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