Adaptive Athletes: How You Can Get Involved

Adaptive athletes, like other athletes, inspire us everyday with amazing determination and talent. They participate in sports around the world competing against each other on a level playing field.

Adaptive Athletes Inspire Millions Every Day

All around the world, athletes inspire us every day to follow our dreams. They possess the incredible ability to overcome obstacles and adversities. Instead of giving up when it gets tough, they choose to focus on their goals and go for them.

They also make big sacrifices like giving up time with their family or loved ones to focus on their athletic aspirations. They understand and fully embrace that a sport can consume every aspect of your life so if you want to be great at something you need to make certain sacrifices like this.

Like all athletes, adaptive athletes too awe us with their unrelenting dedication to make their aspirations a reality. They’re willing to do what it takes to make it happen.

What are Adapted Sports?

Adapted sports are competitive sports for athletes with disabilities. They are similar to sports played by athletes without disabilities, but often modifications are made in the equipment and rules to meet the needs of adaptive athletes.

The number of people with disabilities involved in sport and physical recreation is steadily increasing around the world with organized sports for athletes with disabilities divided into three main disability groups:

Sports for the Deaf
Sports for people with physical disabilities
Sports for people with intellectual disabilities

How to Get Involved in Adapted Sports

There are organizations such as Disabled Sports USA that provide national leadership and opportunities for adaptive athletes to develop independence, confidence, and fitness through participation in sports.

Established in 1967, Disabled Sports USA has aimed to improve the lives of athletes with disabilities by providing sports and recreation opportunities.

Disabilities include those with:

Visual impairments
Amputations
Spinal cord injury
Multiple sclerosis
Head injury
Cerebral palsy
Other neuromuscular/orthopedic conditions
Autism
Other intellectual disabilities

The strength of this organization lies in its unique structure as a community-based chapter network. This allows Disabled Sports USA to reach people across the US, through a grassroots approach that supports local chapters in identifying the needs of the communities they serve.

Each year they serve over 60,000 athletes with disabilities through a nationwide network of over 100 community-based chapters in 37 states nationwide in over 30 different sports.

They offer over 40 different sports including:

Alpine and Nordic skiing
Snowboarding
Biathlon
Kayaking
Water skiing
Sailing
Scuba
Surfing
Rafting
Outrigger canoeing
Fishing
Hiking
Golf
Athletics
Archery
Cycling
Running
Wheeling
Rock climbing
Equestrian

There are many ways of getting involved in adapted sports. Find out more here. Play a sport, participate in a special event, or donate your time or money to help adaptive athletes achieve their dreams.

About Council for Disability Awareness

Council for Disability Awareness has written 478 posts in this blog.

The Council for Disability Awareness is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating the American public about the risk and consequences of experiencing an income-interrupting illness or injury. The CDA engages in research, communications, and educational activities that provide information and helpful resources to wage earners, employers, financial advisors, consultants, and others who are concerned about the personal and financial impact a disability can have on wage earners and their families.