There is a local organization many people may not be familiar with that is based at Mount Sunapee Ski Resort. Founded by a group of Vietnam War veterans 40 years ago, the New England Handicap Sports Association (NEHSA) has been continuously providing winter sports activities for people with a wide range of disabilities. Additionally, NEHSA has promoted disabled bicycling through events such as the one held this past July on the Rail Trail in Andover, where four groups of disabled veterans did some competitive cycling, with fun as the main goal.
The organization’s mission statement nicely defines what they are about. “NEHSA is a volunteer, non-profit organization operated by and for individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to integrate individuals with disabilities into society through social and recreation activities.”
Initially, NEHSA helped those with physical disabilities such as paraplegia, but as time passed it opened its doors to a wide range of disabilities such as visual impairment, multiple sclerosis, developmental delay, Down’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and many others. NEHSA has a “can do” attitude in trying to include as many people into their programs as possible. A wide variety of adaptive equipment is provided by NEHSA to enable these people to overcome their huge challenges.
The organization’s original sports activity was adaptive skiing and snowboarding. This is still the main, full-time winter activity, but several years ago they expanded to include kayaking, water skiing, rowing, and climbing for the summer season. NEHSA provides lessons in these activities and depends upon a large group of skilled and generous volunteers to provide a safe and fun atmosphere for all participants.
During the year there are several thousand hours of lessons conducted. This is especially amazing when one learns that the organization has only two full-time employees. All other help is provided by about 200 volunteers. In fact, NEHSA is the largest organization of its type in the East.
If you have a chance to witness the activities going on daily throughout the winter, centered at the NEHSA lodge at Mount Sunapee, you may find out the reason there are so many dedicated volunteers in the group. And if you have a chance to see or talk to one of the disabled participants, you are very likely to understand what it means to these people to have the opportunity to participate in a very challenging sport. They are such an inspiration!
To learn more about the organization, visit NEHSA.org.