By Laura McAlister
Journal Editor
After a car accident left him paralyzed from the waist down when he was 20 years old, Joe Ray could have given up.
Instead, he went water skiing.
Now 53, Joe enjoyed the sport so much that he’s still doing it — and he’s also been teaching others with disabilities that they can do it, too.
Joe is executive director of Adaptive Aquatics on Lay Lake in nearby Wilsonville. The non-profit program serves handicapped residents of all ages and abilities throughout the state by teaching them how to water ski using adaptive equipment that meets their special needs.
This year, Adaptive Aquatics will celebrate its 30th anniversary, as well as a new facility, with its 3-Hour Tour fundraiser set for April 28 at SoHo’s Rosewood Hall. The event will include a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, cash bar and entertainment.
Tickets are $60 a person or $100 a couple. All proceeds benefit Adaptive Aquatics, which is funded solely through donations.
“This fundraiser is very important,” said Natalie Hausman-Weiss of Mountain Brook. “This is such a wonderful program, and Joe is absolutely committed to it. The equipment isn’t inexpensive, but he doesn’t turn anyone away.”
Natalie found out about the program through the Lakeshore Foundation, where her son Abraham, 13, plays sports. Abraham was born with spina bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down.
“We moved to Alabama 11½ years ago, and we’ve just been overwhelmed by all the wonderful programs for our son, and one of those is Adaptive Aquatics,” she said. “Joe Ray has this incredible personality, and he works with each of them to let them know their full potential. When Abraham has gone, he’s felt very empowered.”
Empowering those with disabilities is what prompted Joe to get involved with Adaptive Aquatics in the first place.
The program was started by Phil Martin in 1980. Martin, a pioneer of adapted water skiing, also worked with Camp ASCCA on Lake Martin teaching those with disabilities to water ski. That’s where Joe learned the skill.
The adaptive equipment allowed him to trade his wheelchair for a ski that he could ride on sitting down.
“I just loved it, so Phil convinced me to start helping him teach,” Joe said. “It’s just great. Water really is freedom.
“For a person with a disability to be free of their chair or crutches or whatever they use – that empowers them in such a way you just can’t measure it.”
Susan Ray of Mountain Brook agrees. Her son Walker, 6, attended an Adaptive Aquatics clinic for the first time last summer.
Walker was born with a condition where he has little muscle tone. Susan never really thought about the possibility of her son water skiing until they met Joe.
“Joe says everybody can ski, and he’s absolutely right,” she said. “I was a little worried (Walker) wouldn’t be able to get up, but he popped right up. He got it 100 percent and was able to do it all by himself.”
Joe’s students are often referred through programs like the Lakeshore Foundation and Camp ASCCA, but Joe does a lot of the recruiting himself.
“I get a lot of things I used to think thrown back at me,” he said. “I used to think – I’ve never skied, I can’t swim in a wheelchair. It’s just all about the adaptations. Everybody’s disability is different.”
While the sit ski enables those who are wheelchair-bound to ski, Joe said they also have equipment for those paralyzed just on one side of their body, people with prosthetics and the blind. The program recently began serving wounded veterans.
Adaptive Aquatics serves 600-800 each year from April-Oct. Thanks to the new facility, Joe said, he hopes they can serve even more in the coming years.
For more information on Adaptive Aquatics and its upcoming fundraiser, visit adaptiveaquatics.org or call Joe Ray at 807-7519.