BORP Celebrates 35 Years of the ADA
By Ahmad Seyar Rahimi
July 26 marked the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and BORP had several occasions this month to celebrate this landmark community milestone. On the 26th, we closed down our Berkeley Cycling Center and rented two trucks to bring a whole fleet of bikes to our San Francisco Cycling Program. This allowed us to host several community rides through San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.
The first group of cyclists—primarily handcyclists—rolled out around 10:45 a.m., ready to take on a scenic 16-mile route. In all, 30 riders cruised from the heart of Golden Gate Park out to the Great Highway, along Ocean Beach, and down to the San Francisco Zoo. Later in the day, youth riders, including a group of blind and low-vision cyclists, set off for a second ride—hopping on tandem cycles and cruising down the JFK Promenade, getting more comfortable with support from our team.
“It was awesome to see so many people put in hard work and effort into supporting the community,” said Jorge Macias, BORP’s Program Associate and one of the ride leaders. “Especially because for many participants, it was their first time covering such a long distance.”
One participant, Nico, reflected on his experience “Recently I went through a traumatic brain injury, and I had to fight really hard to regain my strength. Being out here today, riding with everyone—it reminded me how far I’ve come. I got a taste of that kind of freedom again, the kind I hadn’t felt since before I was hospitalized. It’s good to see that all the effort I’ve put into recovery is paying off when I get to do recreational activities like this.”
As with most large BORP events, volunteers were a key part of what made the day special. One shared, “I appreciated being connected with the community, getting to see friends from different backgrounds, and helping orient new people to the opportunities BORP provides.”
Behind the scenes, the impact was just as meaningful. “I’m incredibly grateful to have had friends from different parts of my life come together in support of one another,” said Ahmad Rahimi, BORP’s summer intern, a regular goalball and cycling participant, and one of the event coordinators. “For me, finding independence—both for myself and for those I care about—has always meant a lot. BORP has helped me do that. I’m proud to be part of a community that empowers everyone to show up as they are and grow stronger together.”
Alongside other disability service organizations, BORP also hosted a table at the celebration to share information about adaptive recreation. We connected with many new community members—several of whom said they plan to join us in Golden Gate Park for cycling in the coming weeks. (Reminder: BORP offers open-hours cycling in Golden Gate Park every Saturday from 10 AM to 3 PM!)
But That’s Not All…
Disability Pride Month was a busy one for us! We also took part in two other community events celebrating the ADA and disability pride.
On July 25, Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) hosted a Disability Resource Fair in Hayward. BORP had the opportunity to table at the event and connect with community members curious about adaptive sports.
BORP’s new Program Manager, Molly Bloom, noted “It was exciting to watch the looks on participants’ faces as they learned about programs like cycling and rock climbing, which they had previously thought totally inaccessible or impossible due to their disabilities.”
After hearing that, Ahmad shared“When I hear things like this, it brings back happy, nostalgic memories of when I first got involved at BORP—doing sports that are now such a big part of my life, it’s hard to imagine a world without them.”
We also joined the July 11 Disability Pride celebration right outside BORP headquarters at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley. This multi-organization event brought in a great crowd and gave people a chance to explore adaptive sports firsthand.
We’re excited to welcome everyone who found us that day, and we can’t wait to ride, roll, and play with you soon. Here at BORP, we are always full of disability pride—but it was nice to have these extra occasions to celebrate our extraordinary community and all we’ve accomplished together!