Challenge Magazine Summer 2007

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Celebrating 40 Years of Progress, and
We’re Just Getting Started! 
 
At Disabled Sports USA, we are celebrating 40 years of promoting health and independence through sports. Through the efforts of many professionals and volunteers, adaptive sports programs with trained instructors and adaptive equipment have evolved and become available to an ever-expanding number of communities nationwide.

During our organization’s early years and initial stages of development, we focused on building up our chapter network and winter sports opportunities. The results are now evident with more than 90 DS/USA chapters operating in 36 states. Our chapters in every region of the country offer adaptive alpine and Nordic skiing, and snowboarding from beginner to experts racing in World Cup level races.

Innovations in adaptive equipment have enabled quadriplegics, visually impaired, triple amputees and others with severe disabilities to excel at the sport of skiing. Professional bodies, such as the Professional Ski Instructors of America, offer instructor certification in adaptive skiing in every region of the USA, further expanding program availability.

As we reflect on and celebrate our accomplishments, we also focus on the needs for the future in furthering development and expansion of summer programs. Our goal is to have summer programs available in every region of the country, so a greater number of people with disabilities can enjoy an outdoor recreation experience close to their homes.

This year, with the generous support of our newest National Corporate Partner, American International Group, Inc. (AIG), we have been able to expand additional summer programming support to further this goal.

During the 2007 AIG SummerFest Tour, DS/USA provided grants to 14 chapters in California, Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, offering 17 regional events and five summer long programs, many of which included instructor adaptive training.

More than 1,000 participants enjoyed water skiing, sailing, kayaking/canoeing, rowing, scuba, fishing, cycling, and tennis, as well as a host of competitive events at the Endeavor Games.

To reach our goal, we will need to focus on supporting the three pillars of successful adaptive summer sports programs: facility accessibility, trained adaptive instructors and adaptive sports equipment. With all three in place, we can teach the basics of almost ANY sport in ONE DAY.

With the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other federal and state accessibility laws in place, the first pillar, “facility accessibility” has expanded successfully around the country. The other two pillars, what I call “program accessibility” involve training instructors in adaptations and purchasing adaptive equipment that will ensure a successful experience for the participant with a disability. Here, much still needs to be done.

Trained instructors and equipment such as sit water skis and wakeboards, hand cycles, boom bars, rock climbing pulley systems, and outriggers; adaptive prosthetics for golf, climbing, cycling, running and hiking; sport wheelchairs, and much more will provide “program accessibility” and enable more participants to achieve proficiency in sports quickly and safely.

In the next 40 years, our focus will be summer “program accessibility” so people of all abilities can enjoy their sport of choice.
 
 
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Kirk Bauer, J.D.
Executive Director