The first season of the East Bay Adaptive Lacrosse program in Rhode Island wrapped up last month, and by all accounts, it proved to be a big success.
Through the efforts of 40 volunteers, including high school lacrosse players from five area schools, 20 adaptive students, ranging from kindergarten through ninth grade, took part in the four-week program at Barrington Middle School.
Adaptive Lacrosse is any format of lacrosse that is designed for athletes with disabilities. Some of the East Bay participants had mobility issues, some were nonverbal, and others were coping with what could be described as invisible disabilities, but all were welcome.
“We offered the opportunity to be a part of the program to anybody in the state,” said director Amanda Hope.
Hope’s youngest daughter Emerson, 12, is a special needs student and was among the participants. She was also among the motivations behind the program.
As a former collegiate player at Ithaca College, Hope has a longtime connection to lacrosse, including two older kids who play. Wanting to also get Emerson involved in the family sport, Hope had reached out to the leadership of East Bay Lacrosse to inquire about adaptive options.
“They told me they wanted to do it, but didn’t currently have the bandwidth to get a program started,” Hope said. “So, I told them I’m going to do it.”
Hope initially contacted Shawn Maloney, USA Lacrosse’s manager for Adaptive Sports Growth, to seek some guidance. He shared practice plans and drill ideas with Hope and also connected her with members of USA Lacrosse’s Adaptive Lacrosse Mentor Group.
“Amanda took it and ran from there,” Maloney said. “It’s pretty impressive that they went from having an initial meeting in March to running a four-week adaptive program in May.”
Members of the Mentor Group, who run adaptive programs in different parts of the country, provided insights and support. All were invaluable in launching this past spring’s East Bay initiative.
“I had an idea of what this should look like, but I was able to pick their brains and also learn some things,” said Hope, who has experience with special needs students through her work as an occupational therapist, in addition to her own daughter.
“We wanted to make sure the program was fun,” she said.
The four-week session was the culmination of significant planning and preparation. The rewards were plentiful.
The high school volunteers partnered seamlessly with the adaptive participants to help them through the various drills and clinic stations. Strong bonds were quickly formed as the adaptive participants learned the basics of lacrosse.
“The volunteers were really great,” Hope said. “The connections came pretty naturally, and they kept the same partners over the four weeks, which was important for continuity. It was lovely to see the interactions.”
After a successful 2025 debut, Hope plans to run the program again next spring.
“It was really much easier than I thought it would be, especially with the information and support from USA Lacrosse,” Hope said. “And we had lots of help because I think people wanted to be a part of something good. This was just the beginning.”
Adaptive Lacrosse Guidelines
The USA Lacrosse adaptive lacrosse guidebook is a free resource designed to help local lacrosse organizations start their own adaptive lacrosse programming. The strategies highlighted in the guide have been gathered from leading disability sport organizations as well as experienced adaptive lacrosse coaches and program administrators.
Download Guidebook
Adaptive Lacrosse Financial Grant
USA Lacrosse’s Adaptive Lacrosse Financial Grant provides support to innovative organizations that help individuals with disabilities to participate in lacrosse. Applicants could receive support to cover costs such as renting an accessible facility, purchasing specialized equipment, or transportation expenses, among other things. Learn more here.
