Noteboom The Law Firm

Disabled Veterans Being Taught to Surf

May 20, 2010 - For disabled veterans, treatment programs seem to pop up in many different forms focusing on all different disabilities ranging from PTSD to amputation. Many veterans, however, find their own therapeutic program and are able to help other veterans when they find success.  

Dana Cummings made it through the Gulf War without a scratch. 10 years after the war a car accident took his leg. After his insurance denied him physical rehabilitation he took matters into his own hands and started surfing. For Cummings it was about feeling whole again. Riding waves inspired him and gave him an incredible feeling of freedom. He felt he had to share those experiences with other people.

The Association of Amputee Surfers (AmpSurf) is a volunteer-run organization that teaches people with disabilities to surf for free. Cummings helped create AmpSurf and the majority of the people he teaches are veterans. AmpSurf focuses on inspiring veterans to live more empowered lives, and to understand being disabled does not stop them from living. AmpSurf is open to teaching people with all sorts of disabilities to include:

• Spinal cord injuries;
• Blindness;
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and
• Autism.

 AmpSurf meets once a month on the California coast. After receiving initial instruction on the beach, participants are matched with instructors based on surfing ability and physical disability. AmpSurf supplies every participant with:

• Food;
• Surfboards;
• Wetsuits;
• Sunscreen; and
• Towels.

 AmpSurf isn't just about surfing; it is much more than that. AmpSurf is about bringing people together to heal as a group and showing people with disabilities that being disabled is not the end of their life. There is freedom available - if you know where to look.