Riding a Two-Wheeler to Confidence and Independence
C.W. Post Center for Community Inclusion and Down Syndrome Advocacy
Foundation host Long Island’s first ‘Lose The Training Wheels’ program; students
and volunteers help children with disabilities learn to ride bicycles

C.W. Post Provost Dr. Paul Forestell and Dr. Kathleen Feeley, assistant professor of special education and literacy and founder of the Center for Community Inclusion at C.W. Post.

Brookville, N.Y. -- The new Center for Community Inclusion at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and the Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation teamed up to host Long Island’s first Lose The Training Wheels program, where individuals with disabilities learn to independently ride a conventional two-wheel bicycle.

Thirty-two children, mostly pre-teens and teenagers with conditions including autism and Down syndrome, took part in the program Aug. 10-14 in the Pratt Recreation Center at C.W. Post.

Lose The Training Wheels is a national organization that uses adaptive equipment, trained professionals and volunteers. With 75 minutes of instruction each day for five days, approximately 85 percent of participants learn to ride a conventional bicycle independently.

Lose The Training Wheels is more than just a bike-riding program. For many children with disabilities, it’s a seemingly impossible task they can typically master in less than a week’s time. Within days of learning to ride, many children exhibit independent behaviors for the first time ever. This achievement, in turn, creates a gateway of opportunity, helping them gain assurance and self-reliance in many other aspects of their lives.

“The program serves a critical community need in a creative, humanitarian way that involves a collaboration among our skilled and dedicated faculty, college students who are preparing for careers in the field of special education, and young people with and without developmental disabilities,” said Dr. Kathleen Feeley, assistant professor of special education and literacy at C.W. Post. “The program helps students with developmental disabilities to build self-esteem and independence.”

Mineola Bicycle, Fitness & Mower donated water bottles and sold the program bike helmets at wholesale cost, and a manger of the business gave presentations on bicycle safety.

The Center for Community Inclusion at C.W. Post is dedicated to providing resources to school districts, service providers, and families so that individuals with disabilities will meet with success in inclusive environments.

The Down Syndrome Advocacy Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded by a group of individuals who have children or family members with Down syndrome, dedicated to ensuring that individuals with Down syndrome have equal access to schools, leisure activities, employment, and housing.

Lose The Training Wheels is based in Goddard, Kan. Visit www.losethetrainingwheels.org for more information.

Posted: September 1, 2009