From the Boston Globe:

Lose the Training Wheels bike camps helped kids with disabilities across the nation learn to ride two-wheeled bicycles this summer.

The program boasts an 85 percent success rate in teaching young people with disabilities how to ride a bike.

“We take a huge ‘I can’t’ and turn it into a huge ‘I can,’ ” said Tom Hamilton, executive director of Lose the Training Wheels, who also served as bike mechanic … “Most parents discover that the success their children find here infuses them with confidence.”

… Participants received 75 minutes of instruction on five consecutive days. Gradually, each moved from a modified bike — with a rubber roller instead of a back wheel that mimicked the instability of a bicycle — to a regular two-wheeler. As students progressed, the size of the rollers was reduced. Students then rode tandem bikes with instructors behind them. Finally, they graduated to regular bicycles with large handles that helped instructors guide them if necessary.

Earlier posts here.

Photos from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

(Boston Globe photo)

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 9:16 am and is filed under exercise/sports, independent living, NOT2BEMISSED. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.