Paddle Program

Motorized Water Sports and Paddle Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC)

To be eligible for participation in the DREAM Motorized Water Sports and/or Paddle Program, all participants must meet all general program EEC in addition to all motorized water sports and paddle program EEC.  DREAM reserves the right to request that a guardian/caregiver be accessible to program staff while the individual is participating in the program.

General Program Essential Eligibility Criteria 

• 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.

Water Sports/Paddle Program Essential Eligibility Criteria

• Individual is able to hold head upright without head/neck support.
• Individual is able to maintain closed mouth/lips while underwater.
• Individual is able to turn from face down to face up independently in water, while wearing a properly fitted life vest.
• Individual has the ability to remain seated and balanced in/on a watercraft (with or without adaptive equipment).
• Individual is able to reenter a capsized watercraft independently or with the assistance of others.

* 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, assistants, or staff.

If you have questions regarding these eligibility requirement please email programs@dreamadaptive.org or call (406) 885-9539 ext. 2

DREAM Programs Cancellation & Tardiness Policy

DREAM’s cancellation & tardiness policy aims to assure respectful participation and allows DREAM to maintain a dependable volunteer and staff instructor team. Activity cancellations and no-shows inherently keep other well-deserving participants from receiving DREAM services. Once a reservation is made, that assignment is solely reserved for the participant and other reservations may be denied due to capacity. Without advanced cancellation notice, filling the reserved activity last-minute is a challenging and unlikely task due to the careful consideration of terrain, availability of adaptive equipment, and how to best support each unique participant.

DREAM holds a 48-hour cancellation policy.

• Program opportunities that are canceled within 48 hours of start time will be charged 50% of the program fee if a make-up opportunity is not available. Depending on schedule availability, every  attempt will be made to offer a make-up opportunity. However if two (2) or more program opportunities are canceled within 48 hours during a program season, no future make-up opportunities for that season will be offered and 50% of the lesson fee will be charged.  
• Program opportunities canceled within 24 hours of program start time or no call no shows will automatically be charged the full program amount. No opportunity will be given to reschedule.  If there are two cancellations within 24 hours during a program season, future lessons for that season may be reconsidered. 
• Program opportunities that are canceled more than 48 hours before the program start time, will be given the opportunity to reschedule depending upon schedule availability and if no reschedule opportunity is available will be offered a full refund.

Please Note: If participants cancel or are no call no show within 24 hours on two (2) scheduled programs within a given season, their financial aid scholarship, if applicable, will be reviewed to determine financial aid eligibility for remainder of the season, no make-up opportunities will be offered, and future lessons for that season may be reconsidered.

Weather cancellations are at the discretion of DREAM. Safety is our top priority and DREAM has protocols in place to combat the often unpredictable NW Montana weather. In the rare case that DREAM chooses to cancel the program opportunity due to extreme weather or unsafe conditions, DREAM will do their best to provide an opportunity for a make-up lesson and if no make-up opportunity is available a full refund will be issued.

Tardiness Policy

If you are running a few minutes late, or going to be late for any reason, please call or text (406) 201-9215.   With your proactive communication, DREAM will hold your instructor for up to 15 minutes and attempt to get a hold of you. However, after that time the instructor will be released and the lesson will be counted as a no call no-show (see cancellation policy above).  Please note there is very limited cell phone service in all areas where DREAM provides winter opportunities. Instructor teams arrive 15-30 minutes or more prior to the program opportunity time and may not have cell phone service.

For any questions regarding the DREAM Program Cancellation & Tardiness Policy please email the DREAM Program Manager at: mwestbrook@dreamadaptive.org or call (406) 885 – 9539 ext 2.