'Golf Is For Everyone': Bergen College Students Make Mini-Golf Courses For Disabled Adults

PARAMUS, NJ — Bergen Community College honors students have provided adults with intellectual disabilities access to a sport that may not have otherwise been possible, school and county officials said.

As part of a project with Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, the students created portable, accessible and sensory mini-golf courses for adult clients in a Bergen County Special Services program.

"This is an example of how meaningful the connections made through Bergen Community College are to the surrounding community," said Katie Conte, the adult services manager for Stepping Stones, the program operated by BCSS to develop skills for adults with intellectual disabilities.

Each of the 17 students completed the mini-golf courses as part of the PTK "Honors in Action" project, after securing a $1,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which supports initiatives to strengthen arts and humanities.

To secure the grant, the students researched inequities in sport for people with disabilities.

The mini-golf course features sensory elements, including textured golf club handles, colorful hazards and a "first-of-its-kind" musical golf cup, the college said. Stepping Stones clients also received a "Golf is for Everyone" T-shirt designed by the honor students.

“It has been such a pleasure to be able to serve my community and to use my hobbies to help others,” Bergen PTK student Matthew Paccione, of Dumont, said. “I am very thankful to be able to contribute my engineering skills and apply my knowledge toward a project like this which will go on to have a meaningful impact in the lives of the Stepping Stones clients.”