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How Athletes with Disabilities Are Changing the Game With Adaptive Sports
By East End Taste Editors
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February 26, 2025
Sports have long been a reflection of human resilience and determination. In recent decades, athletes with disabilities have been pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. According to NFHS data, there were 7,689 disabled people playing adapted sports across 14 US states in 2022.
Adapted sports is one of the key programs the US government runs for students with disabilities. Unified Sports and Allied Sports are the other two programs in which students can participate.
In this article, we will look at how disabled athletes are encouraging more people to participate in sports.
The Evolution of Adaptive Sports
From Paralympic champions to local adaptive sports programs, physically challenged people are proving that disability is not a limitation. Instead, it is an opportunity to redefine competition. In the Paris Paralympics competition last year, around 225 athletes proudly represented the USA. Prior to that, the US Paralympic team won a total of 104 medals in Tokyo in 2020 and finished in third place.
One of the most significant aspects of this movement is the development of specialized equipment and training techniques. They allow athletes to perform at elite levels. [...]