How Drexel’s Adaptive Recreational Activity Day Brings the Amputee and Adaptive Sports Community Together
Reading Time: 5 minutes
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Summary:
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Drexel’s Adaptive Recreational Activity Day gives amputees and other adaptive athletes a chance to try different adaptive activities, like wheelchair tennis, basketball, and cycling.
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USTA Middle States collaborated with Drexel’s DAPO to introduce adapted tennis, marking 50 years of wheelchair tennis.
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Double amputee chef Kevin VanWhy ran a cooking demo, showing adaptive recreation goes beyond sports.
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Amputee Coalition, Move United, and USTA all offer directories for finding similar adaptive sports programs nationwide.
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Wheelchair tennis has been around for 50 years and has been part of the U.S. Open for 25. Despite this history, many amputees still believe that racket sports or adaptive sports in general aren’t accessible to them. Events like Drexel’s Adaptive Recreational Activity Day aim to bridge that gap.
Each summer, students from the Drexel Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics (DAPO) transform a section of Drexel’s Elkins Park campus into a one-day showcase of adaptive sports. This year’s event, held on June 27, 2026, attracted participants from both the university’s patient-model group and the local community. It offers a valuable example of what these events can provide amputees everywhere, not just those in Philadelphia.
A day for trying different activities
Attendees could try wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, adaptive cycling, and cooking demonstrations, along with crafts and hands-on activities. Gianna Bartolomei, a Drexel O&P student and DAPO president, noted that participation has expanded beyond the university’s patient community, with strong attendance and engagement across all activities.
Among this year’s visitors was 11-year-old Ivy Glaser, a wheelchair basketball player born with spina bifida, accompanied by her father, who wanted to explore adaptive sports beyond her current one. Her observation encapsulated the event’s main theme: watching a diverse group of people with different bodies and experiences explore new activities together.
On the addition of adapted tennis
A notable addition this year was adapted tennis, introduced through a collaboration between DAPO’s student leadership and the USTA Middle States chapter.
Katie Miness, the USTA Middle States adapted tennis coordinator overseeing the event, summarized the goal clearly: such events aim to increase visibility, promote inclusion, and raise awareness that adapted sports are available. This matters because many amputees go years without realizing an adapted version of their favorite sport exists or that local programs are already in place.
Valuable experience for O&P students too
What distinguished this event from a typical community sports day was who organized it. DAPO’s officers are students in Drexel’s Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics program—the future clinicians responsible for fitting and adjusting prosthetic devices for amputees. Miness emphasized that this experience benefits both parties: students gain direct insight into how sports aid rehabilitation and foster socialization, influencing how they will discuss activity with future patients, not just mobility.
Laci Lien, DAPO’s vice president, put it in more personal terms. She hadn’t realized the wide range of adaptive sports available before attending the event. Now, she intends to incorporate this awareness into her future work, especially with pediatric patients who might otherwise believe their options are limited.
A chef’s perspective
Not all activities at the event involved a court or a bike. Chef Kevin VanWhy spent the day demonstrating how to make a sausage and sweet potato hash. VanWhy, a double amputee who lost both legs to diabetes—first losing one while still in culinary school—shared that that period was difficult. However, he noted it strengthened his resolve, and he now advises other amputees that a strong desire often determines whether they find ways to continue pursuing their passions.
His participation highlights that “adaptive recreation” goes beyond sports. Cooking, crafts, and other hands-on skills are just as much a part of staying active and independent after limb loss, even if they receive less attention than more visibly athletic pursuits.
Recreation isn’t separate from recovery
Julie Quinlan, associate director of Drexel’s O&P program, summarized the main goal of these events. Whether participants discover a new activity, connect with other amputees, or learn about local resources, the core message remains: recreation should be accessible to everyone and not just an afterthought once clinical recovery concludes.
Quinlan pointed out that for those organizing these events, it’s also a reminder that their role extends beyond restoring mobility; it includes helping patients re-engage with the activities, relationships, and interests that are important to them.
Finding something similar near you
Drexel’s event is a one-day, single-campus program, but similar events exist. Adaptive sports days, amputee support group meetings, and USTA adaptive tennis clinics occur regularly across many regions. Start your search with the Amputee Coalition’s Community Services directory, Move United’s directory, or the USTA’s directory of Wheelchair Programs nationwide. You can also ask your prosthetist and healthcare team for their recommendations.
Related Reading:
Fun Activities to Try During Summer
Swimming After Limb Loss: How to Get Started
Finding Connection in Hard Seasons: Strategies for Overcoming Loneliness
Paraclimbing World Champions Are an Inspiration to Aspiring Adaptive Climbers
