In the News

Youngsters with Disabilities Fit for Therapeutic Bikes

August 8th, 2014

Nico Ponce tries out a bike at the ACES Village School Bike Day. | Ken Liebeskind / The North Haven Citizen

July 24 was Bike Day at the ACES Village School, where students were fitted for therapeutic bikes they will purchase with help from donations to the school’s bike program.

Marie MacLeod, a chapter president of AMBUCS, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities, attended the bike day to assist with fittings. Thirty-two students were scheduled for bike fittings. One of them was Nico Ponce, a 10-year-old from Fairfield who suffers from cerebral palsy. He eagerly pedaled a therapeutic bike and smiled, with encouragement from his parents.

“These kids have never been on bikes before. Recreation and fitness are essential for all of us and it’s the same for kids with disabilities,” MacLeod said. “It’s important for their peace of mind and helps them lead a good life.”

Rose Morrow, the assistant principal of ACES Village School, said, “Play-challenged youngsters have unique needs and this is an opportunity for some of our students to get fitted with appropriate bikes.”

Morrow also noted how expensive adapted bikes can be, but AMBUCS is making AmTryke models available at special discounts to ACES Village School students and inviting them to enroll in an AMBUCS Wish List that provides funding for bikes and helmets.

AmTrykes retail from $400 to $1,300 and the ACES Village School is soliciting donations from local citizens who would like to assist students from pre-school to eighth grade who suffer from severe developmental and physiological disabilities. Donations can be sent to the ACES Village Parents Association at 7 O’Sullivan Road, Derby, CT 06418; or, call the ACES Village School in North Haven for more information at (203) 234-7611.

The North Haven Citizen, July 25, 2014