Intercollegiate Sports and the Disabled Athlete

The University of Alabama Adapted Athletics program has competitive men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball teams and a coed tennis team, which are housed in the university’s College of Education.Several colleges and universities around the U.S. have developed athletic programs for disabled athletes. These not only create a greater sense of belonging for all disabled students on campus, but also serve as inspiration and motivation for their local communities. Adaptive or adapted athletics are sports and facilities adapted to accommodate various disabilities.

All those involved in adaptive athletics interviewed for this article note that involvement in sports increases self-esteem and enhances quality of life. One of the most established programs, the University of Alabama Adapted Athletics (UAAA) program was founded in 2003 with women’s wheelchair basketball. In 2018, UAAA opened the Stran-Hardin Arena, a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art facility for adapted athletes. It includes a training room with high performance training equipment. The Parker-Haun Tennis Facility for adapted student-athletes opened in 2021.

“We bring a unique and diverse sport to the university,” says Kellcie Temple, UAAA marketing director. “Our main goal is to give the same opportunities to our athletes that the rest of the athletes have. We strive to do that every day. … We have a really cool opportunity to give these athletes the ability to sweat and be physically active.”

Research

In July, the University of Houston (UH) played host to the U.S. Tennis Association/International Tennis Federation Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp for young players ages 11-18 from around the world. The university’s adaptive athletics program oversaw the camp’s day-to-day activities.

UH’s Adaptive Athletics, established in 2013, is committed to creating opportunities for people with disabilities. In addition to sports offerings, UH’s Adaptive Athletics also functions as a research laboratory and an academic course within the department of health and human performance. The research of Dr. Michael Cottingham, associate professor at UH and director of adaptive athletics, focuses on disability sports, how society sees disabilities and how access improves quality of life issues. Students in his course run events, such as the tennis camp, which is educational for them.

Cottingham says universities may hesitate to invest funds in an adaptive program that serves only 12 or so students but adding in a research component and recruitment potential makes it more viable.