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Adaptive Bikes: Making On-Bike Education and Programming More Inclusive

Adaptive bikes, trailers and hitches make it possible for all students to experience the joy and fun of riding.  These include a range of bike types, such as hand cycles, recumbent bikes and trikes designed to meet diverse mobility needs.

Communities are working to include students who use adaptive bikes in bike buses, PE classes, community-based bicycle safety programs, and bike skills clinics. Including someone with expertise working with children with disabilities in the planning process will help create plans that support a wide range of abilities.

Adaptive sports programs can be valuable partners in these efforts. Because adaptive bikes are often expensive, partnering with a group that has an inventory of different bike types allows families to try out what might work best.  

One great example comes from the annual bike rodeo in Newport, Vermont. “Newport hosts an annual bike rodeo and last year we partnered with an adaptive sports organization who brought a trailer of adaptive bikes. We created an area for people to test the bikes.” This partnership made the event more inclusive and helped introduce adaptive cycling to the community.

 

Tips to support adaptive bike inclusion

• Connect with special education teams. For community-based events, contact the school district special education team in advance so they can help spread the word to those who may benefit from adaptive bike access.
• Seek grant funding. Many communities have successfully secured grants to purchase adaptive bikes.
• Partner with adaptive sports organizations. These groups may be willing to bring adaptive bikes and support new riders, which could grow into long-term programs to support inclusive biking.

School-Based Bike Education in Seattle, WA Serves as a Launch Pad for Students

Outdoors for All partners with Seattle Public Schools and Cascade Bicycle Club to provide adaptive bikes as part of the “Let’s Go” bicyclist and pedestrian safety education program, serving students in grades 3 to 8.  Each year, around 160 students benefit from access to adaptive bikes through this initiative. The impact extends beyond the classroom – families are introduced to opportunities to ride together on a regular basis. One of the key successes of the partnership is “families getting connected to local organizations that provide adaptive cycling opportunities year-round, creating opportunities for them to ride bikes together.”

Bike Education, Bike Field Trips and More for Kids in Fort Collins, CO

The City of Fort Collins Safe Routes to School program includes adaptive bicycling in all its K-12 programming, including education and on-bike instruction during PE classes, bike field trips, and after-school bike clubs. This programming reaches 5,000 to 6,000 students annually, including at least 100 students who use adaptive bikes.

The program recently welcomed an Adaptive Program Specialist to the team to help expand and improve inclusive opportunities. They are considering offering a new after-school adaptive bike club at a magnet elementary school for students with disabilities.

“We consider it a huge success when we can help students with disabilities to ride along with their classmates. We feel it can be a very empowering experience for those students and a way for them to engage in a new activity that could become a lifelong interest. It’s also beneficial to the students not using adaptive equipment, who often are very encouraging toward the adaptive riders and are sometimes actively engaged in assisting the adaptive students. And it’s beneficial for parents to see what works for their children so they might acquire that specific adaptive equipment for their children to use at home.”

 

Minnesota Safe Routes to School Program Facilitates Bike Options for Communities

Minnesota’s statewide youth walking and biking safety curriculum, “Walk! Bike! Fun!” supports the use of adaptive bikes in unified PE classes. Through the state’s Safe Routes to School program, schools and communities received funding for bike fleets that either include or are entirely made up of adaptive bikes. To further support access and inclusion, the program developed a tool for community members interested in applying for grant funding to support on-bike education at schools. This resource outlines types of adaptive equipment, costs, and where to source them, making it easier for schools and districts to plan inclusive biking programs.