In this episode, we talk with the Executive Director of Adaptive Adventures, Chelsea Elder. Chelsea leads a national team dedicated to expanding access to adaptive outdoor recreation for children, adults, veterans, and their families. Chelsea has been with Adaptive Adventures since 2010. In that time, her role has grown, and she now oversees the organization nationwide, including the management, implementation, and expansion of its VA Adaptive Sports Grant program. She has helped grow the organization’s reach while advocating for the physical, mental, and social benefits of inclusive recreation.
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Episode Transcript
Quick Navigation (click the linked text below to jump to a new section)
- Intro
- Chelsea’s professional journey
- Adaptive Adventure’s mission and what makes it unique
- What “freedom through mobility” means to Chelsea and Adaptive Adventures
- How Adaptive Adventures is breaking down barriers
- How Adaptive Adventures meets the needs of different age groups and abilities
- Bringing adventures to you
- How they promote confidence and long-term independence
- The trends Chelsea is seeing in accessibility that give her hope for the future
- Misconceptions about disability and outdoor recreation
- How easy it is to get started
- How you can become an ally and advocate for accessible recreation
- Chelsea’s final thoughts
*Edited for clarity*
Host 0:03
Welcome to Wellness, Health and Everything Else: a NCHPAD Podcast. NCHPAD is the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability – the nation’s premier center dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of everyone. In each episode, we explore topics at the intersection of health, wellness and mobility limitations. If you have an idea for a topic, would like to learn more about a topic or are interested in our free resources, programs and partnership opportunities, email us at nchpad@uab.edu, give us a call at 866-866-8896 or check out our website at nchpad.org.
Music Interlude
In this episode, we talk with Executive Director of Adaptive Adventures, Chelsea Elder. Chelsea leads a national team dedicated to expanding access to adaptive outdoor recreation for children, adults, veterans, and their families. Chelsea has been with Adaptive Adventures since 2010. In that time, her role has grown, and she now oversees the organization nationwide, including the management, implementation, and expansion of its VA Adaptive Sports Grant program. She has helped grow the organization’s reach while advocating for the physical, mental, and social benefits of inclusive recreation.
Chelsea opened the episode by discussing her personal and professional journey to becoming the Executive Director of Adaptive Adventures.
Chelsea Elder 1:31
I got started with Adaptive Ventures as a volunteer in 2010. I had gone out to an adaptive kayaking pool session with my brother, who has a physical disability, and I was watching them teach a quad amputee how to roll his own kayak, and I thought, oh my goodness, this is what I want to do. I had just sold my dance studio and was trying to find what my next career move was going to be, and absolutely fell in love with the idea of adaptive recreation. My brother has a physical disability, and my dad was a disabled Vietnam veteran, and I was his caregiver for a good portion of the time when I started with the organization. So, I started as a volunteer, and then in about 2014 they hired me, and I held basically every role in the organization. I was the office manager, data entry, military manager, assistant director, and then became the executive director in 2017. I just absolutely love what we do at Adaptive Adventures, and really can’t see myself doing anything else.
Host 2:40
For listeners who may be unfamiliar with Adaptive Adventures, Chelsea shared the organization’s mission and what makes it unique in the adaptive sports and recreation space.
Chelsea Elder 2:50
So, Adaptive Adventures was founded in 1999 by two individuals with physical disabilities who saw a need for more adventure opportunities outside of the Paralympic route. So, Adaptive Adventures today provides progressive outdoor adventure opportunities for children, adults, and veterans with physical disabilities and their families free of charge, and we, regardless of location, equipment needs, or economic status, make sure that those programs happen. So, what makes this really unique is that we provide all of our services free of charge. We are the only fully mobile adaptive recreation program in the country, so we actually travel to establish and sustain programs in unserved communities, and we do that from Guam to Puerto Rico. We also include families and care teams in the programs that we provide, and most of our staff have either a visible or invisible disability themselves.
Host 3:50
Adaptive Adventures talks about providing “freedom through mobility.” We asked what that phrase means to her and how she sees it come to life through the organization’s programs.
Chelsea Elder 3:59
Freedom through mobility to us means the ability to get out, experience nature, be around others, just be able to move in different ways, and we see this a lot in a lot of the kids’ camps that we do, and stuff. It might be the first time that a child is getting out of their wheelchair and into an adaptive cycle and getting to feel the wind in their hair and in their face for the first time, and that’s really important to us. Just that ability to be outside, recreate with others, and not be stuck at home on the couch or isolated from the community.
Host 4:39
Chelsea shared some of the barriers people with disabilities face when trying to access outdoor activities and how Adaptive Adventures is working to remove those barriers.
Chelsea Elder 4:47
I would say one of the, one of the biggest barriers that most people will know of is transportation. Transportation can be a significant barrier, so Adaptive Adventures focuses on trying to always make sure that our programs are located on or near public transportation. That’s one of the things that we consider as we’re looking at different venues. We also utilize a lot of different tools in the locations that we’re in, or maybe use partners that help with transportation in different locations.
But one of the ones that most people might not think about is actually the word adaptive, and people knowing that word. So one of the challenges, as we’ve been looking at how we make our website more accessible and inclusive, is how to incorporate some of the terms that may not be politically correct into the website. But also for people to know, if I search for this, I can actually find what I’m looking for. So, we have one participant who said she found us by Googling “what can I do on crutches in the outdoors?” And it came up with us. But most people might not know the word adaptive to even search for that, or what that even means. So, I think that’s one of the biggest barriers, and that’s why it’s really important to reach people when they’re in rehab hospitals and stuff, so that they get connected with the resources right away, so they’re not having to try to search for them later on.
Host 6:19
Adaptive Adventures serves children, adults, veterans, and families. Chelsea shared some examples of the ways Adaptive Adventures meets the needs and goals of these different groups.
Chelsea Elder 6:30
Yeah, there definitely are different needs and goals for each of the different groups. In kids, specifically, when working with children, a lot of the programs that we’re doing are with camps, so kids are going to a specific camp for maybe like Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or limb loss or limb difference, and so we’re meeting them there and providing services to them in those camps. But we also do a lot of programming that is family-related. So we have a signature event called Access Adventure Multi Sport and Family Days, and those are designed for families to come out together. It’s for anybody, but we have everywhere from three year olds to World War 2 veterans with their grandkids coming out to these events, and it’s to really break down those barriers, because what we want to make sure is that when the kids are participating that their parents are getting to see what type of equipment they’re using and how it’s working, and it’s not just the red bike, it’s this specific version of bike. And so that’s really important to us, because otherwise it’s just a one-time experience, and we want it to be more of a lifetime of riding or climbing or whatever that might be.
And then for civilians, that kind of is encompassed in all the programs that we do, as far as programs that we do at our Adaptive Education Center here in Westminster, Colorado, and then all of our climbing clubs and stuff that we do in different locations. And then a big portion of what we do, travel-wise, for our organization is based on VA medical centers, so we receive funding from the VA Adaptive Support Grant, and we travel to different VA medical centers to facilitate clinics where we are actually helping veterans to get their own adaptive equipment from the VA. What we like to do is, when we’re establishing programs in those areas, train disabled veterans who want to give back and continue to serve in their community on how to run adaptive support programs in their area.
So one of the most famous programs that we have done this with is Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico didn’t have any adaptive cycles, and we trained local disabled veterans on how to have an adaptive cycling program. We trained the therapists at the VA and the rehab hospitals and brought over a trailer of adaptive cycles. It sounds easy, but it was really not. And then helped establish this program, and so it’s continued to grow. So now we have these veteran leaders in the community who are providing cycling. We have trained them to provide hiking. Now we just brought over a kayak and paddle board trailer. We’re also adding dragon boat. We’ve run climbing programs, so it’s just grown and grown, and now we’re adding in supporting and facilitating programs for children and civilians in that area. So it starts with the veterans, typically in our satellite programs, and then we continue to grow it to the rest of the population.
Host 9:35
We asked how Adaptive Adventures brings adventures directly to people regardless of location, how they have expanded their service areas, and for some of the best locations Adaptive Adventures has been to.
Chelsea Elder 9:45
We have provided programs in over 30 states, and that is because we have a large number of trailers that we travel with, and we have a staff that’s very dedicated and loves to travel. So, we have about 18 equipment-filled trailers that we travel with to provide services and establish programs, but we’re really focused on not just going to an area one time. We usually try to do a three-to-five-year plan of how we’re making something become sustainable on its own or be supported by us, but in a more minimal way. So we provide our staffing, who provide training and education for local community leaders. We provide equipment and resources, and then we also provide administrative support, because one of the biggest barriers to different programs having opportunities in their area is insurance. And so we provide that insurance coverage and administrative support for our registration platform, and we actually just launched the Adaptive Ventures Community app, which also helps to make sure that people have that administrative support that they need. We actually have a staff member who’s dedicated to working with our different satellite locations and leads, helping them through all the challenges of running an adaptive recreation program.
Our favorite locations that we’ve been to are, you know, all over the country, but we really love some of our more remote locations, like the island locations and territories. So we just launched a program in Guam a couple of years ago, and that has been going really well. We launched a program in Hawaii, and now we’re expanding to two islands. A program in Puerto Rico that’s just booming and blossoming. And we love a lot of different locations in the country. Usually, what we do is link different locations together. So, if we’re going to Texas, we also go to Oklahoma, then we go to New Orleans and back. So, we just try to meet as many communities as possible, and we’re always open to serving new areas. We try not to duplicate services of any other organizations, and if we are being requested to go to a location, we typically reach out to the other organization in that area and find out: Do they actually have a program in that area? Do they not? Do they need support? So, in some cases, we’ll go out and train the other adaptive sport program in maybe a sport that they currently don’t provide and that they’re interested in providing, and provide them the equipment to do that, so that they can continue to facilitate that in that area.
Host 12:25
Adaptive Adventures emphasizes independence. Chelsea shared how its programs help participants build confidence and long-term independence.
Chelsea Elder 12:33
So, independence is huge for us. We don’t want to, as we say, give rides. We want people to be able to independently participate in the sport themselves and with their families and friends. So we really help and focus on getting them their own adaptive equipment and not on them being a participant with us forever, but maybe becoming a volunteer or just being a community member that comes out when they feel like it. But we want them to be able to ride their bike independently with their family or friends and go to the climbing gym with others in the community. We just really want to make sure that that is the focus, not keeping them in our programs, and kind of like putting those guardrails up, of like now they don’t have a resource without us.
So we do bike fittings in our adaptive education center here in Colorado, and we actually have some contracted adaptive athletes who help work on people’s bikes, fix their bikes, and help them with fittings. So that’s like a really great way for people to come in and see, and we also do this virtually too. If somebody needs something, they can do that. Additionally, on our new app, we have a video series that walks you through different adaptations for the different sports, so you can go and look at the different videos, and it can help you before you reach out to us, and we can do a Zoom call to help you with the right equipment. But getting the right equipment is essential to that independence. We can help with grants. We help with letters of support, all of those different things. We don’t provide grants ourselves, but there are lots of agencies that do. So we just connect people to the right resources to help them through that process and make sure that whatever piece of equipment they’re getting is actually something they’re going to use and not end up sitting in their garage.
Host 14:33
We asked Chelsea about the trends she is seeing in disability inclusion and accessibility that give her hope for the future.
Chelsea Elder 14:39
Yeah, I would say that there’s just a willingness and excitement that people have about being partnered and doing more accessibility and inclusion work. A lot of the major outdoor retail brands we work with are building universal lines of equipment like we’ve never seen before, where it makes the experience better for everyone, but it has a focus on really making sure that folks with disabilities have what they need in the gear.
Also, with park and rec districts and state and regional parks, we’re seeing a big willingness and interest in what kind of features they can have in our parks that will make it better for everybody. We want training for our staff on how to make it better. So I think you know, not as much pre-COVID did we see that as we see it post-COVID, of really just the energy around wanting to know how they can be supportive to the community and how they can be inclusive. I think that’s really encouraging, and I think it’s great that also a lot of the brands that we have worked with, we have been really straightforward and said, like, if you’re going to work with us, we don’t want to show the Paralympic athlete; we want to show the average adaptive athlete and really push that narrative that it’s for everyone. And all of the brands that we have worked with have really stuck to that, and I appreciate that, because I think it’s really important in helping to get more people outside.
Host 16:17
Chelsea addressed some misconceptions people may have about disability and outdoor recreation and how Adaptive Adventures is working to dispel them.
Chelsea Elder 16:25
I would say the biggest one is that people think it’s complicated. It can be complicated because there’s lots of different equipment. I would say a lot of folks call – I mean, literally every day, people call us and say they’ll start out with something small, and they’ll be like, “Oh, I have this”, and then it’s like, okay, well, we have modifications for that. “Well, I’m also, you know, an amputee.” Well, that’s okay. “Well, I also have lost my vision in one eye.” Okay, you know, we can accommodate that, and I think a lot of times people think that the equipment doesn’t exist, that the skill set doesn’t exist to be able to make things happen, and so just kind of helping people to understand, and it’s really hard unless you actually see it. And it’s hard to envision yourself doing the sport or activity if you’ve never done it before.
So that’s one of the biggest barriers, I think, and that’s why we created the educational video series to kind of walk people through that, especially when folks are brand new with an injury, and maybe they’re not mentally there yet, like, I want to try these adaptive things, but their family is encouraging it. At least there’s a resource to point to and say, “Just take a look at this; you don’t have to go out to an adaptive cycling program. You can just see what’s available.” And I think that one of the most important things is just people knowing what exists.
And the next one kills me, and we are always working on it: people who say, “My physician told me I would never x y z again”, and it’s usually not true. It’s, it’s just a lack of education on their part about what exists in adaptive recreation. For cycling, we have bikes that you can operate with your chin, braking and shifting systems with your elbows and head, like there are just so many different adaptations that exist that people just don’t know about, and it is possible. It’s just that they’re not aware of it, and so we have to do a lot of work around educating physicians and support teams, and then also people who are calling into us and saying, “Well, just come out and see it, and we can show you. And you don’t have to try it.” But usually what ends up happening is they do try it, and they have a great time, and they realize that they actually can do it.
Host 18:52
We asked how easy it is for someone considering trying an adaptive adventure to get started and attend.
Chelsea Elder 18:58
We have our website, adaptiveadventures.org, where people can go on there and look through all of the different events that we provide. We also have our new app that’s available on the Apple and Google Play stores that people can download. The web browser version is really great. If you go to community.adaptiveadventures.org, you can get connected with others in your area. We have different regional groups, but it’s just as simple as registering and signing up for the programs that you’re interested in. There are no fees associated, so it’s all free for participation, and we just want to get as many people out and recreating with us as possible.
Host 19:38
Chelsea discussed how you can become an ally and advocate for accessible recreation in your own community.
Chelsea Elder 19:44
I would say, in your own community, if you were at an outfitter or a climbing gym or a bike shop or a state park/regional park, just to talk with the leadership and say, “Hey, have you ever considered doing, you know, this accessibility improvement?” or “I’m noticing this.” A lot of times. It just takes that first seed in a conversation to get somebody excited about that. We have seen that even here in Colorado, which is saturated with adaptive recreation programs. We’ll reach out to a regional park and say, “Hey, we want to bring this group there, but there are these accommodations that are going to be needed.” And they’re always very excited and willing to support it’s just they maybe don’t know how, and so you know helping to connect them with resources and just get the conversation going is the first step, and there’s so many different entities that can support that it really is just taking that initial step to say, “Hey, have you ever thought about doing this?”
Host 20:46
Here are Chelsea’s final thoughts.
Chelsea Elder 20:48
Yeah, I think just for folks who might be listening who are maybe timid about going out and trying an adaptive sport or a different recreation opportunity, it’s just to know that it doesn’t have to be complicated. You have agency over yourself, and you can make the decisions about what you want to do or don’t want to do. But you have to get out there first to know whether it’s going to be a fit for you or not. So, just taking that first step of leaving the house and going out to the program is really important, and you can always call those programs and ask a lot of questions ahead of time to get a good feel for who the people are and what it’s going to be like, so that you can have the most positive experience possible. And what I have found to be true in the adaptive recreation field is that everybody is very friendly and passionate about what they’re doing, and they want you to have a great experience. So just advocate for yourself about what you need, and let them help you through the process of getting going and finding something that you enjoy and love.
Host 21:55
Thanks for listening to Wellness, Health and Everything Else. If you want to learn more about Adaptive Adventures, we’ll have a link to their website in the episode details on streaming apps or on our website. For a full episode transcript, visit our website and find the episode in the podcasts and videos section or in the episode details on streaming apps. If you have questions about NCHPAD’s free resources, programs and partnership opportunities, email us at nchpad@uab.edu, call us at 866-866-8896 or check out our website at nchpad.org.