General Information
Welcome to DREAM! We offer lessons and recreational opportunities for individuals with disabilities, ages 5 through adults. Our programs provide people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to experience the great outdoors. It’s our hope that through these experiences our participants build confidence, create new relationships, and gain independence; skills we hope will transfer to other life areas.
Most DREAM participants live in or near the Flathead Valley, however we enjoy working with those visiting from out of town as well. Additionally, we are proud to provide our programs free of charge to active duty Service Members and Veterans with a disability.
Locations: We operate our winter Alpine Ski & Ride programs at Whitefish Mountain Resort, and Nordic Skiing at the Glacier Nordic Center / Whitefish Lake Golf Course. Our summer opportunities are primarily based on bodies of water and trails in the Flathead Valley. However, each year we partner with other adaptive sports non-profits in the northwest to expand our reach through special programming.
Cost to Participate: Each program varies. Financial aid scholarships are available. Military Veterans and Active Duty Service Members with a disability participate at no-cost.
Guidelines for Participation
General Essential Eligibility Requirements (EEC)
Essential eligibility criteria are created by adaptive sports programs to ensure we can provide safe and quality lessons and opportunities for all involved. Individual programs may have additional essential eligibility criteria to participate. Please see individual programs for more details.
- Individual lives with a long-term disability and requires specialized instruction or adaptive equipment to recreate outdoors.
- Individual is 5 years old, or older.
- Individual is cleared by their doctor to participate in designated activity.
- While participating with DREAM programs, individual can refrain from risky behavior that pose a threat to themselves and others including: aggressive behavior, ignoring safety precautions identified by instructors, drug/alcohol use, inability to set boundaries pertaining to their physical ability and needs.
- Individual can contribute to a safe learning environment. Harassment and abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
- Individual can follow instructions given by instructors independently or with the assistance of a companion*.
- Individual can wear all protective equipment required for the activity.
- Individual can manage personal care independently or with the assistance of a companion*.
- Individual can breathe independently and does not require medical devices to sustain breathing.
DREAM reserves the right to request that a guardian/caregiver be accessible to program staff while the student is participating in the program.
* For the use of this document, a companion can be a personal support person, family member, or friend and excludes any and all DREAM instructors or assistants.
If you are not able to meet the Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC’s) listed above and want to discuss alternative options, or have any questions and need clarification, please contact DREAM program staff at programs@dreamadaptive.org or (406) 885-9539.