Host Carmen welcomes Kady Ostowick, executive director of Colorado Discover Ability (CDA) in Grand Junction, Colorado, a nonprofit providing adaptive outdoor recreation for people with disabilities. Katie shares how she pivoted from a for-profit tech career to leading CDA, and outlines CDA’s programs including winter skiing and snowboarding, a large Special Olympics skiing/snowboarding team, seasonal cycling on local paved trails, and summer adventures like paddleboarding, kayaking, horseback riding, and rafting partnerships. She explains adaptive equipment across sports, from sit skis, mono skis, and outriggers to recumbent and tandem trikes and supportive rafting seating, noting high costs and frequent need for creative solutions. The conversation also covers practical outdoor accessibility—signage, bathrooms, transportation, and equipment access—and emphasizes designing solutions with people who have lived experience, reinforcing that disability does not mean inability.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:59 Katie’s Career Pivot

03:43 What CDA Does

07:11 Special Olympics Ski Team

09:21 Adaptive Ski Gear

14:46 Adaptive Cycling Basics

18:47 Cost and Logistics

19:35 Adaptive Rafting Safety

24:08 Outdoor Accessibility Beyond Ramps

30:30 Disability Is Not Inability

33:42 Access and Maintenance Wrap Up