Georgia disabled man strives to make outdoor activities more accessible to all people with disabilities

From the Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia:

Nearly 20 years ago, while walking through the woods after a morning deer hunt, 33-year-old Kirk Thomas suffered a serious injury when he was hit by a falling tree.

Remanded to a wheelchair for the rest of his life, the lifelong outdoorsman made a troubling discovery.

"When I became disabled, I was the only disabled person I knew," said Thomas, who lives in Winterville. "I'd never had the privilege to be around disabled people and see how they lived their lives and what they went through. When you wake up and you are a disabled person, you have a different perspective on life."

Thomas made a successful return to his passions of hunting and fishing and was invited to serve on the Alabama Independent Living Council.

Saying he was "blown away" to meet some 50 disabled people at that first meeting, Thomas became more involved with the council and was dismayed to learn that many of his new friends weren't able to enjoy the outdoors.

"As I got involved, I became acquainted with more and more people with disabilities," he said. "Every time I'd get around these folks I'd ask them about hunting and fishing and the outdoors and the answer was always no because there were just too many barriers. It ate me up inside, and one Sunday morning I woke up and envisioned a program to help disabled people get back outside."

In 1996, Thomas founded Wheelin' Sportsmen of America, which within a decade hosted more than 1,000 events, offering some 10,000 disabled Americans a chance to, as Thomas said, "Get some sun on their backs."

Three years ago, Thomas broke away from WSA (which had merged with the National Turkey Federation in 2000) and established Outdoors Without Limits to further his agenda. Since 2007, more than 65 OWL chapters have been established with a membership that totals nearly 30,000, of which Thomas estimated 30 percent is disabled.

Emphasizing the "community aspect" of the outdoors, Thomas said that OWL chapters must fulfill three requirements: an annual awareness benefit and dinner should be held ("It's one of the best ways to talk about our mission and how people can help," he said); there should be two outdoor-related events offered each year for disabled people ("It doesn't necessarily have to be hunting and fishing. It could be a picnic in the park"); and a "general outreach" event should be offered.

"We had some amazing growth and we've got a bright future," said Thomas, who was born in Mississippi and moved to Winterville from South Carolina. "But there's so much we need that we don't have. Because of this economy, we've got to run things efficiently, be smart and not overextend ourselves. We're still taking baby steps, but we're excited about the future."

Perhaps the biggest OWL event to date was the Ultimate Adventure, held in Troy, Ala., where 153 disabled individuals were able to go on a four-day deer hunt. The organization also hosted a deer hunt at Brush Creek in the Madison County town of Colbert, giving 33 disabled outdoors enthusiasts a chance to take to the woods with guides helping them along.

The national board of directors will host its own awareness benefit and dinner on Friday, Aug. 13 at the Oconee County Civic Center.

Thomas said that money raised from the event will help promote the OWL's national program, and he added he hopes the event - which will include raffles, games and a silent and live auction - will kick-start interest in the group in Northeast Georgia.

"We want to make an appeal to local residents to find out what we do and we hope they'll want to get involved," said Thomas, pointing out that the only OWL chapter in the region is located in Commerce. "And we're always looking for folks who can help us with fundraising; we need all the help we can get.

"So many people take the outdoors for granted, like I did. But if we can help someone achieve their goal or dream, it's a win-win for everybody. Everybody needs that sun on their back."