Genetics foundation will give adaptive bikes to Baltimore children with rare conditions

For most children, riding a bike is a rite of passage so ordinary it barely registers. For a child with a genetic condition affecting mobility, balance, or coordination, it can be impossible without equipment specifically designed for their body.

On March 13, 2026, at the Baltimore Convention Center, the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine will present customized adaptive bicycles to children receiving care at Kennedy Krieger Institute. The event, part of the foundation's annual Day of Caring, takes place during the 2026 ACMG Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting, one of the largest gatherings of medical geneticists in the world.

Bikes built for individual needs

Adaptive bicycles are not standard bikes with minor modifications. They are purpose-built for children whose conditions affect how they move, sit, or balance. Depending on the child's needs, these bikes may feature specialized seating, trunk and head supports, hand-operated braking for those without standard leg function, or three- and four-wheel configurations for stability. Each bike is fitted to the individual child.

The practical benefits extend beyond recreation. Cycling builds cardiovascular fitness, strengthens muscles, and improves coordination. But for children with genetic conditions that limit their mobility, adaptive bikes also provide something less measurable: the experience of independent movement through space, alongside peers, in a park or on a sidewalk, doing what other children do.

Kennedy Krieger Institute as partner

Kennedy Krieger Institute, based in the Baltimore-Washington region, specializes in care for children, adolescents, and adults with neurological, rehabilitative, and developmental needs. The institute's clinicians work with each child's medical team to determine the appropriate bike configuration. President and CEO Bradley Schlaggar noted that enabling children with neurogenetic conditions to participate in everyday childhood experiences makes a significant impact on their quality of life.

Fifteen years of a tradition

The ACMG Foundation's Day of Caring has connected the global genetics community with local partners for more than 15 years. Each year, the event takes place in the host city of the ACMG Annual Meeting, pairing genetics professionals with a local institution that serves children and families affected by genetic conditions.

The program is funded through a grant from Revvity, a life sciences and diagnostics company. Nancy Mendelsohn, president of the ACMG Foundation, described the adaptive bikes as representing independence, confidence, and connection for the children who receive them.

A small event with outsized meaning

In the context of a medical conference where researchers present data on genome sequencing, gene therapy, and rare disease diagnosis, the Day of Caring is deliberately small-scale and personal. It puts faces on the conditions that the genetics community studies and treats. For the families involved, the value is immediate and tangible: a child who could not ride a bike now can.

The event is open to media, with opportunities for photography, video, and interviews with families, clinicians, and genetics experts. Credentialed journalists can request access and complimentary media passes to the broader ACMG meeting through the organization's communications office.