Member May: Building a Collegiate Adaptive Sports Program-Session Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The Member May session featured a panel discussion with leaders from adaptive collegiate sports programs at the University of Cincinnati, University of Alabama, and University of Michigan, sharing insights on building and sustaining adaptive sports initiatives. Dr. Victoria Heasley described starting Cincinnati’s program from scratch, leveraging existing community foundations, partnerships within the university (athletics, student affairs, accessibility), and hiring former Paralympians to build sports teams, initially focusing on individual sports like wheelchair tennis and track and field, with plans for wheelchair basketball. Dr. Margaret Strand from Alabama detailed their longer history since 2003, initially starting with women's wheelchair basketball due to familiarity, then expanding to men's basketball, tennis, and paratrack. Alabama’s growth included building dedicated facilities and emphasizing research and education, including new academic certificates in Paralympic sport. Christopher Kelly from Michigan shared how a program launched in 2018 rapidly expanded through student involvement, full-time staffing, and partnerships with various university units to support competitive and recreational adaptive sports, school outreach initiatives, and research collaborations. Panelists discussed challenges such as securing facility space and funding, emphasizing the need to start small and sustainable while tailoring approaches to institutional culture. They highlighted opportunities in adaptive sports research focusing on injury surveillance, concussion protocols, recovery, and equipment design, underscoring the importance of collaboration and consortiums. Funding sources include internal grants, university funding, philanthropic gifts, vocational rehab, corporate sponsorships, and NIL opportunities. They expressed that adaptive sports profoundly transform campus culture by fostering inclusion, raising awareness, and empowering student-athletes with disabilities, creating supportive communities and enhancing quality of life. The session concluded with an invitation for ongoing dialogue and collaboration among attendees on adaptive sports program development and research.

Keywords

adaptive collegiate sports

University of Cincinnati

University of Alabama

University of Michigan

wheelchair basketball

Paralympic sport education

adaptive sports research

facility and funding challenges

student-athlete inclusion

collaborative partnerships

adaptive sports program development