10th annual Adaptive Aquafest held at Lake Palestine

BULLARD, Texas ( KETK ) – For children and adults with disabilities, participating in water sports can be a challenge, that’s why the Texas Adaptive Aquatics non-profit began.

“We’re able to take any disability and put them in a water ski if they’d like to get wet,” host of the Lake Palestine Adaptive Aquafest Mike Schovanec said.

Host of the Lake Palestine Adaptive Aquafest Debbie Bryant first heard about the organization after her late husband was left paralyzed.

“He was in a bad wreck, he was a paraplegic, and we read about this in a magazine,” Bryant said.

She saw Texas Adaptive Aquatics was holding a water-skiing clinic in San Antonio and decided to check it out.

“Oh, my gosh, it just, it brought him back to life, it gave him something that he can do outside the wheelchair,” Bryant said.

She wanted to share what this could do for people with disabilities and formed the Lake Palestine Adaptive Aquafest in Bullard.

“We’ll have about 40 disabled people in all their families come,” Schovanec said.

Ten years later they’re still making an impact in families lives, like Judi Perkins who has been attending for three years with her 23 year-old son who has Down Syndrome.

“Every year he has a great time,” parent of participant Judi Perkins said.

She never though her son would get to enjoy water sports like regular children, and said seeing the joy on his face is a blessing.

“I think there’s always been a little bit of a stigma with a child with disabilities, and to see him out here doing the things that everybody else does gives you a real sense of belonging,” Perkins said.

Bryant said the goal is for those with disabilities to learn how to do the water sports on their own, so they can continue to enjoy the water.

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