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.
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