to Pike, who is the President of Half Moon Bay Yacht Club Foundation (HMBYCF), since its inception eight years ago, its main priority was to establish an  adapted sailing program on the coast. Thus, an adapted wheelchair was funded from the foundation, allowing those with mobility challenges to access the dock at the HMBYC.

The unique adapted, dual-seat sailboat is on loan to HMBYC from the California Inclusive Sailing organization based in Newport Beach. Their goal is to “sail  and connect with nature, create partnerships with people of all abilities, and improve  the quality of life,” (http://www.cisail.org/about.html). 

I am always looking for local, recreational activities for my students of varying abilities.  I keep an eye out for businesses and organizations that offer access to all. Taking  students out of the classroom and into the community provides a unique opportunity  for students. They can discover the many natural wonders of our beautiful Coastside. 

I also want them to begin to understand the value of health and recreational activities  that can be done throughout their life, regardless of ability levels. These activities often  have the powerful impact of promoting social inclusion and fostering lifelong  friendships.

If you have a business/organization that is open for us to visit, please  contact me at [email protected].

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Author: Coastside Buzz

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