Recreational wheelchairs play a vital role in enhancing the quality of life for people with mobility challenges. However, obtaining the right wheelchair can be financially challenging. Fortunately, numerous funding options and resources exist to help people acquire these specialized chairs.

4/30/2024 12:00:00 AM

Wheelchair Lacrosse USA (WLUSA) is the governing body of wheelchair lacrosse in the United States. Our mission is to organize, develop, and promote the sport of wheelchair lacrosse and provide opportunities for people with disabilities to live active lifestyles.

2/27/2024 12:00:00 AM

Wheelchair pickleball is on the cusp of the growth that pickleball as a whole has been experiencing over recent years. More and more seated players are showing up at their local courts, and wheelchair pickleball events are beginning to pop up at tournaments across the country.

2/5/2024 12:00:00 AM

During my first semester at Florida State, I was paralyzed in a diving accident which completely severed my spinal cord at the C5 vertebrae. The whole thing is pretty ironic considering I'd been diving for swim meets since my age was still in the single digits.

1/8/2024 12:00:00 AM

If you've ever considered being a little more adventurous but just weren't sure what options you may have as a wheelchair user, the following ideas are just for you. So buckle your seatbelt and get those wheels ready, because you are in for the time of your life!

2/28/2022 12:00:00 AM

After a yearlong delay, all eyes are on the Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer...finally! There is nothing more exciting than rooting for your country or favorite athlete to win a gold medal. And with the Paralympics kicking off on August 24th, we already have some Paralympians who we will be following very closely!

8/16/2021 12:00:00 AM

The American Wheelchair Bowling Association (AWBA) was founded in 1961 by Richard Carlson and 13 other men in wheelchairs who wanted to bowl and would not take "no" for an answer. Over the last 59 years, the AWBA has grown to over 500 members around the country, competing in seven regional tournaments and one National Championship.

4/7/2020 12:00:00 AM

As I got older, being cautious of everything never seemed to work well for me. I found myself getting involved in just about any non-contact sport I could. Three years ago, through an organization I participate in, I was given the opportunity to go on a ski trip to Utah with a few other girls. That was the first time I took a real chance on doing something that seemed very daring for a person with OI.

3/24/2020 12:00:00 AM

Some of the best athletes I know use a wheelchair for everyday mobility and for sport. Getting to know those athletes and their stories of perseverance & overcoming adversity is why I wanted to start this program. Wheelchair Basketball Quinte provides an opportunity for individuals of all physical abilities and exceptionalities to participate in the game of basketball.

8/20/2019 12:00:00 AM

The 2019 United States Power Soccer Association held the national championship tournaments June 15-18 at the Turnstone Center in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. If you've never heard of power soccer, read these two Live Quickie articles, then come on back. I'll wait!

7/30/2019 12:00:00 AM

From a very young age I was competing in sports, starting with competitive skiing at four years old. It's always been a part of me and has always been my biggest passion. Aside from skiing and golfing, which I competed in for 12 years, I also played badminton and basketball in high school. Then of course, there were my other hobbies like mountain biking, hiking, ping pong, squash, and more.

7/16/2019 12:00:00 AM

A relatively new addition to the exciting world of para-sport, the Paratriathlon first entered the Paralympic scene in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016 and is only set to grow as more athletes develop a passion for the sport.

4/12/2019 12:00:00 AM

On January 18, 2019, the All People's Life Center hosted the 2019 Tampa International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. I attended this event for the second year in a row. Through the explosive booms of colliding wheelchairs, I had to navigate the interaction between myself, coworkers, customers, and representatives from different vendors. The action makes it easy to forget that you are representing a company, and that you aren't there to simply spectate.

3/12/2019 12:00:00 AM

One day while browsing Facebook I saw that a martial arts coach who worked with Michael named James Reid had posted an advertisement for an arm wrestling tournament in Syracuse. Due to years of using crutches and various Quickie wheelchairs throughout the years, I have always had very strong arms and felt that I would excel in arm wrestling.

2/5/2019 12:00:00 AM

As easy as it may sound, keeping a balanced life is something I struggle with. Without consciously thinking about it, I tend to overextend myself rather quickly. That overextension develops into stress, which no one really likes. For me, the trick hasn't been eliminating stress completely, but to limit the stress to an amount I can manage.

1/15/2019 12:00:00 AM

Wheelchair basketball is one of the most well-adapted sports, and is also one of the most widespread in the world. It is estimated that there are currently wheelchair basketball leagues and competitions in 75 countries, which gives us a good idea of its degree of social integration and level of competitiveness.

1/1/2019 12:00:00 AM

As I grew older I understood hunting wasn't just about killing. The challenge was not only stalking and shooting your prey, it was about understanding your weapon and following the laws, too. Duck hunting was my particular favorite sport. After my dirt bike accident I was a quadriplegic and thought the sport I loved would no longer be possible. I'm happy to say that is not the case. With a little ingenuity and a lot of stubbornness, I am back in the duck blind.

11/13/2018 12:00:00 AM

I was conspicuously out of my natural element. I was a professional NHRA drag racer by trade. Earned a living by going very, very quickly in a straight line. Now, 28 years after a 250 mph crash cost me an arm and the ability to walk, I shockingly found myself suited up and driving a NASCAR stock car, of all things.

10/16/2018 12:00:00 AM

Football has always been a love of mine. Since before I could walk I was mesmerized by the game. As a young child I dreamed about being an NFL player as I would play pickup games with friends and family. At the age of 12 my dream went out the window when I was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia (FA), a rare neuromuscular disease. The disease is progressive, so not only did I lose my ability to walk over time, I also began to have trouble with my speech and other fine motor skill functions.

10/9/2018 12:00:00 AM

My name is Jason Robinson and I am a 15 year-old Team USA athlete. I never thought that was something I would be able to say as a teenager. My hard work and dedication to wheelchair racing for a good part of my life has led me to fulfilling a dream I have had since first seeing adaptive athletes compete. Little did I know that the countless hours of practice would lead me to Ireland!

8/21/2018 12:00:00 AM

I love sports. Growing up, I would watch just about any sport on TV. When I have the time, I still do. However, like many others who use a power wheelchair, my athletic endeavors were limited to being a spectator, referee, or scorekeeper. The desire to play sports has always been there, but for most of my life, that desire never manifested into anything more.

7/24/2018 12:00:00 AM

Besides improving physical form, playing sports has a positive influence on psychological development and mood, which undoubtedly favors quality of life. This, coupled with the proliferation and formalization of specific associations, federations, and regulations, makes adapted sports more and more attractive among people with disabilities, who can practice them from amateur levels to competitive levels.

7/17/2018 12:00:00 AM

Just two years after competing for Canada in the Rio Paralympic Games, Sunrise Ambassador Liam Hickey of St. John's captures silver in the Paralympic Games, but this time he did it on the ice. The 19 year-old dual-sport athlete has changed his focus from wheelchair basketball to sledge hockey at the Paralympics in Pyeongchang.

3/19/2018 12:00:00 AM

As a Paralympian, I have had the opportunity to travel the world, ski the most beautiful mountains, and connect with some of the most compassionate and brilliant minds on the planet. The journey from Paralympic champion to ADA advocate, however, was not natural for me. It was easy to be a well-liked Paralympian in a ski town, but advocating for local ADA issues was an entirely different matter.

3/13/2018 12:00:00 AM

What kind of competition is this where the game plan is openly discussed for both sides to hear? Shouldn't scoring plans and defensive moves be whispered behind a clipboard like in so many other sports? How is it that players in wheelchairs and those without disabilities compete on the same team? Is this an alternate universe? No, this is the sport of curling, and it is rapidly gaining popularity as competitive and recreational leagues flourish across the country and around the world.

3/6/2018 12:00:00 AM

In the summer of 2003, I was a 13-year-old girl who loved the Backstreet Boys & American Girl dolls and dreamed of traveling the world. I wanted to be a veterinarian, live in New York City, and own a bunch of cats. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd one day compete as an international soccer player. That summer I was introduced to power (wheelchair) soccer at MDA Camp. Of course at the time I had no idea this sport would have any effect on me, much less change my life.

2/20/2018 12:00:00 AM

Two years after I had decided that I was going to be a Paralympian no matter what it took, I got the first opportunity I was looking for. After hours in the gym every day and applying to colleges with wheelchair basketball teams so I could get quality coaching, I earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Illinois and made their team. This was a huge step on the road to Rio.

2/13/2018 12:00:00 AM

It has been 10 years since I was in that motorcycle accident that left me paralyzed from the waist down. I was 18 when that happened, and I had no idea what the future held. But if you were to ask me back then if I thought I would be where I am today: graduated with a Master's degree in social work and about to start working towards my dream job of becoming an Assistive Technology Professional, along with having won a Gold Medal in the Paralympics...I would have said yes. Being the best that I can be, whatever it is that I do, is the driving force inside of me.

2/6/2018 12:00:00 AM

There is no greater feeling of anticipation than sitting in a ready position at the starting line of a dragon boat race. Our paddlers are leaning forward, eyes locked straight ahead, paddles deep in the water waiting for the sound of the air horn to ring through the air. Our steersman is crouched and ready to steer a straight line. Our drummer waits for the signal. "We have alignment! Sterns ready! Attention!"

1/30/2018 12:00:00 AM

I've been fortunate to try quite a few adaptive sports over years, but none have made a larger impact than wheelchair rugby. Rugby is so much more than just a sport to me. Don't get me wrong, there's definitely the typical sport aspects such as conditioning, practicing, training, and the inherent ups and downs of playing a team sport, but there's so much more that I initially didn't realize existed.

1/9/2018 12:00:00 AM

Growing up in a time when the snowboard industry was exploding, surfing became a natural extension of that lifestyle during the summer. However, after my snowboard accident, it looked like my chances of catching that perfect wave were gone. I wasn't going to give up, though. I was determined to get back onto the slopes and into the ocean.

9/19/2017 12:00:00 AM

I competed in wheelchair sports events ranging from basketball to table tennis to track for most of my life. I represented Hong Kong in the 1972 Paralympics and I represented Canada in the 1976, 1980, and 1984 Paralympics, earning silver medals in the table tennis event.

8/22/2017 12:00:00 AM

The biggest thing that helped me regain some normalcy in my life was getting back into hunting, fishing, and the outdoors. Before my accident I was very active in high school sports and the outdoors. When I did have free time I was doing something outdoors. When I had my accident at the age of 15, all of that changed. I did not think I would be able to do what I could before.

7/25/2017 12:00:00 AM

When I was first injured in a car accident at 19 years old and became a T6/7 complete paraplegic, I knew immediately that I had a choice to make. I could either focus on the things that I had lost (chiefly, my ability to walk and play sports - I was a high jumper on the University of Oregon's track team when I got hurt) or I could view the injury as a challenge to overcome and an opportunity to view my place in the world in a different way.

7/18/2017 12:00:00 AM

I have lived in three different cities in Canada, and now I live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Let me tell you about my experiences!

6/13/2017 12:00:00 AM

My name is Shirka Shuriye and I have had the great fortune to champion the Schools Program for Wheelchair Basketball Canada. This program is designed to increase awareness about wheelchair basketball, promote physical activity for youth, and share powerful messages about inclusion in sport and in everyday life.

4/25/2017 12:00:00 AM

Adaptive sports play a vital role in the lives of kids who use wheelchairs. I learned this firsthand growing up with spina bifida and being exposed to numerous adaptive sports opportunities. Now I see it in action every day as the Executive Director of ABLE Youth, a youth wheelchair sports and independence nonprofit in Nashville, Tennessee.

4/11/2017 12:00:00 AM

Growing up in St. John's, Newfoundland I never expected that I would have the privilege of playing for Canada on the international stage in two Paralympic sports: wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey. I always thought that at some point in my life I would have to make the very difficult choice of choosing between my two passions if I was going to make the leap to the National/International level and represent my country at the Paralympic Games.

4/4/2017 12:00:00 AM

Life doesn't always stay on the course you've plotted for yourself. This was a lesson I learned early in my life. Born and raised in the small town of Upton in central Massachusetts, I was steering toward a life as an athlete, earning six varsity letters in baseball and basketball in high school. But an injury my senior year meant I had to give up both sports.

3/21/2017 12:00:00 AM

Nordic skiing, unlike its downhill equivalent, is accessible to far more athletes and areas of the country as it doesn’t require as much snowfall or mountains. All you need are Nordic skis and a trail map.

2/7/2017 12:00:00 AM

How am I going to play sports now? That is the question I was asking myself after my injury at 29 years old. After 26 years of being a recreational athlete, I was afraid of the answer.

1/24/2017 12:00:00 AM