Adaptable kayaking

Over the last couple of years my city's parks and recreation department have hosted a variety of accessible events for individuals with disabilities. These include kayaking and sailing opportunities. As many of you may know I am a pretty strong advocate for living life as independently as possible, especially for quadriplegics. Unfortunately, many outdoor activities require quite a bit of help, even for the most independent of quads. I wouldn't let that deter you from trying as many things as you want though. I know I haven't, even though it may have been hard to swallow my pride and ask for help at some points. However, at the end the day I prefer to do activities that I can do on my own or with minimal assistance. That's why I have enjoyed kayaking so much. Once you're able to get yourself in the kayak there's really no more assistance required. It's a great work out and one of the thing I really enjoy about it is that you can put your hands in the water and cool off when you want. As a quad living in Florida one of my biggest issues while doing outdoor activities is the heat. Since I cannot sweat below my injury level it's really hard to stay outside for too long when it's between 90° to 100° outside. Anyways I just wanted to share my thoughts on adaptable kayaking because I plan on buying my own kayak when I get a chance so I can go out to the river with my friends or kayak fishing with my brother in law.

I encourage you to look for kayaking opportunities in your area. If you have the means it really isn't too expensive to buy one. You can get ones that are completely ready for quads or paras at www.creatingability.com. They are really nice and well made. The only downside is that they are really expensive and can run up to 5k+. The awesome thing about it is that it's actually really easy and cheap to accommodate any kayak. You really just need to get outriggers and make a high back for balance. Quads definitely should get the sit in kayaks because that will also help with balance. 

 

If you have difficulty gripping there are a number of different option you can choose from to hold the paddle. You can purchase these both at www.creatingability.com and aca.site-ym.com in the adaptive section. You can get the high seats here as well. 

I think that pretty much covers adaptable kayaking. Feel free to hit me up through any of my social media devices if you have any questions about whatever. I hope if you get a chance to get out kayaking you enjoy it just as much as I do.