Essentials for Adaptive and Para Athletes

The number of people globally who live with a disability continues to increase rapidly, encompassing over 15% of the world population across the life cycle. Adaptive (any sport that is modified for a person with a disability) and Para sports (sports for individuals with a physical, visual, or intellectual impairment including Paralympics) significantly enhance independence, socialization, inclusion, teamwork, physical activity, and empowerment among individuals with all types of disabilities while promoting positive change in attitudes towards those with disabilities. Historical sports participation for individuals with disabilities started as a grassroots level with the deaf sports clubs in 1888, the first International Silent Games in 1924, and the first Stoke Mandeville Games in 1948. Today, the Special Olympics (started in 1962) have over 4.4 million athletes from 170 countries participate in 32 sports and 70,000 international Special Olympics events annually. The Paralympics governs primarily elite level sports for athletes with mobility impairments but also has some sports inclusive of athletes with visual impairments, and three sports that are inclusive of athletes with intellectual impairment. The Deaflympics is an international sporting movement that focuses on athletes with deafness, while the International Blind Sports Federation supports athletes in sport who are blind or have visual impairments. This book provides background information on the history, a look at current issues, and suggestions for improving access while explaining the classification system, specialized equipment used, common injuries encountered, and various adaptive and Para sports from eligible classification to the rules. This book sheds light on adaptive and Para sport opportunities for individuals with disability, coaches, staff, family members, healthcare providers, and interested laypersons. Read more