Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association

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Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association | GLASA

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Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA)

Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA) strives to ‘Let No One Sit on the Sidelines’ and operates under a mission to promote and support the optimal development and well-being of youth, adults and military veterans who have a physical or visual disability through the provision of inclusive recreation, fitness and competitive sports activities. GLASA offers opportunities for empowerment through education, leadership and training in collaboration with community-based organizations.

GLASA is still run by the same Executive Director, Cindy Housner, who founded the agency in 1999 in order to provide health and wellness programming to a segment of the population that was not being served in traditional physical activity and health promotion programs. Started with less than a dozen participants, GLASA now serves over 1100 individuals in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin each year through direct programming. Over 3,000 youth and adults are also served each year through education and outreach initiatives. Educational clinics and elite level competitions bring in athletes, teams and families from around the country.

GLASA provides programming to individuals with physical and visual disabilities. Programming can be adapted to meet the needs of individuals who use manual or power wheelchairs, in addition to those with ambulatory disabilities. GLASA serves athletes who have disabilities such as:

-amputation

-cerebral palsy

-muscular dystrophy

-spinal cord injury

-spina bifida

-stroke

-visual impairment

GLASA believes that health is a lifelong pursuit and offers programs for individuals ages 6-60+. Specialized programming is offered to injured military veterans. Additionally, programming is offered without regard to socioeconomic status. No one is ever turned away due to an inability to pay. Recreational and competitive programs are available; no prior experience is necessary to join a GLASA program.

Activities

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Shooting/Adaptive Shooting

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…

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 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…

Water Skiing 101 Ride the Wake! There is nothing like spending a warm summer day by the water. But water-skiers will tell you that even better is a day spent water skiing along on the surface of the water with the wind in their hair. Don’t think because you have a disability that you can’t…

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…