Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day returns to Valdese on April 17

For 28-year-old paraplegic Randall Derrick, finding places to play sports was not always easy, but adaptive recreation events in Valdese have opened the door for more activities, resources, and even neighbors he did not know lived right around the corner.

Expanding access to recreation is the goal behind Valdese Parks & Recreation’s annual Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day, which returns next Friday with more organizations and resources to share with the community.

Valdese Parks & Rec has held the event almost every year since 2022, and in that time, the number of vendors leapt from six or seven at the first event to about 20 this year.

Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day is a hub for the disabled community that brings people with disabilities across the spectrum together to meet each other and find organizations that make recreation accessible with specialized equipment.

Organizer Alex Bustle with the Valdese Parks & Recreation Department said about 100 people came to the event last year, including Derrick.

Derrick, a Connelly Springs resident, suffered a spinal cord injury from a botched scoliosis surgery when he was 5 years old. He has been wheelchair-bound since, but has participated in a number of adapted sports such as martial arts, basketball, tee-ball, soccer, and rugby. More recently, he said he enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking.

Although he has stayed active throughout his life, finding sports and activities that could be adapted to his needs has been challenging, Derrick said.

“If you didn’t know somebody who knew someone, you didn’t know about (this) type of thing,” Derrick said.

Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day has connected Derrick with organizations like the North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association, and with other disabled people.

“There’s a guy who lives 5 minutes from my house; he’s in a wheelchair. I don’t know what his diagnosis is, but he’s been there for like, five years, and I didn’t even know he was there,” Derrick said.

Derrick knew Valdese Parks & Recreation Director David Andersen from high school, when Andersen taught German. He said Andersen shared that he had experienced being in a wheelchair due to an injury.

After he became the parks and rec director, Andersen introduced Derrick to Bustle, and the two keep him in the loop on upcoming adaptive recreation events, he said.

All of it boils down to one thing for Derrick: inclusion. Derrick said it is important for disabled people to have opportunities to participate.

“I see so many people that, they wither away in a sense, because they don’t have those opportunities,” Derrick said. “All they can do is sit at home and watch TV and eat and they get in a state that’s not good for them. People are social. … We want to build communities. We want to build belonging and inclusion, and that’s what we’re seeking.”

Derrick said Andersen and Bustle’s genuine care shines through in everything they do to make recreation more accessible.

Valdese Parks & Rec’s 2026 Outdoor Adaptive Recreation Day will take place on Friday, April 17, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Valdese Lakeside Park.

We Rock The Spectrum kids gym, Walkin’ Roll Activities League, Adaptive Sports & Adventures Program, North Carolina State Parks, Friends of the Valdese Rec, Paddling for Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation, Joni&Friends, and more will be at the event to share information.