When most people think about exercise for individuals with disabilities, the first things that come to mind are probably swimming, walking and wheelchair basketball. There's nothing wrong with any of those activities but they are not for everyone.
At right is Willie out on a trip with some friends; he used to go bow-hunting every deer season.
If I hadn't met Willie, or if I didn't do the work that I do, I might think the folks at the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCAPD) were one step over the line from crazy. They believe anyone can do practically anything, regardless of disability. They do mean anything. Their site has articles on kayaking, canoeing, gardening, camping.
At first, when I tried to envision some of the individuals I know, who are 60 pounds or more overweight and have not exercised in the thirty years since high school out in a kayak, I thought the NCAPD people were unrealistic. However, when we started our training, many people told us that computer-based instruction would never work on the reservations, that people were not literate enough, did not have enough experience with computers and were too poor to buy them. We were convinced that was wrong and we have been proven correct. Hundreds of people on the reservations where we do our training have increased their knowledge through our web-based courses. So, maybe NCAPD is right, maybe the sky really is the limit. Willie assures us they are right.
The NCAPD site has practically unlimited ideas on exercise and it is not all as vigorous as kayaking or as new to the reservations as yoga. They have a number of articles - over 8,000 - on gardening, which was not the first thing that sprang to mind when we thought about exercise, but it really does fit with many of the older adults we know with disabilities. They live in rural communities and have been brought up to value the earth. This site gives several good, inexpensive modifications to allow adults to garden even when physical disabilities limit their abilities to bend over or get out of a chair.
Preventing secondary disabilities in older adults