NEWRY – Maine Handicapped Skiing, Maine’s largest adaptive recreation program for children and adults with physical disabilities, has lesson openings available in downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing for the winter season.

Maine Handicapped Skiing offers free lessons at four locations: Sunday River Ski Resort, downhill skiing and snowboarding Sunday through Friday; Sugarloaf/USA, downhill skiing and snowboarding, weekends only; Sunday River Inn and Cross Country Ski Center, cross country skiing and snowshoeing Wednesdays and Fridays; and Pineland Farms, New Gloucester, cross country skiing and snowshoeing on Thursdays.

The state program serves people who have many types of physical disabilities, including traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, limb loss, blind and visually impaired deaf and hearing impaired, stroke, spinal cord injury and spina bifida. Potential and returning participants are required to fill out an application form and get a physician’s statement permitting them to take part in the program.

Staff members and volunteers evaluate each participant individually, determining their interests, physical strengths and what they want to accomplish. Once evaluated, participants are assigned to one or more volunteers who work with them on the slopes to learn downhill skiing or snowboarding or on the trails for cross country skiing or snowshoeing.

Every year volunteers at Maine Handicapped Skiing teach more than 250 participants with physical disabilities to downhill and cross country ski, snowboard and snowshoe. In 2007, more than 3,600 free lessons were provided, due to the four ski resorts and the continued charitable donations of individuals, corporations and businesses.

Maine Handicapped Skiing will offer its third annual Veterans/No Boundaries winter program for veterans and active duty service personnel with physical disabilities Jan. 31 to Feb. 4. Veterans and their spouses or significant others will participate in downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing at Sunday River. Lessons, equipment, meals and entertainment will be free to the veterans.

In 2007 19 veterans from New England participated. Support is provided by a grant from Bath Iron Works and donations from American Legion posts across Maine, along with numerous individual and Bethel business supporters.

Lessons at MHS are offered first-come, first-served and are always free.

For more information on becoming a participant at Maine Handicapped Skiing or the Veterans/No Boundaries program, call 800-639-7770; e-mail MHS at [email protected]; or go to the Web at www.skimhs.org.