Dylan Hronec has been in a wheelchair since he was 2 years old.

Surfing is his favorite activity.

“When you’re surfing you don’t really think about anything else — it’s the closest thing to an out of body experience,” said Mr. Hronec, 27, who has cerebral palsy and uses a special surf board retrofitted with handles to help him grab on. “I’m more in control of my body and my muscles in the water. So I’m not limited in any way.”

Surfing is one of the newest sports to make it into the 2020 Olympics in Japan, and it’s something more and more people with disabilities, both physical and cognitive, are taking part in. More than 30 countries have adaptive surf programs, geared to those with disabilities; the International Surfing Association has petitioned the International Paralympic Committee to add adaptive surfing to the Paris games in 2024.

To that end, several nonprofit groups cater to surfers with disabilities, including autism, visual impairments and limb loss. They include the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Life Rolls On and the Association of Amputee Surfers, or AmpSurf, which has chapters in New England, New York and California and holds free surfing clinics all year long.