C.W. Post Launches Bicycle Program for Individuals With Disabilities

The new Center for Community Inclusion at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University is teaming up with Lose the Training Wheels^TM and The Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation on a program that teaches individuals with disabilities to independently ride a conventional two-wheel bicycle.

The program will be held from August 10 through 14 on the C.W. Post Campus located at 720 Northern Blvd., Brookville, NY.

Lose the Training Wheels^TM is a national organization that uses adapted equipment, trained professionals and volunteers. With 75 minutes of instruction each day for five days, approximately 85-percent of participants learn to ride a conventional bicycle independently.

“The program serves a critical community need in a creative, humanitarian way that involves a collaboration among our skilled and dedicated faculty, college students who are preparing for careers in the field of special education, and young people with and without developmental disabilities. ” said Dr. Kathleen Feeley, Assistant Professor of Special Education and Literacy at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University. “The program helps students with developmental disabilities to build self-esteem and independence.”

Each participant with a disability and his/her typical peer is paired with a graduate student enrolled in C.W. Post’s Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Psychology, and Speech-Language programs.

To be eligible to enroll, participants must be at least eight years old. They must have a disability but be able to walk without an assistive device such as a walker or cane and be able to side-step quickly to both sides. Participants should have a minimum inseam measurement of 20 inches and weigh no more than 250 pounds.

The fee for the camp is $125. Some scholarships are available. Applications and payment must be received by August 3, 2009.

The Center on Community Inclusion at C.W. Post is dedicated to providing resources to school districts, service providers, and families so that individuals with disabilities will meet with success in inclusive environments.

C.W. Post serves the Long Island community through a number of public clinics and resources including the Ladge Speech and Hearing Center, Center for Gifted Youth, Center on Aging, English Language Institute, New York State Small Business Development Center, Long Island Women’s Institute, Institute of Education for Social Justice, Literacy and Learning Development Center, and the Psychological Services Center.

For information or reservations for the Lose the Training Wheels^TM program, contact Dr. Kathleen Feeley, C.W. Post Assistant Professor of Special Education and Literacy, at (516) 299-2231 or e-mail kathleen.feeley@liu.edu or Cathy Hoffman, Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation, at (516) 983-7008 or dsaf2@optonline.net

Posted: July 14, 2009