“For the Disabled, By the Disabled”, is a phrase at PPSC referring to the fact that not only the participants, but also may of the staff at PPSC are living with disabilities. As an organization made up of talented staff with so many different abilities, it proves we are in a unique position to provide the best services to disabled sailors.

From the top down, our center is fully integrated with people from the disability community. We not only teach disabled sailing, we live it!

On our board of directors we have Jim Donahue – a single leg amputee and Vienam Vet. Jim volunteers often for our Adaptive events and serves both as Vice Chair of the Board and chairman of the adaptive committee.

Our Adaptive Coordinator, Maureen McKinnon-Tucker, is a paraplegic and eight time member of the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics. At the Beijing Games, she won a Gold Medal in the two person SKUD 18 Class with team mate Nick Scandone at the 2008 Paralympic Games. She is currently campaigning for another Gold Medal in the next Paralympic Games in London 2012.

Our 2009 Head Sailing Instructor, Hugh Freund, is a cancer survivor and single leg amputee. Hugh was named to the US Sailing Team Alphagraphics for 2009 & 2010. He comes to Piers Park with a lifetime of sailing experience – teaching in youth programs and working with Sonars. He is pursuing a spot on the US 2012 Paralympic Sonar Team for the London Games.

In our Future Leader Program, we have a young adult who has a hearing impairment. Andrew has been a student here at PPSC for the past few years and has shown strong leadership so he was invited in 2009  to become staff.

Adult Instructor Mark Bos is a blind sailor and lost his vision due to a motorcycle accident 20 years ago.  Mark has an associated degree and license (COTA-L) in Occupational Therapy. In recent years Mark has been working as a vocational specialist and peer-counseling the legally blind population in job skills.  This past year, Mark won a Bronze medal for the United States in the World Sailing Championships in New Zealand.