Chicago Park District - Special Recreation Department
The Chicago Park District is a national leader in serving individuals with disabilities. Starting in 1965, park employees began to be trained on ways to better serve Chicago citizens with disabilities.
In 1968, Chicago became the birth place of the Special Olympics with the park district playing an integral role in its development. Today, the Chicago Park District strives to enhance the lives of Chicagoans with disabilities by providing a variety of recreation and leisure opportunities.
Activities
See AllAdaptive Archery
Shooting/Adaptive Shooting
Baseball/Adaptive Baseball
Basketball/Wheelchair Basketball
Biathlon/Para Biathlon
Boccia
Cycling/Adaptive Cycling
Fishing/Adaptive Fishing
Fitness/Cross Training
Goalball
Golf/Adaptive Golf
Ice Skating/Adaptive Ice Skating
Mountain Biking/Adaptive Mountain Biking
Pickleball
Powerlifting
Rowing
Running/Wheelchair Racing
Sailing
Sled Hockey
Softball
Swimming
Since the first Paralympic Games in Rome in 1960, swimming has been one of the Games’ main sports. The thrill of competition aside, swimming offers many benefits including strengthening the cardiovascular systems and the major muscle groups of both the upper and lower body. It also develops flexibility in the muscles and joints as…
Table Tennis
Table tennis is one of the most popular sports in the world with 16 million players in the U.S. alone. You can find table tennis in the basements and rec rooms of individual homes and apartments across the country. You can also play the game at sport and recreation facilities, university centers, and various other…
Tennis/Wheelchair Tennis
The people you meet through tennis are friendly, happy, optimistic and outgoing, They just want to have a good time and want others to have a good time. – Steve Kappes, Director of the San Diego Wounded Warrior Tennis Program and Director of Military Outreach for the San Diego District Tennis Association All About…
Track and Field
Track and Field is the largest Olympic and Paralympic sport in terms of the number of athletes and number of classifications and categories. In addition to the races that take place on the track, there are a number of competitions that take place on the field inside the track. In particular, there are throwing and…
Triathlon
Getting Started Get Out and TriThank you to Dare2tri for contributing information and photos for this article. Paratriathlon made its Paralympic competition debut in Rio 2016. The sport, which combines swimming, running and biking into one race, has been rapidly growing in the U.S. and abroad among athletes at all age ranges and ability levels. From…
Yoga
It is difficult to find balance without the ability to look inward, whether it is physical balance or balance in our daily lives. Starting the day healthfully can be as simple as breathing and stretching. An important component of a total fitness program is stretching. Add focused deep breathing to a stretch and you’ve entered…
CONTACTS
- Email: special.recreation@chicagoparkdistrict.com
- Web: chicagoparkdistrict.com/special-recreation-programs
- Phone: (312) 742-5798
- Location: Chicago, IL, 60611
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