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