Abilene iCan Bike Camp helps kids with disabilities

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The saying it’s as easy as riding a bike, can seem simple to some; you put your helmet on, start pedaling, and take off. For kids with disabilities, it can be a journey filled with obstacles, and the iCan Bike Camp aims to inspire them by teaching them how to ride a bike.

At the Abilene Youth Sports Authority Gym, kids took to the floor pedaling on adaptable bikes to help them focus on the main pillars of riding one at a time. Floor supervisor Emma Addison said they make the bikes adjustable to accommodate riders who learn at their own pace.

“There are lots of skills to work on for bike riding, there’s pedaling, there’s steering, there’s balance. We kind of almost minimize that balance piece so we can start working on the pedaling, the steering in the beginning, and then as they get comfortable on that first roller, then we taper a little bit off the ends,” Addison said.

The campers progress from ‘roller bike’ with the back wheel replaced with a roller similar to a kitchen pin, to a tandem bike, then riding on a regular bike.

Susie Dyke’s daughter, Emory, was born with Down Syndrome. She said hearing the news turned her world upside down, learning how to navigate the obstacles that come with the diagnosis.

“You know how it’s called the upside-down club? That’s how the world felt. Everything was left upside down. Everything that we thought we knew, we didn’t,” Dyke said. “Like pedaling, jumping. It took us four years to teach her how to jump. Those milestones are something you see every typical child do.”

She started teaching her daughter how to ride a bike at a young age, but realized that she needed to learn on her own time, which is the foundation of the camp.

“There really was a pain. Just clearly this struggle, that little muscle tone, it’s hard for them to pedal,” Dyke said. “It sounds cliche, but it’s truly a dream come true. I always imagined riding bikes as a family, and then when I saw her struggling, I thought, ‘Okay, maybe that’s not going to happen,’ but I knew we were going to push through. Now that we do ride our bikes around the block in our neighborhood, it’s a dream.”

Cheryl Etter, the organizer of the Abilene camp, has a son with Down syndrome who attended the camp in another location. She said watching him make that accomplishment made her want to bring it to Key City.

“We have over 450 special needs kids in the Big Country area. It’s not a small population. We just have to get the word out there that we’re out there rooting for them and wanting to do as much as we can,” Etter said. “Once you learn something small, it might be small to a typical kid, but once you learned that as a special needs child, you can conquer the world, you can do that, and you can talk, you can breathe, you can learn. So, it’s just a progression.”

Director of Volunteers, Jasmine Henriquez, said that with the experience of having someone with special needs in her family, she knows the pain of the world telling those with disabilities no.

“It really warms my soul for sure. As a sibling who has a brother with special needs, I know what it’s like when people tell you, ‘Oh, your brother can’t do this physically, cognitively.’ I get told that a lot, so to me, like a lot of people think, ‘Oh, it becomes a mental block,” Henriquez said.

The camp is seeking volunteers to help finish out the week. If you are interested in helping, you can attend one of the sessions at the AYSA gym, starting at 10:00 a.m., or contact the organization directly.