beginning its tenth year of opening new worlds to people with disabilities. Located in the heart of Idaho, Sun Valley provides a magical setting of majestic mountains, mighty rivers, and crisp, clean air. Program participants enjoy abundant sunshine as they swoosh down ski slopes on Bald Mountain, bounce through rapids on the Salmon River, or hike through beds of wildflowers on remote trails in the Sawtooth National Forest.
SVAS means fun! We want people with disabilities to experience the thrills of alpine skiing, snowboarding, Nordic skiing, water skiing, wakeboarding, whitewater rafting, kayaking, and rock climbing. We want people to enjoy the excitement of hiking, biking, running, horseback riding, martial arts, snowshoeing, and ice skating. And we want people to discover the serenity of fly-fishing, yoga, theater, bowling, swimming, and hot springs.
SVAS has something for everyone. We offer programs for children, teens, adults, as well as service members (active duty and veteran) who have been severely injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. We offer programs that cover a wide-range of physical and cognitive disabilities including people with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), visual impairment, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Our programs offer more than athletic skills and recreational experience. They build confidence and independence and they inspire people to pursue their personal goals and aspirations as it relates to work, school, family, health, and recreation. Our program also help build social skills that helps people of all ages improve their relationships with family, peers, and their community. All programs are free to qualifying participants.
SVAS programs are widely recognized as adaptive programs of superior quality, effectiveness, and innovation. Our board and staff are committed to nonprofit excellence and best practices. We operate a fiscally responsible, operationally sound 501c3 nonprofit. We are a chapter of Disabled Sports USA. We use state-of-the art adaptive sports equipment. Our program coordinators, instructors, and staff recreational therapist are professionally trained and qualified. Some of our coaches and volunteers are world-class athletes. Safety is our top priority.
SVAS is nationally recognized by the Department of Defense, military hospitals, military care units, VAs, and veteran service organizations around the country as a leading adaptive sports organization serving “wounded warriors.” SVAS has been working with Brigham Young University and San Jose State University to develop and implement research—through SVAS programming—to measure the efficacy of sports and recreation on the long-term wounded warrior recovery and reintegration. We plan to share our findings with military centers, universities, and sports organizations around the country in an effort to help improve the industries that serve people with disabilities.
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