Luke is a burst of energy. Whenever he arrives at Achieve Tahoe, he runs up, ready to go, bouncing up and down with excitement for a day of fun. Luke has a cortical visual impairment and is legally blind; he also has autism, ADHD, and mild cerebral palsy. However, at Achieve Tahoe none of that is the focus for Luke – the focus is going fast.
“I like going fast down the snow hill. I like being high on the chair lift. I like the magic carpet. I like the cold snow on my cheeks,” says Luke. “I like the wind in my face and going fast on the water.”
Luke’s need for speed is year round, from zooming around the lake in summer programs to accelerating down the mountain in winter programs. Achieve Tahoe, with its custom adaptations, has helped Luke explore his love of going fast while having fun and staying safe.
“The way Achieve Tahoe has impacted my family is giving my son and entire family a sense of normalcy. We can spend time as a family doing activities that other families do all the time without thinking,” says Luke’s mom, Michelle. “It is so refreshing to be around a group of people that accept your child’s behavior and idiosyncrasies and loves on them. It gives Luke independence and teaches him new skills and activities he might not get.”
In his everyday life, Luke’s cortical visual impairment makes it hard to navigate the world independently.
“School has been very challenging, ” says Michelle. “He wants to read so badly but can’t see all the words on the page at the same time.”
However, at Achieve Tahoe, Luke is free to adventure and explore.
“Luke has a wonderful attitude and is always happy and ready for an adventure. When he rode a Jet Ski at Sierra Summer Sports, he had the biggest grin on his face and couldn’t contain his excitement,” says Michelle.
Achieve Tahoe has also helped Luke discover another side of himself through sailing.
“Seeing Luke sail this summer was an exciting moment,” says Michelle. “Luke is a high energy kid and when he got in the sailboat he got so calm and peaceful. When the sailing was over he refused to get out of the boat. Next, summer I will enroll him in a full day of sailing. He might fall asleep it relaxes him so much!”
Michelle is planning for Luke to come back to Achieve Tahoe for years to come, and she wants everyone who has a child with a disability to sign-up.
“I tell all families that have a child with disabilities that they need to enroll their child in Achieve Tahoe. It will give their child confidence and let them be a kid just having fun,” she says.
Luke also wants to tell people they should sign up for a program.
“Achieve Tahoe is fun!” he says. “You can ski and swim with Steve and Bob; they are nice.”
Thank you Michelle and Luke for sharing your story, and we look forward to seeing you skiing this winter!