Bradley Wong confidently rode a bicycle in circles across four blacktop courts beneath the blazing sun Thursday morning.
The 14-year-old was a participant in the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities’ iCan Bike Camp, which ran this past week at West Preparatory Academy in Las Vegas and helped children, teens and adults with developmental disabilities learn to ride a bike with the help of trained instructors and volunteers, as well as adapted equipment.
Wong, who has Wiedemann-Steiner syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that presents similarly to autism, first attended the camp in 2023.
“It gives him independence,” said Stephanie Wong, Bradley’s mother. “The program’s really amazing.”
The iCan Bike Camp was created in 2007 by iCan Shine, a nonprofit organization that hosts bike, dance and swim programs, predominantly during the summer, for people with disabilities across 35 U.S. states and Canada. According to the center’s website, research shows that 80 percent of people with autism and 90 percent of people with Down syndrome never learn how to ride a two-wheel bicycle.
Since its inception, iCan Bike Camp has taught approximately 30,000 people nationwide how to ride a bike, according to the iCan Shine website.
Diana Rovetti, senior project coordinator at the Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities, who has a son with Down syndrome, brought the program to Nevada in 2013.
“A lot of therapists or doctors or other people have said, ‘Put limits on them,’” Rovetti said. “We should never put limits on our kids, because they’ll surprise us.”
During the second session of the second-to-last day of camp, 10 riders — including Bradley — each flanked by at least one instructor or volunteer, practiced between the outdoor area and West Preparatory’s air-conditioned gymnasium. The five participants riding in the gym were still getting the hang of it. Their bicycles were equipped with a back wheel roller mechanism to help with balancing, and they were vocally encouraged by their respective instructors or volunteers.
Most of the volunteers are in high school, and they find a lot of value in contributing to the program.
“It’s very fulfilling,” said Mason Tackstrom, 17. “It’s always an enjoyment to see the smile on their faces when they learn to finally ride a bike. It fills my heart with compassion that I’m able to be in this room.”
Rovetti said instilling confidence and independence are the camp’s primary obligations.
“Most of these kids probably will never drive a car, so this gives them a chance to be able to get someplace by themselves,” Rovetti said. “ The first camp I ran, this kid with Down syndrome, he was about 25 years old, came up to me after and said, ‘Thank you so much, I’m so glad I don’t have to ride with my mom to work anymore.’ He’s really proud of that.”
Contact Alex Streinger at astreinger@reviewjournal.com
