No Limits: Voices from the Paralympics is a weeklong experiential learning opportunity in Milan and Tesero, Italy, where students take on the role of student-journalists covering the 2026 Paralympic Games. Through attendance at live events, exploration of adaptive sports culture, and guided journalism workshops, students will investigate how storytelling can amplify diverse voices and challenge perceptions of ability. They'll document their experience through written articles, audio stories, photography, or video segments, honing their research, media literacy, and communication skills. This program empowers students to build empathy, think critically, and become impactful storytellers on a global stage—capturing not just the action, but the meaning behind the Games.
- January - Slip into a Sled
- Day 1 - Sunday March 8th
- Itinerary: Departure Day
- Day 2 - Monday March 9th
- Itinerary: Arrival in Milan
- Day 3 - Tuesday March 10th
- Itinerary - Milan & Para Ice Hockey
- Day 4 - Wednesday March 11th
- Itinerary: Exploring Tesero
- Christopher Young & Keja MacEwan
- Day 5 - Thursday March 12th
- Itinerary - Cortina d’Ampezzo
- Day 6 - Friday March 13th
- Itinerary: Tesero - Para Sprint Pursuit Biathlon
- Day 7 - Saturday March 14th
- Itinerary - Milan: Para Ice Hockey ITA vs GER
- More updates coming soon!
January - Slip into a Sled
January 2026 - Northeast Passage hosted a "Slip into a Sled" Program to give our students a chance to learn about the sport from sled-hockey athletes, ask questions, and have a ton of fun zooming around the ice. We gained a much bigger appreciation for the athleticism required for this sport.
Day 2 - Monday March 9th
Itinerary: Arrival in Milan
3:55pm Arrive at Linate Airport Metro to Hotel Evening Tour of Milan Pizza Dinner
A full day of travel later and we have finally arrived in Italy! These kids were awesome travelers, handling a few unpleasant travel moments like seasoned pros. They took it all in stride and didn’t complain once. We are all beyond happy to exit the Metro and find ourselves in the center of Milan. After checking into the hotel we headed out for our first taste of the city. Milan at night is breathtaking. The kids noticed the architecture, the fashion, the small details painted into every corner, and the fact that city people are always in a hurry. We wandered through the Galleria Vittorio where there was a beautiful Paralympic light display and circled the Duomo all lit up in the evening. We headed to a small pizzeria for our first Italian dinner, and the kids navigated menus in a foreign language and pizza that doesn’t come pre-cut. Food was shared back and forth and it finally started to sink in, that after all the planning and preparation we are finally here! Tomorrow we will tour more of Milan, including heading into the Duomo itself and go to our first Paralympic Game - USA vs CHN Sled Hockey! You can watch on Peacock or NBC and try to spot us in the crowd!
Day 3 - Tuesday March 10th
Itinerary - Milan & Para Ice Hockey
Our first full day in Italy today! We woke up to an absolutely delicious breakfast in our hotel, especially enjoying the pastries and coffee (although eggs, bacon, and pancakes were also on the menu). We packed up and headed out for a full day.
Our first stop was the stunning Duomo in the center of Milan. We took a guided tour of the interior, learning about the historic cathedral that took over 500 years to complete (and will forevermore be under constant renovations). We got a whirlwind history of Italy, complete with sculptures, stained glass, and the accidental history of saffron risotto. After our tour we journeyed upwards to the rooftop, where we explored the entire perimeter of the duomo, marveling at the gothic architecture and the views of Milan. A quick stop at a cafe gave us the fuel we needed to journey onwards to our first Paralympic Event - USA vs CHN Sled Hockey! It was absolutely surreal. The kids commented how cool it was to have slipped into our own sleds only a month ago and the appreciation that that gave them for the athleticism on display. We cheered, danced, and winced at sled collisions. We also had a chance to meet up with and interview three athletes from Northeast Passage, who were at the Games supporting their teammates playing for Team USA. The kids asked thoughtful questions, learning about Women’s Sled Hockey, the greatest barriers that the sport faces, and how each sled type affect the players movement and purpose on the ice. While this would have been enough for one single day, we weren’t done yet. We headed out on a trolley to a typical Italian mall and showed the kids what the less touristy side of Milan looks like. They shopped, ate, and marveled at the fact that dogs are allowed everywhere. Tomorrow we are heading out of Milan and up to Tesoro for the next three nights! We will be heading in the afternoon to the Para Cross Country Skiing 10km finals. See if you can catch us in the stands!
Day 4 - Wednesday March 11th
Itinerary: Exploring Tesero
Today was a beautiful lesson in what life can give you when you leave space for the unexpected. We started out bright and early this morning saying goodbye to Milan. We kept reminding the kids that this week is just a teaser for all that Milan (and Italy) has to offer. Our bus driver, Florian, promptly picked us up at our hotel and proceeded to Tetris 15 giant suitcases into one tiny luggage compartment
Then we hit the road and slowly traded metropolis for highway, skyscrapers melting into farms and rolling pasture. After a few hours hills turned into mountains, and we started to see snow covered peaks tucked behind the bank of fog. Our kids were in awe of the scenery and even more in awe of the winding mountain roads that were daringly constructed on cliff faces. As we approached Tesero, we unfortunately realized that the time of the Para Cross Country event had been moved several hours earlier than it had been originally planned and we would be unable to attend the event, as it had already happened. The kids took it all in stride, as they have everything on this trip. We got off in the sleepy little mountain town where we are staying for the next three nights and let the kids dictate which direction our group went in to explore. They looped us up and around (and even back to the start) until finally emerging at a playground set against the stunning backdrop of the mountains. Shortly after we arrived a group of 5th/6th grade students appeared. It didn’t take long before we were all on the soccer field, playing a raucous match or taking pictures of the excitement.
It was a cup-filling moment for sure. Through a shared love of sport and a few overlapping words, friends were quickly made. It was something that never would have happened if we had been on schedule. We simply wouldn’t have had time for that moment to present itself, or to be able to fully throw ourselves into it the way we did. It was a good reminder to slow down and enjoy the moment, the dolce vita as one would say here in Italy. The Italian kids finally got called back to school and we wandered down a dirt lane to explore a hidden gem of a path in the fields of the town.
We relaxed this afternoon, enjoying the pool and some time to breathe, before hopping on a Zoom call with Keja McEwan and Chris Young. (Their bios are below this post, and I highly recommend checking them out, they are both simply incredible). They have beyond graciously given us their time this evening and tomorrow morning as we head to Cortina d’Ampezzo and the 2nd run of the Women’s Giant Slalom. Our kids asked thoughtful questions about coaching practices, the logistics of competing at this level, the lack of grants and financial support, the classification systems for the Paralympics, and so much more. The group consensus was that we have even more now that we want to bend their ears about tomorrow! It was a true highlight. Tomorrow look for us at the Para-Alpine W Giant Slalom 2nd run and then the USA vs Norway para-curling match!
Christopher Young & Keja MacEwan
Christopher Young is a U.S. Coast Guard veteran and elite Paralympic athlete whose career has helped redefine the possibilities of adaptive sport. A five-time Paralympic Games medalist, four-time World Champion, five-time World Cup champion, and 25-time U.S. National Champion with 159 career wins, Young is also a pioneer in competitive snow sports. After surviving a 1982 military plane crash that resulted in a permanent spinal injury, he went on to become the first disabled athlete to design a mono-snowboard and to qualify for and compete in both the U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Extreme Championships. During his racing career, he founded the New England Adaptive Ski Team, helping to develop pathways for future generations of adaptive athletes through coaching and mentorship. Retired from competition in 2016, Young continues his impact as a coach, advocate, and leader in the sport. He serves on the board of directors of U.S. Ski & Snowboard and is Chair of its Para Snow Sports Committee. Keja MacEwan is Director of Operations at Mass General Brigham’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Adaptive Sports Centers (SASC) and has more than 20 years of experience in adaptive and para sport. Similar to the NEP program at UNH, SASC runs a variety of adaptive sports programs in the greater Boston and Cape Cod regions year-round. Keja began her career in the ski industry at Aspen Snowmass in 1997 and returned to Stowe Mountain Resort in 2008, serving as an instructor, trainer, and lead in the adaptive ski program. Since 2014, she has coached at Para Alpine development race camps, supporting athletes who are now making their debut at the 2026 Milan–Cortina Paralympics. Chris and Keja met at a Move United para alpine race camp in 2015, have been a couple ever since and married in 2020!
Day 5 - Thursday March 12th
Itinerary - Cortina d’Ampezzo
“Today was my favorite day!” was an oft repeated refrain today. Of course, there then ensued argument as to why yesterday, or the day before was really the best day. Regardless, today was truly another spectacular day. (And no, not just because the pastry selection at the breakfast buffet was scrumptious…though it was).
The weather gods smiled on us as a rainy forecast turned into light cloud cover interspersed with much wanted sunshine. We drove up and over several mountain passes today to reach the third and final seat of the Paralympic Games: Cortina d’Ampezzo. The drive was simply stunning. Please excuse the picture below, as it cannot begin to do these jagged peaks and the staggering drop-offs justice.
Once our bus parked in the designated spectator area, we started our real journey up to the Women’s Giant Slalom skiing race course. 1 hour, a shuttle bus, a security check, a spectacular gondola ride, a solid steep hike through slushy snow, and endless scaffolding staircase later we arrived at the event. I’m not joking when I say we earned a medal simply for making it there! But oh, what a place to make it to.
We watched all three classes of Paralympic skiers (visually impaired, standing, and sitting) complete their second and final run down the course. Chris, Keja, and their friend Diane Barras, who is a former guide for a Paralympic blind skier, fielded questions left, right, and center from our students. It felt like we had gotten a backstage pass or the director’s cut of a favorite film.
After all three gold medals were handed out (one in each category) we reversed our trek down to the shuttle bus and headed further down the valley into Cortina itself. Here we split up into two groups: those who wanted to make a mad dash across the town to catch the tail end of the Curling and those who wanted to soak up the sights and sounds of Cortina. Both groups came back convinced they had the better experience.
The group that meandered through Cortina ended up crossing paths with a Chilean journalist, who was so excited to learn that we were studying journalism that he immediately jumped into individual interviews with each of us for practice. As with yesterday, it has been these unplanned moments that have often stolen the spotlight. Small moments where a kind bookshop cashier gives a student a discount to match the amount of cash they have, or a couple helps our students navigate the self check-out system at the grocery store, have made this week even more magical than it was to begin with. We made our way back over the mountains and home to our cozy little village. Singing, games, and endless scenery helped pass the journey. Tomorrow we are delighted to be staying closer to “home” as we head to the Sprint Pursuit Para Biathlon! We will watch the qualifiers in the morning and the finals in the afternoon. Look for us in the stands!
Day 6 - Friday March 13th
Itinerary: Tesero - Para Sprint Pursuit Biathlon
Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky? Certainly not us! We had a glorious day of sunshine watching the Para Sprint Pursuit Biathlon. The cold and slush of yesterday were a distant memory as we peeled off our coats and sweaters. We absolutely could not have asked for a more perfect day. There was non-stop music in the stands, constant audience games, a live saxophone player, Milo the mascot, and so so so much biathlon. In the morning we watched the qualification round for men and women in all three categories (Visually-Impaired, Standing, and Sitting) and in the afternoon we got to watch the final and cheer as six different gold medals were handed out. We danced, we sang, we cheered, and we all got a little sun-burned. We also made it on the stadium cam a couple of times, so watch the event back and see if you can spot us! On our way back home we stopped at a local grocery store to stock up on snacks and wonder at the differences in even a simple grocery store (everyone has to wear gloves before touching the produce). After some relaxing by the pool, our kids set to work on their final journalism piece. They each have chosen a different angle of the Paralympic to explore. Looking at their experiences, interviews, and the events themselves, each student is creating their own story to share at the Symposium when we return to school. We are all disappointed to be heading back to Milan tomorrow and leaving behind this little slice of alpine heaven. However, we are getting are voices ready to cheer loudly for Team ITALIA as they take on Germany tomorrow in the 5th place Para Ice Hockey match. Judging by the Italian spectators at our past events, the crowd is going to be electric! Here’s to our last full day in Italy!
Check out the photos below!
More updates coming soon!
Credits:
Created with images by Aurélien PAPA - "Soleil sur les pistes de ski des Alpes à Valmorel, Courchevel, France" • alice_photo - "Flight information, arrival, departure at the airport, London, UK" • Stockbym - "The architecture of the cathedral of Milan, Italy"