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