2024 SportsAbility is Next Month!

Happy Spring Everyone! This is the time of year when everything starts anew. A time of growth and possibilities; a time to move from the slower winter season toward the more active season of spring—so much to do! And, SportsAbility is no different—we are looking forward to a busy Spring and hope you will join us!

2024 SportsAbility: The 34th Annual SportsAbility Expo will take place April 19-20 in Tallahassee, Florida. This event is FREE and open to everyone, but registration is required. You can attend one or both days —whatever your schedule allows. The 2-day event starts on Friday, April 19 from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at the Tallahassee Community College where attendees can enjoy a variety of indoor accessible recreation activities as well as a resource expo. On Saturday from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm we hope you will join us for an outdoor adventure day at Maclay Gardens. Participants will be able to experience accessible water sports, rock wall climbing, horseback riding, lawn games, EcoRovers and much more! 

We hope you will join us and our partners for a wonderful time! Please visit SportsAbility.org for more information and to register.

Want to Volunteer? Volunteers are vital to the success of this SportsAbility event. If you are interested in volunteering, we would love to have you join us! It’s rewarding and it’s Fun! Recruit your friends, co-workers, and others and sign-up together. For information about volunteering at SportsAbility click on this link: SportsAbility Expo 2024. Once you complete the registration, there will be a confirmation email that includes a link to a short orientation video for you to watch! As we get closer to the event, we will send out a SignUp Genius link to all our volunteers for you to select the date, time and activity you would like to volunteer for! 

Miracle Sports Baseball: There is still time to join us at Miracle Field for Baseball. 
Dates: Thursdays - January 25, 2024 to April 4, 2024 (No game on March 14)
Times: Youth 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm / Adults 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Miracle Field at Messer Park (Field #3 1158-1172 Dupree Street, Tallahassee, FL 32304)

SportsAbility Samplers: We are working with our activity providers to offer SportsAbility Samplers around Florida. Be on the lookout for more information.

Virtual Workout: We continue to partner with the Spirit Club to offer Fitness Friday workouts at 11:00 am Eastern Time. Check it out on the SportsAbility Alliance Facebook page. Don’t worry if you miss one—the workout is available all week on-demand.

Family Café: This is more a late Spring/early Summer event, but registration for the Family Café is now open.
Date:  June 14-16, 2024
Location: Hyatt Regency Orlando
Registration: There is no registration fee for people with disabilities and their family members, and limited financial assistance is available to cover the cost of your hotel stay.

SportsAbility, along with some of our activity partners, will be providing accessible activities in the Expo Hall. Gatorland will be joining us again this year, and you can sign up for SCUBA. Spirit Club will hold a virtual workout, and of course we will have our Duck Race!

For more information about Family Café event, visit the Family Café website at: https://familycafe.net/annual-family-cafe/

Stay Well and Stay Active!

Fran Gilbert
Executive Director, SportsAbility Alliance

We have great news for all you spring and summer beachgoers and wanna-be-beachgoers!  Our Florida State Parks have just purchased two new all-terrain track chairs for visitors with disabilities to use on the beautiful sugar sand gulf coast beaches! 

The Florida State Parks Foundation provided funding to purchase these EcoRovers to be placed at Grayton Beach State Park and at Topsail State Park, both in the North-West Panhandle region of the state. The beach chairs will greatly increase accessibility by providing another option for people with mobility limitations to participate in beach activities. They should be delivered and ready to go in about six to eight weeks. We will help implement service and assist with getting the word out to potential users. Watch for more information from us about when, where, and how you can begin to enjoy the use of these unique, sand loving, safe and easy to use battery powered beach wheelchairs!

SportsAbility (FDOA) has worked closely with our State Parks to promote and provide improved access for our residents with disabilities, and for all of our visitors that want to experience the “real Florida” experience that the 175 parks offer. We have come a long way since 1990 when the Americans with Disabilities Act became a motivating force that inspired accessibility advocacy and also an awareness of the needs, benefits and rights for inclusion in outdoor recreation opportunities, along with all of the other major life functions that the spirit of the ADA intended. 

The Foundation has supported the State Parks with the much-needed funding for many access projects over the past years. We believe that providing these first two EcoRovers will be the start of efforts to make them more readily available to many or even all of our other great beach destinations around the state some day. The effort to support accessibility is nothing new for the Foundation as they have funded many projects including major accessibility improvements at Rish Park and also with some new access amenities for the swimming pool. They helped with building a new accessible glass bottom boat at Silver Springs State Park and also for a new accessible hybrid powered river cruise boat at Wakulla Springs State Park. I want to recognize the efforts of Paula Russo, at the Foundation, as she has been a champion for accessibility and inclusion with her advocacy, inspiration, and work within that has made many of these projects happen. 

And speaking of Wakulla, I’m happy to announce that we have begun a monthly boating and EcoRover trail adventure program there for Veterans with any disability along with their families and/or guest at no cost, thanks to grants and support from some of our partners like Move United and the Veterans Administration. We have also been awarded grants by the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida that has funded us to start and to grow our EcoRover program as we help support hunting and shooting sports. Check the ALLOUT page for these and other EcoRover adventures! We also soon announce the opportunities for EcoRover Beach adventures and other possible nature based outdoor recreation and conservation activities.

Yes, Spring is finally here and we look forward to our beaches, boating and trail adventures! Many of us really enjoy this time of year to get out in the woods to listen for a wild turkey to sound off with a Gobble among all of the other birds that are filling the air with their calls to celebrate the new day and the coming of spring. For you current, new, or returning hunters, the FWC limited entry quota hunt permit application and drawings start in May and includes the Mobility Impaired hunt program. We will have EcoRovers available at no cost, at several of these hunts by advanced reservation. Go to the MyFWC website for details about the permit process and other information for hunting and also for fishing opportunities 

Our Miracle Sports program is in full swing with baseball season and continues to grow. If you are here in Tallahassee we invite you to join us for our season ending party and celebration on April the 4th for the Seminole Showdown . It is a great time and place to see and feel the excitement of our great Miracle Sports program. If you do not live here, consider planning a visit for our annual SportsAbility Expo on April the 19th and 20th. The Recreation and Resource event has something for everyone. All ages, and all abilities. More information in this newsletter below! 

ACTIVE LEISURE for LIFE! 

David Jones
Founder, SportsAbility Alliance