Adapted Sports and Recreation
Resources for the Community
The adapted resources listed here are provided for informational purposes only. They do not reflect recommendations or endorsements by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) or The FCPS Family Resource Center. Please contact the locations directly for fees, availability, and whether they meet your needs.
- A water skills and safety program that teaches people with disabilities to “be safe and have fun in and around the water.” Volunteer swim buddies provide individualized attention to the participants.
- 703-549-4444
- A free, fully accessible, Chesapeake-Bay-themed spray ground that encourages children ages 15 and under to embark on a water adventure in a safe, zero-water-depth environment.
Paralympic Swim Development Program
- 202-781-3786
- Competitive swim team for individuals with physical disabilities. There are 27 sports in the Paralympic program (22 summer and 5 winter).
- 703-978-7544
- Adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities. The Little League Challenger Division accommodates players ages 4-18, or up to age 22 if still enrolled in school. The Senior League Challenger Division accommodates players ages 15 and above (no maximum age).
Springfield Challenger Baseball
- 571-331-1167
- Springfield Challenger is Little League Baseball for kids, teens, and adults ages 4 - 50 with any special needs that preclude them from participating in a mainstream Little League program.
The Miracle League of Alexandria
- 571-238-2458
- A baseball league for children with disabilities that play with 1-1 buddies on rubberized turf fields. The Miracle Field is a rubberized surface baseball diamond designed specifically to allow wheelchairs and walkers to be used in a safe and pleasant environment to play sports. The field is geared towards baseball, but many other sports and activities can be played on it – adaptive soccer and wheelchair basketball are just two examples. And while it is designed for special needs players, it can also be used by others as well – T-ball players; senior exercise classes; therapeutic sessions; etc.
- 703-324-5532, TTY 711
- Fairfax Falcons wheelchair basketball program is a dynamic team of athletes that provides children and adolescents ages 4 to 22 with a wide range of lower extremity disability, such as paralysis, amputation, radiological evidence of limb shortening, spina bifida, a spinal cord injury, or cerebral palsy, with a variety of sports experiences, teamwork, social skills, and fitness skills. While all our athletes compete in wheelchairs, not all athletes use wheelchairs outside of sports. The program is open to Fairfax County and non-county residents. The Fairfax Falcons compete in tournaments with players from up and down the East Coast. No worries if you’re new to wheelchair sports; there are different skill levels to include all players. The Falcons meet year-round on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at James Lee Community Center in Falls Church. All players must be able to push their own wheelchair.
- 703-938-8900
- They sell modified standard bikes and purpose-built adaptive cycles. From modifying standard bikes and trikes to providing purpose-built adaptive cycles, they can work with you to find the best solution to get people riding or keep people riding, regardless of ability.
- 703-777-1939 ext. 200
- They provide two-wheel bicycle instruction and practice for people with disabilities ages eight and up. Their bike camps occur predominantly in the summer but also during week-long school breaks.
- Maryland Youth Ballet’s Music & Motion program provides dance classes for children with physical and developmental disabilities. With custom designed and installed equipment, children can experience dance movement with the aid of an overhead track system. This system suspends them in a vest harness giving them the freedom to move without a wheelchair or walker. Each class is conducted by a dance teacher with the assistance of two physical therapists, a live accompanist, and MYB student volunteers.
- 703-887-9101
- Dance Abilities offers small group classes for people aged five to adult with cognitive disabilities. Additionally, they offer individual movement therapy. Dance is an enjoyable activity with the potential to support individuals to move beyond their "disability" with confidence and acceptance.
- 757-446-1401
- A ballet-based creative movement program for children with disabilities and their caregiver/parent for ages 3 to 9 years.
Fairfax County Therapeutic Recreation Programs: Summer Camp
- Camps are packed full of special events, art activities, sensory play, games, sports, outdoor play, music activities and more! All programming is designed to meet the different interests and abilities of the campers. All camp sites are open to participants with developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, physical disabilities, emotional disabilities, learning disabilities, and/or attention deficit disorders.
Arlington County Parks and Recreation – Therapeutic Recreation Office
- 703-228-4740
- Specialized services for individuals with disabilities in both adapted and general recreation programs. Programs include adapted art, aquatics, gymnastics, fitness and movement, and outdoor and family fun.
Fairfax County Parks and Recreation – Adapted Recreation Services
- 703-324-8565
- A structured environment with a lower staff ratio. Programs include adapted kayaking, aquatics, gymnastics, fitness and movement, and yoga, ice skating, fishing, and Pilates. They also provide sign interpreters, alternative information formats, program modifications and inclusion support.
Fairfax County Police Youth club – Youth Challenged League
- 703 978-7544
- Sports leagues intended for children ages 10-25 with developmental or intellectual disabilities . 12 sports for year-round athletic opportunities in basketball, cheerleading, field hockey, football, lacrosse, rugby, running, soccer, t-ball, volleyball, wrestling, and youth challenged basketball and soccer.
Loudoun County Adaptive Recreation
- 703-737-8042
- Recreational programs to enhance quality of life while fostering a community of respect, acceptance, and inclusion. Classes, Clubs, Camps, Special Olympics.
- 703-323-0880
- Classes, clubs and activities for individuals with special needs to develop physical and social skills. The program features small participant-staff ratios and offerings such as social groups, recreation programs, cooking, and much more.
- Year-round sports training and athletic competition in Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Six Flags Certified Autism Center
- Throughout park, staff is trained on communication with people with autism, sensory guides for rides and attractions, calm sensory spaces, wider dietary options.
Lift Me Up Therapeutic Riding Center
- 703 759-6221
- Therapeutic riding, horsemanship, and wellness programs seven days a week. Participation in the LMU program has helped riders sit or stand unassisted, walk independently, improve focus and attention span, and enhance social and communication skills.
Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation
- 703 771-2689
- They provide horse-assisted services to promote well-being and community inclusion for people with physical, cognitive, and mental health challenges. Services include Therapeutic Riding, Hippotherapy, Carriage Driving, Equine Services for Heroes (Veterans), and Silver Spurs for Adults in Residential Care.
- They provide assistance for people with special needs and for their families through equine assisted activities and associated activities with other therapy animals and to provide support for those with special needs through education, recreation, training and therapy in an all-inclusive community center. Their initial primary focus is to provide a learning and socialization experience for adults and children with special physical needs and/or emotional needs, veterans, emergency responders, and their families through PATH certified therapeutic riding instruction and equine-assisted activities, therapeutic poultry, assisted activities, and community gardening.
- 703 517-6964
- Custom-tailored equine-assisted mental health services to individuals of nearly any age who are facing emotional, behavioral, or cognitive challenges. Every participant works in partnership with one or more of the therapy horses. This “work” is done on the ground, where both horse and participant are on equal footing.
Rainbow Center Therapeutic Riding Center
- 703-745-6159
- Equine-assisted activities to individuals with physical, educational, emotional, cognitive disabilities and other challenges. Rainbow Therapeutic Riding Center operates under the guidelines of the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl.) and instructors are all PATH Intl. certified.
Simple Changes Therapeutic Riding
- 703-402-3613
- Therapeutic riding for individuals with disabilities. Lessons teach riding skills tailored to the needs of everyone. Physical benefits include improved muscle tone, gait, balance, and posture. Individual cognitive skills increase through following directions and sequencing. Regulation of emotions and behavior increases as participants learn to communicate successfully with the horses.
Spirit Open Equestrian Program
- 703-600-9667
- SPIRIT Open Equestrian Program, we use horsemanship and equine-assisted activities to reach therapeutic goals for a wide range of disorders, to improve basic self-esteem, and to teach about communication, trust, responsibility, partnership, and empathy. They promote awareness by utilizing the interaction between humans and horses—on the ground or in the saddle.
Sprout Therapeutic Riding and Education Center
- 703-965-8628
- Therapeutic riding provides adapted riding-skill instruction that supports life goals. Carriage driving provides an alternative to riding and opens the world of horses to those who might not be able to participate in traditional riding activities. Equine Movement Therapy utilizes clinical therapists to support functional physical improvement.
Northern Virginia Therapeutic Riding Program
- 703-764-0269
- Therapeutic horseback riding, equine-assisted learning, physical and psychotherapy incorporating horses, or other equine-assisted services.
- (301) 355-8486
- Offers daily open play when children are welcome to enjoy the sensory-safe gym full use with parent supervision. The gym features therapy equipment, an arts & crafts area, a calming room, and more.
- Chuck E. Cheese supports families with children with autism and other special needs. Through the Sensory Sensitive Sunday’s program, they offer families a quieter dining and entertainment environment, dimmed lighting, and a sensory-friendly arcade experience. The sensory-friendly events also include a trained staff. Participating locations will open two hours early on the first Sunday of the month to offer a sensory-friendly experience for families.
- An event specifically designed for children with Autism and special needs to enjoy time at the park without loud music and flashing lights.
- 703 237-7433
- At Jhoon Rhee Arlington, they have developed an Adaptive Tae Kwon Do Program designed specifically for children with special needs. This program “adapts” the standard Tae Kwon Do techniques and teaching strategies to best suit the specific needs of each student. The class is structured for children who have autism spectrum disorder or other developmental or intellectual disabilities. Students receive individualized instruction while learning to excel in a group setting.
- 703-273-1100
- This class is for children with High Functioning Autism and other MILD disabilities. Children should meet the following criteria: have some verbal skills, be toilet trained, could follow 1 step directions with prompting, have a parent/guardian present, and have a willingness to have fun. Their goal for each student is to help them: develop social skills, foster decision-making, increase confidence, listening and the ability to follow directions, offer sensory appropriate activities and most of all HAVE FUN!
- 571-293-6808 Ashburn
- 571-260-4413 Woodbridge
- Sensory-friendly movies. At sensory-friendly Alamo for All shows, lights are turned up and sound is turned down, all ages are welcome (including infants), talking and noise is allowed, and guests can move around, latecomers are admitted, and adaptive technology is welcome.
- AMC partners with the Autism Society to offer movie showings where they turn the lights up, and turn the sound down, so you can get up, dance, walk, shout or sing! The Sensory Friendly Film program is available on the second and fourth Saturday (family-friendly) and Wednesday evenings (mature audiences) of every month.
- Regal’s My Way Matinee gives everyone the opportunity to experience a movie with the lights turned up and the volume turned down. Guests are free to express themselves by singing, crying, dancing, walking around, talking, or shouting while enjoying Hollywood’s latest films.
- These showings will be the first show of the day on select Saturdays and Tuesdays each month.
Port Discovery Children’s Museum
- 410-727-8120
- Sensory friendly hours. Staff is trained on how to recognize guests with sensory needs, how to help handle sensory overload situations, and how to use sensory kits and supplies to support individuals with sensory sensitivities. Temperature, lighting, and noise levels fluctuate throughout the Museum.
National Aquarium: Express Entry & Early Access
- 410-576-3847
- 30 minutes early entrance on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month. Upon request, alternative entrance to avoid loud waterfall. Braille tour, audio wireless tour, touch-bag and hands-on experiences, sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, etc.
Smithsonian: Morning at the Museum
- 202-633-2921
- Morning at the Museum (MATM) is a free, sensory-friendly program for families of children, teenagers, and young adults with disabilities who are neurodiverse, autistic, or have other sensory processing disorders or cognitive disabilities. On specific Saturday and Sunday mornings, pre-registered families visit a Smithsonian museum before it opens to the public, where they can participate in activities or explore the exhibitions independently at their own pace. Programs rotate between the various Smithsonian Institution museums. Prior to each program, registered families receive “pre-visit” materials to help them prepare for their visit including social narratives, sensory maps, visual schedules, and tip sheets. Similar pre-visit materials are available to help families plan for visits that take place outside of MATM program hours.
Museum of the American Revolution
- 267-579-3596
- Noise-reducing headphones, quiet room, closed captioning, tactile maps, American Sign Language interpreters. Certified Autism Center with staff trained to communicate with guests with sensory needs, and sensory and tactile guides for exhibits and activities.
- CLEMYJONTRI PARK features a unique playground where children of all abilities can play side-by-side. It is a playground where every child is welcome. This park is a place where children who use wheelchairs, walkers, or braces, or who have sensory or developmental disabilities, can have a parallel playground experience of fun and exploration.
Hadley’s Main Street USA
- Champion Dr
- Sterling, VA 20166
- Hadley's Park Playground at Dulles Town Center is 4,000 square foot playground that revolves around a "Main Street USA" theme. The playground provides accessibility to disabled children and their able-bodied friends and siblings.
- Rosedale’s National Mall theme includes mini versions of the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Natural History Museum and other landmarks. Among the specialized equipment are double-wide ramps, a high-backed spinner, a wheelchair-accessible glider and lots of sensory elements.
- 1701 Gales St., NE, Washington, DC 20002
- Hadley’s Park, named after a local girl with cerebral palsy, was the first accessible playground in Maryland and one of the first of its kind in the United States. There are three themed play areas — a pirate ship, frontier village and castle — each with ramps and different games and challenges. Brightly colored signs also include braille for visually-impaired children.
- 12600 Falls Road, Potomac, MD 20854
- Located in the Lee District Family Recreation Area, Chessie’s is a nature-themed accessible playground with a padded rubber floor surface and wheelchair-friendly ramps. There’s also a 2,160-foot flat trail with sensory features designed for kids of all abilities and an accessible tree house to explore the treetop canopy. Little kids can climb on a pint-size playground nearby, and don’t forget to take a spin on the Chesapeake Bay-themed carousel, set flush to the ground for easy access.
- 6601 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22310
- This new “play-for-all” playground in Howard County has six unique areas enclosed with fencing. Among the specialized equipment are a wheelchair-accessible rocking boat and merry-go-round, plus non-verbal communication boards to help kids express their feelings. For little ones who may be overwhelmed by all the activity, there are quiet spaces and smaller activities near the trees on the periphery of the playground. The expansive park also includes a section of backyard games, such as bocce courts, horseshoe pits and croquet courts.
- 5750 Oakland Mills Road, Columbia, MD 21045
- 937-374-0385
- Autism Assistance Dogs specifically trained in the areas where the individual needs assistance. These skills are primarily used as part of a three-unit team where a parent or other trained adult uses the task trained skills that the service dog can provide for the child.
- 703-661-6610
- Heeling House breeds, raises, trains, and places service dogs to children between the ages of 5 and 18, in the greater Washington D.C. metro area. They offer the following types of service dogs: Mobility, Psychiatric, and Autism.
- 1-800-253-7297 or 540-845-0035
- Paws4people’s placement program is designed to provide customized Assistance Dogs to children, adolescents, and adults living with physical, neurological, psychiatric, or emotional disabilities.
- 434-295-9503
- Raises, trains, and places dogs to assist people with disabilities and provides facility dogs for courthouses, counseling centers, schools, and other therapeutic settings.
Liberty Mountain Resort Adaptive Skiing
- 717-642-8282, ext. 3479
- Ski and snowboard instruction for people with disabilities at Liberty Mountain Resort in south central Pennsylvania in the form of visually impaired/CI, stand-up skiing, or sit-down skiing with the use of special equipment. The trained volunteer team includes instructors certified by PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America).
Massanutten Therapeutic Adventures
- 434-295-3973
- Adaptive outdoor adventures and recreational and competitive adaptive sports which support individuals of all ages and abilities to include physical & developmental disabilities, disabled military, warfighters, veterans, 1st responders and their families, Cancer survivors, chronic, terminal health conditions, and other complex medical needs.
Whitetail Two Top Mountain Adaptive Sports
- 717-507-7668 or 717-328-9400, ext. 3582
- Provides year-round education and training of sports to disabled veterans and any disabled child or adult in Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, West Virginia, Virginia and beyond. They offer skiing and snowboarding in the Winter (Dec-March) and waterskiing, kayaking, and cycling in the Summer (May-September).
- 434-325-2007
- Wintergreen Adaptive Sports provides outdoor sports and recreational opportunities for persons with disabilities. We serve people of all ages and with all types of disabilities. WAS offers adaptive instruction in alpine skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, and canoeing. Each summer at its Wounded Warriors Golf tournament, WAS holds an adaptive golf clinic.
- 703-324-5532, TTY 711.
- Power Soccer is designed and developed specifically for power wheelchair users. Athletes' disabilities include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and many others. Power Soccer involves two teams of four players that attack, defend, and spin-kick a 13-inch soccer ball in a skilled and challenging game. This is a recreational program with a focus on developing skills, team building, and fun, and opportunities to participate competitively may be available as well. The program is for those ages 5 and up who can drive their own power wheelchair. Eight week fall and winter sessions meet on Saturdays at Irving Middle School in Springfield, VA, from 10:00am to 12pm.
- 703-684-5425
- ASA offers soccer programs for citizens of all abilities and ages in the city limits of Alexandria, though programming is open to ALL city residents and non-residents. ASA programs are intended to develop good character, mental and physical fitness, and interpersonal skills through soccer activities. Sportsmanship, social skills, and self-esteem are developed by player participation and regular interaction with volunteer and professional coaches.
TOPSoccer Vienna NoVa PATRIOTS POWER SOCCER
- Soccer for adults and students who use a Power Wheel Chair (full or part-time). Power soccer is the first competitive team sport designed and developed specifically for power wheelchair users. Athletes' disabilities include quadriplegia, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, and many others. The game is played in a gymnasium on a regulation basketball court.
- 301-961-6060
- Sensory friendly performances and classes designed for students with cognitive, physical, or developmental disabilities. Students explore how voicing for animation and movies with CGI utilize the behind-the-scenes talents of voice over artists and much more.
- Sensory-friendly performances are designed to create a welcoming and comfortable arts experience for people with autism, sensory sensitivities, or other social, learning or cognitive disabilities. Modifications often include lower sound level, especially for startling or loud sounds; lights remain on at a low level in the theater during the performance; a reduction of strobe lighting and lighting focused on the audience; guests are free to talk and leave their seats during the performance; designated quiet areas within the theater; space throughout the theater for standing and movement; limited crowds and visitors at the Kennedy Center during the day and timing of the performance; Kennedy Center staff trained to be inviting and accommodating to families' needs; guests will also have access to resource materials to prepare for their visit.
http://www.autismontheseas.com
Autism on the Seas, in collaboration with Royal Caribbean International, has developed cruise vacation services to accommodate adults and families living with children with Special Needs, including, but not limited to, Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy and all Cognitive, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Adults and families are assisted in accommodating the typical cruise services, as well as providing specialized Respite and Private Activities/Sessions that allow guests the use of the ship’s entertainment venues in an accommodated and assisted manner.
- 1-844-360-9380
- Pre-travel questionnaire to assist with vacation planning, support for dietary restrictions, modified check-in options, quiet spaces, sensory-friendly kids camps, “One-on-One Beaches Buddy” childcare.
Disability Travel and Recreation Resources
- List of Disability Travel and Recreation Resources including travel companions, travel planning, destinations, transportation, air travel, camps, and books.
- 1-800-783-5841 or 215-782-1370
- Supervised vacations for adults with developmental delays, autism, down syndrome, and other special needs. Assistance also available with money and medication. A staff to traveler ratio of 1:3, and trip coordinators with experience leading special needs travel groups. “On-Wheels” trips with 1:1 staffing for individuals who use a wheelchair or are slow-pacers. A nurse on most trips to oversee any additional medical needs.
New Directions for People w/ Disabilities
- 1-888-967-2841
- Provides leisure and educational travel opportunities for adults who have mild to moderate intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, Down Syndrome, and autism.
Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality
An educational nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the United States and abroad. Members include travel professionals, consumers with disabilities and other individuals and corporations who support their mission.
