They look at the bigger picture when it happens to their sons, both of whom have mobility problems.

They see the skinned knees and bruises as evidence their boys are learning the same life lessons from taking on challenges learnt by able-bodied boys their age.

Karen Giblin said she wanted her nine-year-old son Paddy, who has spina bifida, to experience the same banter and maturing experiences that occurred between other boys at play.

The enthusiasm of Paddy and Ms Thulborn’s son, Harvey McCorkell, to take on challenges and their mothers’ indefatigable efforts to enable them to do so, is likely to be the genesis for a statewide program to provide a range of adaptive sports for people with disabilities.

The program has sprung out of a visit during the past few months to the two boys by international adaptive sports leader Christiaan “Otter” Bailey.

Mr Bailey, 32, from California, was a professional surfer and skater before he broke his back in a skating accident in 2006, leaving him a paraplegic.

While he lost function in his legs, he lost none of his desire to take on challenges and has since become an international exponent of adaptive skating and surfing.

Both Harvey and Paddy are keen wheelchair skaters and surfers and got in touch with Mr Bailey through the internet a few years ago. That was the start of a friendship through which the two boys and Mr Bailey cross continents to push the boundaries of what people with disabilities can achieve.

With the help of the local community, the boys and their mothers last year travelled to Costa Rica to take part in Mr Bailey’s Ocean Healing program.

The program gives young people with disabilities the opportunity to experience adaptive adventure sports.

The two local families said Mr Bailey became part of their families during the trip and they invited him to stay with them when he visited Australia this year to demonstrate adaptive surfing at the Bells Beach surf competition at Easter.

While Mr Bailey’s performance at Bells Beach was cancelled due to unfavourable weather, word spread of his prowess in adaptive sports and as a passionate speaker.

Apart from helping with an adaptive surfing day at Warrnambool and skating demonstrations at Warrnambool, Camperdown, Port Fairy, Colac and Melbourne, Mr Bailey also gave talks at schools and to health professionals in Warrnambool, Ballarat and Horsham.

Mr Bailey said his two-month visit had been “ridiculous fun” and he looked forward to developing the program in Australia. “It’s about getting out of the house and off the video games and being an active participant and having an active healthy lifestyle,” he said.

The program has taken the name of Sharing the Stoke, from the name used by Paddy and Harvey’s families for the fund-raising campaign that helped the two boys visit Costa Rica and California.

Mr Bailey said his message was directed not only at people with disabilities but also to the health professionals who provided care for them.

He said many of the young people with disabilities he was involved with were mentally tough.

“These kids have been through so many surgeries,” Mr Bailey said. “Nine out of 10 of these kids are tougher than their parents.”

Ms Giblin said Mr Bailey’s talks to health professionals aimed to persuade them to encourage patients with disabilities to take on challenges.

“It’s not all about the skate park, it’s about not just looking at the negatives of disability, that they can still achieve,” she said.

Warrnambool-based Rural Access project officer Paul Lougheed said Mr Bailey’s demonstrations of wheelchair skating had the “wow” factor that won him many local fans.

Mr Bailey captured people’s imagination and disability service organisations hoped to build upon that success and bring him back next summer to speak to a wider audience, Mr Lougheed said.

Rural Access, a state government-funded body that supports communities to be more inclusive of people with disabilities, worked with the Eat Well Be Active program, Active Oceans and Disability Sport and Recreation to help fund and organise Mr Bailey’s visit.