This past Saturday, the Recreational Therapy Club hosted its second annual Adaptive Sports event at the Aebersold Student Recreation Center from nine to noon for International Recreational Therapy Month.
According to the American Therapeutic Recreation Association, recreational therapy, also known as therapeutic recreation, is “a systematic process that utilizes recreation and other activity based interventions to address the assessed needs of individuals with illnesses and/or disabling conditions, as a means to psychological and physical health, recovery and well-being.”
From wheelchair tennis to boccia (an adaptive form of bocce), there were multiple different stations for students to learn about some of the adaptive sports. Community members, students from Heather Bright’s Recreational Therapy for Physical Disabilities class and other recreational therapy students were able to join in the fun.
Bright, a recreational therapy instructor, oversaw the event as she helped bring in the volunteer athletes and students to the event. Bright was pleased with the turnout. There were an estimated 50 students and community members who attended the event.
“We had a larger turnout this year than we did last year and so hopefully next year we can pick up some momentum,” Bright said.
Bright also mentioned the potential of collaborating with other organizations on campus or some within the community.
The recreational therapy club has hosted two events so far this semester and they have 65 members registered on CORE.
