A new set of lifetime hobbies for the Disabled. (On First Reading).

Leading a long and active life, a person suddenly disabled by disease or disability may pine for the activities once taken for granted. Those disabled since birth can only watch as others participate in the things they can only dream about.

But some states are making a difference in this sometimes depressing picture.

Illinois is making it easier for physically challenged people to hunt, fish and pursue other outdoor activities through its Disabled Outdoor Opportunities Program.

The Illinois General Assembly and Governor George Ryan lent support by enacting a recent bill to allow disabled hunters to hunt from all-terrain vehicles modified for the handicapped.

Charlie Pangle, a former member of the Illinois General Assembly and Kankakee River State Park site superintendent, works with site managers across the state to identify and expand activities offered.

The state Department of Natural Resources is working with organizations representing disabled individuals and outdoor groups. The Legislative Sportsmen's Caucus has donated to the cause. The Illinois State Rifle Association and the state's Interagency Committee on Employees with Disabilities have honored the DNR for organizing and offering activities (pheasant, deer and dove hunts) for hunters with disabilities and for providing special nature interpretation programs for people with developmental disabilities.

Although awards are nice, DNR Director Brent Manning believes "the real reward is in seeing the looks and smiles on the faces of the older hunters and anglers who once again are able to do something they haven't been able to do for 20 or 30 years, or the faces of the young hunters and anglers who are experiencing the thrill for the first time in their lives."