Meet Max

Max has dystonic cerebral palsy and uses both a wheelchair and a walking frame.  This means that he cannot take part in many activities with his friends, like playing football, and often feels left out.    

When he goes on trips with Cowes Sailability Club, however, it’s a different story!  Max gets to do everything that everyone else does and has a fantastic time.  It makes such a difference for him to feel included in an exciting activity.  

The boat trips enable him to meet other children with disabilities who also use wheelchairs or walking aids.  This is really important for him too, as it normalises having a physical disability and shows him that there are other young people like him.  It teaches him that it’s okay to be different.  

When he goes on boat trips organised by Cowes Sailability Club, the crew and volunteers encourage him to take a turn at driving the boat and doing other things that he hasn’t done before.  I like to think that these opportunities help to show Max that having a disability shouldn’t prevent him from doing new things and striving to achieve goals.