Adaptive Recreational Activity Day Emphasizes Opportunity and Inclusion

Ivy Glaser, 11, is already making a name for herself on the court as one of the stars of Katie’s Komets, a local wheelchair basketball team. Born with spina bifida, Ivy can walk with the help of leg braces, but she was eager to learn more about adapted sports opportunities. That curiosity led her and her father to Adaptive Recreational Activity Day, held June 27, 2026, in the Hafter Student Community Center on Drexel University’s Elkins Park campus.

“She’s already into adapted sports, but we wanted to give her a little more exposure to what’s out there and an opportunity to try out other things,” said Ivy’s dad, Scott Glaser, of Glenside, Pennsylvania.

As Ivy and her dad tested their skills in wheelchair tennis, she said the event was about more than just trying a new sport - it was about seeing the adapted sports community come together.

“It means a lot to see so many people come together for adapted sports and it’s really fun to see people try new activities and maybe get into more things,” she said.

The annual event, hosted by the student society Drexel Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics (DAPO), is a day for people of varying abilities to try out different kinds of accessible sports, such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, crafts, cooking demonstrations and more.

“The turnout is great and everybody seems to be having a lot of fun,” said Gianna Bartolomei ‘28O&P, president of DAPO, a student organization based on the Elkins Park campus. “We’ve been able to get people not only from our patient model population but also from people in the community. Everybody seems to be having fun getting to try new things.”

The event also attracted the attention of Katie Miness, adapted tennis coordinator for the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Middle States. Miness first crossed paths with Drexel Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) student Laci Lien ‘28, vice president of DAPO, at Amputee Awareness Day at the Lehigh Valley Hospital in April 2026. When Lien told her about the upcoming Adaptive Recreational Activity Day in Elkins Park, Miness didn’t hesitate to get involved and was eager to introduce attendees to adapted tennis.

“It’s about visibility, inclusion and raising awareness that adapted sports exists,” said Miness, who pointed out that adapted tennis has become prevalent in the sport. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the advent of wheelchair tennis, and last year, the USTA celebrated 25 years of wheelchair tennis being included in the U.S. Open Tennis event.

According to Miness, the event was not only important for the participants, but also for Drexel’s O&P students. “It’s the students getting out and understanding that tennis can be a rehab, a socialization, and then to offer it to their patients and anybody they meet,” said Miness. “It’s about networking and meeting people and coming together to make sports inclusive.”

Lien agreed. As a student who traveled from Montana to be part of the O&P program at Drexel, she said she didn’t know coming from the Northwest part of the country how accessible sports can be for all people.

“For example, I didn’t know adapted tennis was an option,” said Lien. “This experience today is going to help me make sure that I let my patients know what’s happening and what’s available. I want to work with the pediatric population and if there is a kid who feels like their options are limited, this is going to be something I can suggest.”

While all the sports activities swirled around him, chef Kevin VanWhy had carved out a spot for a cooking demonstration. He was showing attendees how to make a sausage and sweet potato hash.

“I take every opportunity I can to encourage amputees,” said VanWhy, a double amputee himself who lost both legs to diabetes, the first of which was during the time he was attending culinary school. “It was tough going through school with those issues going on, but if you want to do something bad enough, you can do it.”

As the day came to a close, participants left with more than new experiences; they left with new possibilities, according to Julie Quinlan, PhD ‘26, MPO, MS, CPO, ATC, FAAOP, associate director of the O&P program on Drexel’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus.

“Whether discovering a new activity, connecting with peers or learning about resources available in their communities, attendees experienced firsthand that recreation should be accessible to everyone,” said Dr. Quinlan. “For the Drexel O&P students and faculty members who organized and volunteered at the event, the day also reinforced an important lesson: helping patients regain mobility is a part of their role. Equally important is empowering individuals to pursue activities, relationships and passions that enrich their lives beyond rehabilitation.”