"Everything in high school is based around sports,” says Adam Bashakes, 16, a high school sophomore in Georgia. “Every one of my friends—male and female—plays sports. If you have a problem, you can get rid of it on the playing field. If you are stressed out or frustrated over something, you can figure it out while playing sports.”

Bashakes sounds like any teenager, but his sports are a little different. For the past 6 years he has competed in wheelchair sports rather than traditional sports. He plays indoor wheelchair soccer and power hockey and believes that these activities teach him the same lessons able-bodied teens learn from sports, such as patience, being a good sport, friendship, and teamwork. In addition, sports provide an opportunity to be like his able-bodied peers. “Whatever disability I have, I forget about while playing sports,” he says. “I’m normal—just a regular kid playing sports. Teens with disabilities are playing with their team and focusing on winning. After the game is over, it is back to reality.”

Although much has been written about the benefits of physical education for children and teens with disabilities, in the United States an estimated 95% of these individuals are not actively participating in regular adapted physical education programs. Few even have access to adapted sports that allow them to complete regularly as do their peers who are able-bodied. But the American Association of Adapted Sports™ Programs Inc (AAASP), Pine Lake, Ga, is working to change this with the help of modern medical equipment.

Jean Driscoll (right) teaches an Atlanta child how to operate a wheelchair designed specifically for long fast races, such as the marathons she raced in before retiring.

Sports Matter
There are many mental and physical benefits for disabled children who play sports, says John Rourke, Bashakes’ power wheelchair hockey coach. This year was his inaugural season and he had five teens on his team, the Clayton Cobras. Also an able-bodied hockey coach, Rourke was eager to have the opportunity to coach in this league. “Teens with disabilities need to feel as if they are participating in the community, especially if a brother or sister is actively involved in sports,” he says. “There is a competitive rivalry between the siblings.”

Bashakes has an older brother who plays middle linebacker and has lettered. Because the AAASP and the Georgia High School Association are now working together, Bashakes will be able to get a jacket and letter for wheelchair soccer and power hockey.

Being involved in sports also is important on college applications, Rourke says. And you can not overlook how changing the perceptions of the public on what the disabled can and cannot do improves the self-esteem of disabled young people.

“Often people look at people with disabilities and see them as damaged goods,” says Jean Driscoll, the only person to win the women’s wheelchair Boston Marathon eight times. Although she was born with spina bifida, she was named 25th in the top 100 women athletes of the twentieth century by Sports Illustrated. Today she is retired and serves as the national spokesperson for ASPIRE, an AAASP program.

Driscoll works with young adults and athletes motivating them to dream big and work hard for both mental and physical reasons. “Using a wheelchair doesn’t exempt you from heart disease or high blood pressure,” she says.

HME Makes It Happen
Of course, none of the mental or physical benefits of sports for children and teenagers with disabilities would be possible without the right medical technology to support their activities. In the 1970s, all the chair frames were standard, Driscoll says. “People were modifying old hospital chairs and cutting off the armrests to make them lighter and more sporty,” she says. “In the last 25 years, the chairs have certainly changed.”

“Often people look at people with disabilities and see them as damaged goods,” says Jean Driscoll. An eight-time winner of the Boston Marathon and one of Sports Illustrated’s top 100 women athletes of the twentieth century, Driscoll now works with the American Association of Adapted Sports™ Programs Inc to encourage young disabled people to take up sports.

For example, once racing wheelchairs had to be less than 120 centimeters long and had four wheels instead of three. Athletes and manufacturers eventually realized that with a longer wheel base and without the extra weight of a fourth wheel, the chairs would coast faster. Today a racing chair can weigh as little as 19 to 21 pounds.

Another advancement is that racing wheels are now made of carbon fiber, which is the same light but strong material racing cyclists use for their wheels. In addition, the push rim, which allows the athlete to move the wheel forward without pushing on the tire, is much smaller (13 to 16 inches) on a racing frame than on a standard wheelchair.

“The technology is in the experimental stage as athletes try to change the push rims on their chairs,” Driscoll says. “Some athletes are trying a flat push rim, covered in rubber, that is glued onto a disc wheel.”

Basketball and rugby chairs have also changed. Ten years ago athletes could not have a fifth wheel on their chairs. Today, there is a fifth wheel in the back of the chair to prevent it from tipping over.

Racing gloves are also advancing. Now, racers wear gloves similar to boxing gloves so they can punch the push rim. In the past, these athletes had to use old baseball leather gloves with athletic tape placed over them to try to protect their hands from the beating of the push rim.

“There is a movement under way throughout the United States to provide more sports opportunities to young people with physical disabilities or visual impairments,” says Bev Vaughn, AAASP president and cofounder. “To accommodate this movement, it is crucial that appropriate sports equipment be available to provide the most satisfying competitive experiences for these children. Over the years of putting the AAASP program model to work in Georgia, we have discovered ways to improve existing equipment and have even developed our own. As a part of our national adapted sports awareness campaign, we are working with companies and organizations to find ways to deliver the best possible adapted sports equipment and resources to school systems and community agencies across the country.”

Necessity Inspires Invention
Intrepid coaches and manufacturers are still experimenting and creating new equipment adaptations. Rourke created his own type of hockey stick so his team could play a better game of indoor power hockey by not having to move the stick. He took an extra blade and made a V at the bottom of the stick so the kids could capture the ball in the middle of the V without losing control of the ball. Then he attached the stick to the chair with Velcro straps. “Whatever the chair goes, the stick goes,” Rourke says.

And then there is the issue of middle-of-the-game repairs. Sports with a fair amount of contact, such as power wheelchair hockey, are particularly rough on wheelchairs.

Wheelchairs break down at almost every practice and game, Rourke says. A collision may cause a footrest to break off or a joystick knob to pop off. Armrests can fall off. In a collision, the power button in the back of the chair may even be accidentally switched off.

“[During the past season] kids would bring their chairs over to the bench, and I would look like a NASCAR pit man,” Rourke says. “I would have tools to fix the chair and get the player back into action. Power floor hockey is hard on wheelchairs, and we had to alter the rules to try to reduce the amount of contact.”

Rourke believes that if the January through March season was longer or there were more practices and games (10 practices and six games), most of the parents would have had to replace the chairs. “Some of these chairs were held together with tape and shoelaces,” he says.

Repairs are also a big part of sports for advanced athletes, such as Driscoll. When competing, she had to do constant maintenance on her racing chair. Sometimes the spring that allows the front wheels to stay straight would loosen up and need tightening. Flat tires were a constant problem. Spokes loosen and the wheels would get a little jog they should not have had.

Every year that Driscoll raced, she would visit her manufacturer and purchase a new chair. “Racing chairs never last more than 1 year,” she says. “Each year, I would make changes in the chair. For example, it could be the angle of the seat, getting a longer back strap, ordering a higher back for the chair, or changing the upholstery.”

Get in the Game
In the rough and tumble world of adapted sports, HME providers with expertise in providing sport equipment and repairs can be a tremendous resource. There are opportunities to get involved in AAASP and other adapted sports organizations. AAASP has formed task forces in several states to help get the ball rolling. In addition, a national adapted sports awareness campaign is under way.

People interested in helping to start programs in their communities should contact the AAASP office at (404) 294-0070. AAASP can deliver presentations to community leaders, help with initial needs assessment, and train coaches and physical educators.

Sports and physical fitness are important whether you are an able-bodied individual or an individual with a disability. By getting involved, you can make a difference in a child’s or teenager’s life, AAASP says.

Vicki Gerson is a contributing writer for Dealer/Provider.