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RAA Featured in Bridges Newsletter
RAA Featured in Starbridge’s Bridges Newsletter
We’re proud to share that RAA was featured in the Summer 2026 issue of Bridges, Starbridge’s community newsletter — “Explore, Play, Belong: Accessible Summer Recreation.” Landing during Disability Pride Month and the 36th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the issue is all about the idea that recreation can enrich everyone.
We love our alliance with Starbridge. For years, Starbridge has been a trusted voice for people with disabilities, their families, and the greater Rochester community — and their generosity in sharing our story helps more people find their way to inclusive recreation. Being featured alongside families and community partners in Bridges is exactly the kind of collaboration that moves systems change forward. Thank you, Starbridge, for the partnership and the platform.
In her contribution to the issue, RAA Founder and Executive Director Anita O’Brien shared why RAA began back in 2015:
after more than 30 years in therapeutic recreation and disability rights, the same pattern kept showing up — people with disabilities simply didn’t have the same access to recreation and vacation venues as everyone else. RAA exists to change that, working for systemic change so that people with and without disabilities can participate whenever a business opens its doors.
RAA’s many Inclusion Partners, like Mohawk Maiden Cruises (photo on left) and Stony Points Art Studio & Gallery (photo on right) are waiting for YOU!
Ready to explore? Start with the DirectConnect Resource Guide
Our DirectConnect Resource Guide could be the doorway to your next inclusive adventure! It’s our public, easy-to-use tool that connects people with disabilities directly to recreation and tourism providers across our region who have partnered with RAA to become truly inclusive.
Through our Inclusion Partners, you can enjoy kayaking, birding, nature exploration, guided excursions, boat tours, canal museums, city tours, art workshops, cycling, and so much more — with more opportunities opening all across the Erie Canal Corridor, from Buffalo to Schuylerville, thanks to our partnership with the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and the NYS Canal Corporation.
Our Inclusion Partners are doing the work. They’ve taken a deep dive with our team, redeveloped their processes and programming through a lens of inclusion, and they are ready and waiting for you to join in. Now, you can show up and play.
Mary Anne, RAA’s DirectConnect Coordinator, seen here at the Buffalo Disability Pride Festival, is ready to connect you to your next inclusive adventures!
Meet Mary Anne — she’s ready to help
You don’t have to figure it out alone. Our DirectConnect Coordinator, Mary Anne, is here to help you find the right fit. Whether you have a specific adventure in mind or you’re just starting to explore what’s possible, Mary Anne can walk you through the guide, answer your questions, and connect you with an Inclusion Partner near you.
Explore the DirectConnect Resource Guide today — and reach out to Mary Anne whenever you’re ready. The invitation is open. Come explore, play, and belong.
Rochester Accessible Adventures is a New York State nonprofit working for systemic change so that people with and without disabilities can participate in community recreation and tourism, whenever the doors are open.
