© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Grant Renewed For Local Program To Get Adults With Disabilities Engaged In Activities

Florida Disabled Outdoors Association

Hundreds of Big Bend area residents with disabilities are expected to benefit from a renewed Florida Department of Education grant. The agency awarded about $42,500 to allow the “Adults with Disabilities” Program to continue providing therapeutic recreation and leisure activities for disabled adults. It’s a joint venture between Tallahassee Community College and the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association. The group’s founder is David Jones, a TCC graduate who went through rehab after he’d been severely injured in a hunting accident.

“Through that process of rehab, that therapeutic recreation experience was one of the motivating factors to get me back to living and really excel in my rehabilitation and so we took the concept and transformed that into a community based therapeutic-recreational based program, and that’s what the Adults with Disabilities grant through TCC does now,” said Jones.

Through the “Adults with Disabilities” program, participants can personalize the pace and activity they’re interested in, including organized team sports, skydiving, and arts and crafts. Jones says they’re looking to accept more people into the program from Leon, Gadsden, and Wakulla counties.

Participants in the program can also participate in SportsAbility, an annual event each Spring to provide others with access to the recreational opportunities. It's held at TCC, Ochlockonee River State Park and Miracle Field at Messer Park.

For more information, visit the Florida Disabled Outdoors Association's web site at www.fdoa.org.

For more news updates, follow Sascha Cordner on twitter @SaschaCordner.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.