Military Programs – Summer

Any Veteran or Active Duty Military with a Disability is welcome to join.  All equipment and instruction (if needed) is provided at no cost.

McDonald Creek Paddle in Glacier National Park

• Friday July 17th | 9am – 12pm

Echo Lake Family Water Sports day 

• Friday July 24th | 9:30am-3:00pm

Pre-Registration is required, please contact programs@dreamadaptive.org or call (460) 885-9539 ext. 2 with questions or if you need assistance.

3 Day Intro to Kayaking with Montana Kayak Academy

DREAM is excited to offer a new opportunity for Veterans and Active Duty Military with a disability to learn how to whitewater kayak with Montana Kayak Academy (MKA).

A scholarship for all course and equipment costs for up to two Veterans with a disability to take any of the 3-Day Intro to Kayaking Courses in July or August with MKA.  This course is great for anyone interested in whitewater kayaking.  The course will begin in “calm flat water and progress to moving water and eddy lines.”

To learn more, look at dates, register for one of these courses, and to apply for the DREAM Scholarship for Veterans with a Disability please click here.

Pre-Registration is required with Montana Kayak Academy and DREAM. 

If you have questions please contact programs@dreamadaptive.org or call (460) 885-9539 

General DREAM 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.

Cycling Program Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC)

To be eligible for participation in the DREAM Cycling Program, all participants must meet all general program EEC in addition to all Cycling 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.

• Individual lives with a permanent physical disability and require specialized instruction or adaptive equipment to recreate outdoors.
• Individual can make safe cognitive decisions in a fast-paced changing environment.
• Individual can follow all safety precautions identified by the instructors.
• Individual can hold their head upright without any head and/or neck support.
• Individual can wear a properly fitted and rated bike helmet, as well as any other safety equipment appropriately.
• Individual can understand and follow multiple-step instructions from the instructors independently and in a fast-paced environment.
• Individual can transfer in and out of the bike independently or with some assistance 
• Individual can remain alert and focused for the duration of the ride and can make decisions quickly in variable terrain.
• Individual can demonstrate they can independently peddle, steer, stop, start and ride the bike over, around, up, and down a variety of terrain deemed appropriate for their experience level.

Water Sports/Paddle Program Essential Eligibility Criteria

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.

• 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 EEC, a companion can be a personal support person, family member, or friend and excludes any, and all DREAM instructors, assistants, or staff.

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.