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Youth Empowerment Radio
This podcast was created by young people as a project of Youth MOVE Colorado, a youth-led organization. This is meant to serve as a fun, educational, and community-building resource for youth with lived experience. We will be having organic conversations about everything from making friends to advocating for change, and interviewing other changemakers along the way!
Youth Empowerment Radio
Season 3, Episode 9 - (Part 1) Adaptive Outdoor Recreation & Accessibility in Practice
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Host Carmen welcomes Kady Ostowick, executive director of Colorado Discover Ability (CDA) in Grand Junction, Colorado, a nonprofit providing adaptive outdoor recreation for people with disabilities. Katie shares how she pivoted from a for-profit tech career to leading CDA, and outlines CDA’s programs including winter skiing and snowboarding, a large Special Olympics skiing/snowboarding team, seasonal cycling on local paved trails, and summer adventures like paddleboarding, kayaking, horseback riding, and rafting partnerships. She explains adaptive equipment across sports, from sit skis, mono skis, and outriggers to recumbent and tandem trikes and supportive rafting seating, noting high costs and frequent need for creative solutions. The conversation also covers practical outdoor accessibility—signage, bathrooms, transportation, and equipment access—and emphasizes designing solutions with people who have lived experience, reinforcing that disability does not mean inability.
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:59 Katie’s Career Pivot
03:43 What CDA Does
07:11 Special Olympics Ski Team
09:21 Adaptive Ski Gear
14:46 Adaptive Cycling Basics
18:47 Cost and Logistics
19:35 Adaptive Rafting Safety
24:08 Outdoor Accessibility Beyond Ramps
30:30 Disability Is Not Inability
33:42 Access and Maintenance Wrap Up