The lesson begins on the beach with a youngster lying on a surfboard more than twice her size. After some brief orientation, the child, joined by a world-class surfing coach, is soon paddling about 30 yards (30 meters) into the ocean. As a modest wave appears, the coach and his student begin paddling furiously toward shore. In an instant, the coach eases away from the board and implores his charge to “pop up,” and stand on the board. A shriek explodes from excited parents on the beach who scream with glee as the newcomer stands and rides her first wave to shore. “I knew what I was doing! exclaims 14-year-old Meghan Fink, who is vision-impaired. “I was able to stand up on that board and I felt the wind through my hair and the water came over my head a few times. It was just amazing.” Learning to surf is a rite of passage for teens in seaside communities around the world. But in recent years in communities from Long Beach, New York, to San Diego and Hawaii, children with disabilities ranging from near-blindness to autism have been joining the fun, amazing their parents, their counselors and themselves by hopping up on surfboards and riding the waves. Such programs have been around for about a decade. No one suggests there are therapeutic cures amid the waves, but the surge in self-confidence is easily evident. “It's a thrill of feeling yourself in a situation where you have control and you are working with nature to get some pleasure and enjoyment, and that's what surfing is all about,” says Harvey Weisenberg, 50-year veteran lifeguard in Long Beach, who has a 52-year-old developmentally disabled son. Weisenberg, also a state lawmaker, is one of the local founders of a program now called “Surf for All,” which allows those who never dreamed of surfing the opportunity to “hang 10.” The group recently entertained participants in the Wounded Warriors program, which assists veterans injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “The feeling of riding a wave is nothing like anything else,” says Cliff Skudin, who like his brother, Will, is a professional world-class surfer; both are stars of the surfing magazines. “You feel weightless; it's an amazing feeling to be rising above the waves.” Cliff Skudin, who has a master's degree in physical education, is another Surf for All founder. The program started with five autistic surfers in 2002, but now boasts more than 1,800 alumni.
