History of AccesSportAmerica

Rev. Ross Lilley founded AccesSportAmerica in 1995. Prior to that, he had been adapting and teaching windsurfing for people with disabilities since 1984. A pioneer in adaptive equipment and training techniques, Ross serves as chief instructor and inventor for AccesSportAmerica so that windsurfing and other high-challenge water sports are possible for children and adults with disabilities. AccesSportAmerica is the only source of equipment adaptation for windsurfing for people with disabilities in the United States.

AccesSportAmerica came to regional attention when The Boston Globe reported on Ross and his son, Joshua born in 1985 with cerebral palsy, windsurfing off the coast of Cape Cod. That followed with national stories on ABC's Good Morning America with Dr. Tim Johnson and in major windsurfing magazines.

Now, with an instructional staff and team of volunteers, AccesSportAmerica reaches hundreds of children and adults annually offering high-challenge water sports including windsurfing, kayaking, rowing/sculling and water-skiing and is successful in adapting to virtually every disability from quadriplegia and paraplegia to sight impairment, blindness and emotional disorders. During the past six years, AccesSportAmerica has developed, built and tested adaptations to accommodate a wide range of disabilities. Our intent is to accommodate any person with any disability.

Today, AccesSportAmerica is developing year-round fitness programs that include high-challenge water sports for children and adults with disabilities to challenge the body and mind while encouraging the spirit. AccesSportAmerica continues to broaden its reach and develop collaborations with institutions and organizations throughout the United States.