| In years past, a serious physical disability meant | | | | athletes the change to compete in a variety of |
| unemployment, isolation, and inactivity for many | | | | sports; the list of summer sports includes 21 different |
| thousands of people.No longer. While the Americans | | | | competitive sports, ranging from archery and cycling |
| with Disabilities Act has opened up the workplace and | | | | to equestrian, powerlifting and judo. Five competitions |
| public facilities to people with disabilities, many | | | | designed specifically for wheelchair-bound athletes |
| organizations around the country have sprung up, | | | | include basketball, dancing, fencing, rugby, and tennis. |
| offering access to sports programs both for | | | | The list of winter sports is smaller, but no less |
| wheelchair-bound individuals and amputees with | | | | challenging: athletes can compete in either Alpine or |
| artificial prosthetic devices. Disabled people are | | | | Nordic skiing, ice sledge hockey, and wheelchair |
| experiencing the joy of participating in Alpine and | | | | curling.Children with physical disabilities have special |
| cross-country skiing, all kinds of water sports from | | | | challenges; they're dealing with sometimes substantial |
| swimming to sailing to scuba diving, and even more | | | | limitations at the same time that they are meeting all |
| extreme sports such as mountain climbing and sky | | | | the other demands of becoming competent, |
| diving.The importance of both competitive and | | | | balanced, emotionally and mentally healthy human |
| recreational sports for individuals with disabilities can't | | | | beings. The National Sports Center for the Disabled |
| be overestimated. Particularly for formerly | | | | (NSCD) offers opportunities for children to take part |
| able-bodied people who find themselves disabled, | | | | in a wide range of sports activities, from skiing, ski |
| sports can serve as a tremendous motivation in the | | | | racing, snowboarding and snowshoeing in the winter |
| rehabilitation process and can help alleviate the | | | | to rafting, horseback riding, and in-line skating in the |
| depression, confusion, and loss of self-esteem that | | | | summer.The Paralympics and NSCD are only two of |
| often accompanies a debilitating injury. For those born | | | | many organizations founded to involve disabled |
| with a serious disability, sports can serve as an | | | | individuals in sports. It's evident, from the success |
| important way of connecting to the "abled" | | | | and increasing popularity of these organizations, that |
| world.Competitive sports for the disabled are | | | | both adults and children with disabilities benefit greatly |
| experiencing phenomenal success. The world-wide | | | | from participating in adaptive sports activities, and |
| organization now known as the Paralympic Games | | | | that the benefit extends to all aspects of their |
| was founded in Rome, Italy, in 1960, inspired by a | | | | lives.Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in |
| 1948 competition organized in England for disabled | | | | southwestern New Hampshire and frequently |
| World War II veterans. According to the Paralympic | | | | contributes to Tips and Topics. She has published |
| Games website, participating athletes compete in a | | | | numerous articles in local and regional publications on a |
| variety of sports based on one of six disability-based | | | | wide range of topics, including business, education, |
| classifications: amputee, cerebral palsy, spinal cord | | | | the arts, and local events. Her feature articles include |
| injuries, visual impairment, intellectual disability, and a | | | | an interview with independent documentary |
| general group including individual disabilities which do | | | | filmmaker Ken Burns and a feature on prisoners at |
| not fit into one of the other five categories.Both | | | | the New Hampshire State Prison in Concord. |
| summer and winter sports competitions give disabled | | | | |