From adaptive fields to special swim class, Miracle League of Connecticut helps kids play

When Mike Michaud discusses the Miracle League of Connecticut, his pride comes bursting through — not because of any personal accolades, but because of the thousands of children who now get to play, swim, dance and laugh freely, often for the first time.

For the past 15 years, Michaud has been at the heart of the West Hartford-based nonprofit, whose mission is to remove barriers that prevent children with disabilities from participating in recreational activities alongside their peers.

“It’s about giving them the same opportunities every other kid has,” he said. “Whether it’s through adaptive equipment or adaptive methods, we make sure everybody can participate.”

At the center of it all is the Miracle League field in West Hartford, a uniquely designed baseball field where children of all abilities can play without limitations.

“It’s all wheelchair accessible,” Michaud said. “No raised obstacles like bases or pitcher’s mounds; it’s all level, so it’s easily accessible.”

The field opened in 2012, but the idea for it began two years prior.

It grew out of the West Hartford Little League, which had enough space for a new field but not a full-sized one. So, when organizers heard about the Miracle League, a national nonprofit helping communities build adaptive baseball fields, they decided to bring the concept to their state.

Fundraising efforts began in 2010, and within two years, the dream became reality with the first Miracle League field in all of New England opening for play.

“At first, that was really all we wanted,” Michaud said. “A nice little baseball league for kids with disabilities. But as families began to participate, they shared both their gratitude and their frustration: there just weren’t enough recreational options for children with disabilities. They’d tell us, ‘The town lets us sign up for swimming lessons, but they’re not designed for our kids.’”

That feedback sparked a wave of growth and over the last 15 years, the Miracle League of Connecticut has evolved far beyond baseball. Today, it offers adaptive dance classes, a popular swim program, a family bowling league, the “I Can Bike” program and even a Lego Brick Club that teaches social and problem-solving skills through play.

“It’s kind of like hiding vegetables in cupcakes,” Michaud said. “They’re getting something they really need, but they don’t realize it. They think they’re just having fun.”

The organization’s reach has also spread geographically. In 2020, the Miracle League of Connecticut helped launch a new field in East Lyme, supporting the Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut with startup funds and guidance. More recently, the Miracle League of Northern Connecticut opened its own field in the Tolland-Vernon area.

“Now we have three fields in the state,” Michaud said. “All separate nonprofits, but we’ve helped each of them get started, giving them logistical advice and a map of how we did it.”

Each of the programs offered has grown organically out of community need and by listening to what was needed. For instance, the dance program started because a mom said she’d heard about adaptive dance and thought it would be cool to have one.

"We found a partner to run it, and now it’s one of our biggest programs,” Michaud said. “The adaptive swim program is another favorite and one of the few in central Connecticut designed specifically for children with disabilities.”

The organization now impacts between 3,500 and 4,000 children a year. That includes its regular programs, as well as large community events like the Halloween “Trick-or-Treat” celebration, which draws more than 1,200 attendees.

“Our family fun days are some of my favorite things we do,” Michaud said. “They’re designed for the whole family to come and enjoy time together. That’s something that can be hard to find for families with children with disabilities.”

Of course, none of this could be done without the many volunteers who are the backbone of it all.

“Certain programs depend entirely on volunteers,” Michaud said. “Our baseball and dance programs rely on them, but ‘I Can Bike’ is the big one. It’s a one-week program in the summer that takes about 1,000 volunteer hours total.”

For that program, each rider is paired with three volunteer spotters, and with five sessions a day for five days, the math adds up quickly. Thankfully, he noted, local universities, high school teams and community members step up in big numbers.

“You don’t have to be a baseball player or a dancer,” Michaud said. “You’re there for moral support and for safety to help the kids succeed.”

Not surprisingly, running an organization of this scale takes significant funding. Recently, the Miracle League completed a $400,000 capital project to resurface its first field after 13 years of use.

“That one hurt, but it was necessary,” Michaud said, explaining the nonprofit operates largely on registration fees for its programs, but cost is never a barrier. “If finances are an issue, we remove that barrier too. We have a very liberal fee waiver and scholarship program. Our goal is inclusion.”

Fundraising events also play a key role. Each year, the Miracle League hosts a golf tournament that raises more than $70,000, and an annual appeal that brings in over $40,000.

“Kids with disabilities often have lives filled with therapy, extra learning and extra services and too many times, recreation becomes an afterthought,” he said. “We wanted to change that. These aren’t ‘special’ kids, they’re just kids who want to play baseball, bowl and dance. We make that possible.”