Lifestyle and Outdoors

By Tracy Williams, Tracy’s Plate Diet culture puts unrealistic pressure on everyone—children, teens and adults alike—to live within a narrow range of false and dangerous ideals. It does not matter if you are disabled, petite, tall, man or woman. Fad diets are a component of diet culture, as well as pressures from the media. Fad…

By Tracy Williams, Tracy’s Plate Learning about nutrition is fun for everyone. Everyone has their own opinions on healthy lifestyles and food, and the subject can be confusing and complicated. Plant-based meal plans can be nutritious if you consume whole foods that are more often minimally processed. Expert Advice on Nutrition According to the Centers for Disease…

If you have ever met Bob Coomber rolling around at one the Abilities Expos, you know that this is not a man vs. the wild kind of a film. Bob is an outdoorsman to the core, always encouraging people to experience the healing power of nature regardless of their level of ability. It’s more like…

By Tracy Williams, Tracy’s Plate Healthy lifestyle goals are crucial for people with varying types of disabilities. Everyone has their own journey with healthy living and these goals help disabled people feel accomplished and strong in their own way. The myths that revolve around nutrition and healthy lifestyle myths can make setting healthy lifestyle goals confusing.…

By Tracy Williams, Tracy’s Plate Everyone deserves to live their own version of a healthy lifestyle. It does not matter if you have a disability or not. Registered dietitians and other healthcare professionals should also realize that disabled clients have their own picture of success towards a healthier adaptive lifestyle. Success looks different for each individual,…

By Ally Keene, Camp Webber Camp Webber, formally Camp Abilities Alaska, is a five-day overnight sports camp for youth 8-17 who are blind or visually impaired. Held at Camp Birchwood in Chugiak, Alaska, this program offers the opportunity for campers from all over to participate in adapted sports, meet new friends and enjoy an overnight camp…

By Chris Kain, kellisaspath.com My 23-year-old daughter, Kellisa, is one of the 13.7% adults in the United States with a mobility disability.* Over the last two decades, Kellisa has visited 31 of the 63 national parks across the United States. Some parks we’ve only visited once for a few hours, like Denali in Alaska; while we’ve been…

By Ali Ingersoll, Ms. Wheelchair America 2023 Competition is natural. We all want to be the best at what we do and be rewarded for our efforts. Regardless of what competition may be afoot in your life, we are taught at a young age in our society to work harder and strive to break so…

By Joel Zeisler, LOF Adaptive Skiers  LOF Adaptive Skiers, formerly Leaps of Faith Disabled Skiers, is now celebrating its 30th year. While it started as an organization for the visually impaired and blind, LOF has since expanded to service the wider disability community. Our mission is to build lasting confidence and fulfillment through exposure and professional…

By Meaghan Praznik, AllTrails As the days get longer and the temperatures start rising, the outdoor recreation platform, AllTrails, is thrilled to share new mobility disability accessibility information for more than five thousand hiking trails in the United States. Home to the largest collection of online trail maps, trail-goers can now use AllTrails to find detailed information…

The only way the words “barriers” and “limits” figure into Paralympian Mark Wellman’s vocabulary is if they are preceded by a “no.” When you scale his 25-foot adaptive climbing wall at the Abilities Expo, you’ll find that Mark’s inspiring lexicon is contagious!  Please join us at the No Limits adaptive climbing wall for a horizon-changing adventure during your…

By Tracy Williams The COVID-19 pandemic has been an alarming time because, as a disabled person, even if you personally follow all precautions you may still get the virus from family members or caregivers who visit you in the home to help you accomplish your activities of daily living on a daily basis. Some folks…