Alison Clarke

Alison Clarke, Certified Recreation Therapy Specialist and Director Community Recreation Services at Sheltering Arms, says that there are lots of ways to make gardening more accessible, comfortable and fun.

A few of her suggestions include:

Knee and kneeling pads -- Lots of gardening catalogs and stores sell knee and kneeling pads that make weeding, for instance, more comfortable.For those on a limited budget, a trip to a fabric store can help.Buy a thick rectangular piece of foam rubber and cut it to size to kneel on in the garden.Your knees will thank you. Garden Carts -- If your budget is more liberal, garden carts are another alternative that can give a new lease on the landcape.They have wheels and often a storage bin for small tools and even bottles of water.

One is to increase public awareness of the abilities of the physically disabled, said Alison Clarke, Sheltering Arms' director of community recreation services and the founder of the tournament."A lot of these people have never seen a disabled person hit a golf ball," she said.

Alison Clarke, community recreation services director at Sheltering Arms, said the pool and fitness center are used daily by medical patients undergoing physical therapy.