Berkeley’s BORP promotes inclusivity through cycling

Based in Berkeley, Bay Area Outreach & Recreation Program (BORP) has provided people with physical disabilities a venue for adaptive exercise since 1976. Children, youth and adults can use BORP’s extensive selection of adaptive bicycles at its Berkeley center. Before the pandemic, BORP was also a place for activities that include goalball, wheelchair basketball, sled hockey and power soccer. 

But BORP is about more than just exercise — its programs and fundraisers, like the annual BORP Revolution, give people a place to socialize and make new connections while enjoying physical activity, says Elaine Beale, BORP’s director of development. The pandemic and shelter-in-place forced the organization to adapt quickly, but it was ready for it.