Do You Value Sport?                                                             

As we watched the exciting events that occurred over the past couple of weeks, the Paralympic values of courage, determination, inspiration and equality were on display.  The elite athletes that competed on this global stage will no doubt inspire more young athletes to engage in sport.  No matter what level of competition, the benefits of sport participation are immense.  Through sport, children learn important life skills and improve their physical and mental health. Sport taught and played correctly also helps children at a very early age learn the importance of inclusion.

Unfortunately, the value of sport is sometimes lost in the great emphasis placed on winning.  The events that occurred in the Olympic Badminton competition highlighted how the focus on winning can blur the lines of acceptable sportsmanship and cause the Olympic ideals to fall by the wayside.  Even the recent decision by Lance Armstrong to state, “Enough is enough,” in the court battle with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency calls attention to the good and bad of winning that often goes beyond the person and infiltrates the sport.

December 12, 2011

Atlanta, GA - Wheelchair athlete Ben Masters was featured as the Athlete of the Week at a local TV news program. Ben Masters is part of a wheelchair basketball team that is organized by the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP).

View the video feature by clicking here.

AAASP works in partnership with educational agencies in the U.S. to establish programs, policies and regulations in interscholastic adapted sports for students with physical disabilities to enhance educational outcomes.

American Association of Adapted Sports Programs
P.O. Box 451047
Atlanta, GA 31145
404.294.0070
www.adaptedsports.org

The Physical Activity and Sport for People with Disabilities proceedings were created from the Strategic Planning  Meeting held in June at the Access Board, in Washington, DC.  The Proceedings are filled with very targeted ideas on promoting awareness of how important this issue is, advocating for physical activity across the spectrum of disabilities, developing policies that are responsive to the needs of people with disabilities, and creating resources that are helpful for program development.

In the appendix, there is a list of background information documents as well as documents pertaining to the Strategic Planning meeting.  Simply click on the title and the specific document will open for you to read online or download.

Physical Activity and Sport for People with Disabilities: Symposium and Strategic Planning
PROCEEDINGS EDITED BY:
Terri Lakowski, Esq and
Toby Long, PhD, PT, FAPTA
June 21, 2011

Please help to spread the word! Direct anyone you know who may have experience or expertise on how to adapt programs for persons with disabilities to www.24acorns.org. Using the website portal you can submit suggestions for physical, cognitive, or cultural adaptations to any of CDC’s 24 obesity-prevention strategies.

November 7, 2011