While competitive sports are a common interest for children of all abilities, opportunities to participate are often less accessible for those with disabilities. There are, however, several organizations in northwest Ohio that provide sports opportunities for those who are physically or mentally challenged.

Gliding in Toledo

One organization has made ice skating more accessible and enjoyable for individuals with disabilities. Gliding Stars Adaptive Ice Skating opens up the opportunity for everyone to enjoy the ice. The founder of the organization developed a line of adaptive ice skates, walkers and harnesses to allow anyone, with the help of volunteers, to be on the ice. Since it began in Buffalo in 2004, Gliding Stars has grown and come to other communities, including Findlay and Toledo.

Bill Himmel founded Gliding Stars Toledo in 2008 and is the co-coordinator and vice president of its board of directors. Before forming a local chapter, he took his special-needs daughter to the Findlay chapter to skate.

Himmel, who is in the metal recycling business, is comfortable on the ice and has coached high school hockey. He recalls that when he first took his daughter, Lily, to the ice rink when she was four years old, he carried her as he skated.

When he put her on the ice she took her first steps. “She skated before she walked,” he said. Soon after, she was outfitted with special skates, a helmet and a walker. “I was told to sit in the stands and watch,” Himmel said. “I was leery, but I agreed. I saw her on the ice and I was in tears.” Volunteers assisted her. “It was moving,” he explained, his voice breaking.

The next year, to avoid making the weekly trips to Findlay, and after learning that four other families were making the drive from Toledo, Himmel founded the Toledo chapter, which skates at Sylvania Tam-O-Shanter. The program’s sessions run from 4-5pm on Sundays from late September to early October, break for the holidays, and resume Jan. 12 to March 16.

“Our program’s youngest star – we call them stars in our program – is 5 years old; the oldest is in the mid-30s,” he said. Himmel said there typically are 32 stars, helped by 32 volunteers.

Skating into a show

The date of March 16 is special as that is when the stars put on a show, from 2-3pm at Tam-O-Shanter. Tickets are $5 with raffles and camaraderie. “We’re starting to work on the choreography, with pinwheels, skating on one foot, spins, jumps, doing whatever skills they can do,” Himmel said. This year’s show’s theme is country-western. “Maybe we’ll have a line dance,” he said.

“This is not a therapy program,” Himmel said, “but I would say it’s therapeutic. It’s inclusive. A lot of our stars are special-needs kids who don’t get invited to birthday parties. This is something they’re part of. It revolves around our stars – making them shine, making their dream come true.”

Conquering obstacles with dogs

It’s said that dogs are man’s best friend, but in the case of one Ability Center program, dogs are much more. Through the sport of dog agility, where participants direct dogs through obstacle courses within a time limit, individuals with disabilities develop social skills, physical capabilities and self-confidence.

Brittney Murphy, education coordinator for the Ability Center Assistance Dogs program, said, “Our goal is to create an inclusive environment. Everybody is welcome. Some have autism, vision impairments, ADHD and sensory processing issues.” The program currently has 23 students, with a mix of ages beginning at 8 or 9 and including late teens, those in their 20s and early 30s.

The dog agility program runs for one-hour sessions for eight weeks on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at the center’s offices on Monroe Street in Sylvania. Each participant is paired with a dog and a coach and introduced to an obstacle course, which includes tunnels, jumps, a teeter table and other agility equipment.

Murphy said each participant first walks the course with a coach to get a feel for the layout, learns the names of each of the 10 obstacles and plans how to have the dog run the course.

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“The students then run the course with their dog, naming each obstacle and at the end giving the dog a treat. Then they run it a second time to work on areas they want to improve upon.” The student can invite a friend or family member to be the coach.

“Dogs are such great companions,” Murphy said, adding that all of the dogs are with the Ability Center and most are Labrador retrievers. Through them, the students “learn problem-solving skills and build confidence. They build social skills by praising and greeting other students and they learn that it’s OK to make a mistake. They learn patience and develop physical capabilities.”

For 2025, Murphy said, “We’re looking to grow. We always look at accommodations for our students.”

Batter up!

It is still winter, but spring’s coming – as is another adaptive sport: baseball, thanks to the Miracle League of Northwest Ohio. The nonprofit organization provides opportunities for people of all abilities to play baseball.

“We started playing games in 2007 on a gravel field,” said Jeff Barton, president of the League’s board of directors, “but we couldn’t accommodate kids in wheelchairs and with walkers.”

Then he enlisted the support of the community, and a better field opened in 2009 at 2200 Tracy Road in Northwood, near Owens Community College. “It’s barrier-free, and like a track and field surface,” Barton said. Bases are flush with the ground to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers or other mobility devices.

The eight-week season, four weeks in the Fall and four in the Spring. Games are two innings, and everybody gets to hit. “The players’ names are announced as they come up to bat,” he said. “We provide a uniform for each player,” Barton explains, courtesy of the Toledo Mud Hens.

Barton said the local Miracle League – which is part of a national organization – started with two teams and about 20 players. Now, it has eight teams with more than 100 players, mostly children, but with some adults with disabilities as well.

Barton emphasized that the games are not competitive. “Our league is about inclusion. Everybody’s welcome. We’re out on the field for exercise and camaraderie.” He added, “The mission is to educate the community about people with special needs and that by including them, that benefits everybody.”

Volunteers contribute mightily, he said. “The volunteers tell us they love it – the one thing I tell them is why it’s important for them to make the connections,” he said. “I asked them how many grew up playing sports, and that their parents came to watch. So when you guys are here, the parents are not on the field assisting their child, they’re in the stands watching and cheering. We try to create an environment that’s inclusive and allows parents to come snap pictures, create memories and enjoy watching their child play baseball.”

For information about Gliding Stars, email [email protected], phone 419-304-4324, or visit glidingstarstoledo.org. For information about Agility Dogs, visit abilitycenter.org/agility-angels. For information about Miracle League, visit mlnwo.org.