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By LIZZY GORDON
Independence starts when a child can venture off and do things on his own. With independence comes confidence and a life full of opportunities.
When gaining independence, young adults think of a teenager getting his license. For the organization “Lose the Training Wheels,” independence is when an individual with special needs learns how to ride a bike on his own.
LTTW is a non-profit organization founded in 2007 by a group of parents. After 20 years of research with his students at the University of Illinois, Dr. Richard Klein created an adaptive bike that helps individuals learn how to ride a bike. Professor Klein and his students studied the ability of individuals to learn specific tasks. When Klein revealed his creation, someone asked if he had ever used the bike on individuals with special needs; he had not.
After hearing this, in 1999, Klein hosted his first bike camp for people with special needs in LaCrosse, WI. As the camps became well known, the demand grew. When Klein’s ability to feed the demand fell short, a group of parents created LTTW.
“Learning to ride a bicycle can change a person’s life in many ways. Individuals self-confidence boosts, this leads to the thought that ‘if I can do this, I can do anything.’ Many parents report that once their children learned to ride bikes they became open to trying other things. For example, swimming without a life vest,” LTTW Director of Operations Tammy Burt said.
The adaptive bike has a pen-like wheel, instead of a regular back wheel. The pen-like wheel comes in six sizes, sizes 3-8; size 3 making the bike very secure and size 8 is identical to the balance needed on a normal two-wheel bike. As an individual increases his ability to stay balanced on a bike, supervisors change the size; this helps him master balance gradually.
The other feature that makes this adaptive bike different from a normal bike is that it has an extra handle attached to the adaptive back wheel. On the first day of camp, most participants are very unbalanced; with the help of this handle volunteers are able to catch the participants before they fall. By day five, many participants are riding on their own.
“I get goosebumps when I see a participant ride a bike on their own for the first time. It is really exciting to see the participant and their parents so ecstatic and proud,” AJ Budney, Floor Supervisor of Lose the Training Wheels, said.
LTTW held a bike camp in Orlando June 11-15. The convention center donated the space and the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida sponsored the event. Although more than half of the participants had down syndrome, there were many participants who had forms of autism. There were five sessions 75 minute sessions everyday. Each session had eight participants.
“There are no words to describe how I felt. Seeing [my son] Andrew riding on his own and getting more confident everyday is just incredible. I’m so proud of him and the fact that we can show parents that their babies can grow up and ride a bike is pretty cool,” Camille Gardiner , co-founder of the DSFF and bike camp organizer, said.
Towards the end of the week, a good amount of participants could ride their bikes without assistance; some were able to ride their bikes outside in the empty parking lot.
“I went outside on Thursday on my bike for the first time in a while. It felt like I was free. The wind was in my hair. It was just an amazing experience,” 10-year-old participant Ben said.
With the help of an estimated 100 volunteers from community, the co-founder of DSFF Camille Gardiner, LTTW supervisors AJ Budney and Jake Wolowski 29 out of 40 participants were able to ride a bike without assistance.
“AJ, Jake and Camille have changed my life. They opened my eyes to the fact that special needs kids can do anything they set their minds to. I have been inspired to work with special need kids,” volunteer Kristen Cala said.
The DSFF’s mission statement is “We envision a day where people with Down syndrome are fully included in their communities: working, playing, studying and living together with their peers.” With the help of programs like Lose the Training Wheels, individuals with special needs are gaining confidence, learning new skills and being included in events around the community.
To learn more about Lose the Training Wheels go to www.losethetrainingwheels.org and to learn more about the Down Syndrome Foundation of Florida go to www.dsfflorida.org. If interested in seeing pictures or videos from this event, “like” both organizations on Facebook.