Oh the great outdoors! Everyone has that one special activity that they just can’t wait to do once the snow melts and Great Plains unfreeze. For me it’s golf! First time out on the course is always an adventure. Unfortunately it is already May 14th and I only have one round of 18 under my belt! At least it wasn’t too ugly; I tied my dad, so I count that as a win. Our latest Places & Spaces showcases a joint effort with the City of Omaha Parks Department and QLI, Quality Living Inc., to help differently-abled community members take part in some of their favorite outdoor activities- kayaking and fishing at Cunningham Lake’s new Universal Water Access.

QLI is a nonprofit, brain and spinal cord rehabilitation clinic located off 71st and Sorensen Parkway. They have been in the business of promoting purpose, privacy, dignity, and independence in their patients’ lives since 1987. QLI is there to help patients manage the changes that come with their “new normal” after a spinal cord or brain injury. One thing QLI staff focuses on during the rehab process is incorporating activities and sports their patients participated in pre-injury and also introducing new sports to learn and adapt to.

Photo courtesy of QLI

Photo courtesy of QLI

Ed Armstrong, adaptive sports recreation specialist of QLI, says kayaking and fishing are among the activities they use to get their patients outdoors and in action. Because kayaking is done from a seated position it is a great way to level the playing field, it becomes an equalizing sport most people of all abilities can enjoy. Before this project was underway, there was no efficient way for QLI’s patients or any differently-abled community members to board their kayaks.

QLI approached the City Parks Department with the idea of expanding on Lake Cunningham’s amenities to better serve everyone in the community, and QLI in turn brought in Dropseed Studio to draft the designs as a way to pose a solution and not merely make the request. This project has been in motion since the initial designs in March of 2013, with construction to be completed by Dostals Construction, should be complete by the end of June. The lake is actually a US Corp. of Engineers site which means they hold jurisdiction over planning with dam and flood control in mind. The project has taken a bit of time with extra coordinating by all parties involved, and will be installed on the north west corner off of Day Use Area 3.

For Dropseed Studio, it has been an honor to be able to blend creative ideas with constructible solutions that will help others engage with nature. And it’s humbling being able to design something that will be able to aid and assist the population that has troubles getting around everyday- the project is bigger than just the lines on the page.

Ed Armstrong of QLI is equally excited for the project’s completion and looks forward to taking his first group of kayakers out on the water. He hopes that it becomes a hot spot of activity and a great way to keep all community members, no matter their abilities, outside and involved with nature.

This makes my one round of golf look like a blessing. Plenty of QLI-ers are still waiting to partake in that outdoor activity they’re just itching to do and we can’t wait to see them out on the water in all their paddling-glory!