Start A Team
The Ohio Interscholastic Wheelchair Basketball League provides students with physical disabilities the chance to play school sports. Through the free resources Adaptive Sports Ohio provides, the addition of a wheelchair basketball team requires minimal time and a tiny financial investment, yet it will have a significant positive impact on your student-athletes, schools, and community.
Administrators
As the lead on this initiative, Adaptive Sports Ohio provides the following to school districts at no cost to ensure the program is successful:
- Management, implementation and coaching of teams as needed by the school district.
- In-depth training to the district coach.
- Organization of the season schedule.
- Assistance to the athletic director for arranging home games.
- Specialized sport wheelchairs ($5,000 each) and a 6×12 enclosed trailer for transporting the chairs to competitions as needed.
- Ongoing equipment maintenance and repair.
- Quick access to staff support throughout the season.
- Rule implementation and league oversight.
- Track and record team and player statistics.
- Fund and host the annual playoffs and state wheelchair basketball championship.
Adaptive Sports Ohio is willing to meet with your administration to discuss implementing this program in your school district. Support and training is provided.
Students and Parents
If you are a student with a physical disability, or know a student with a physical disability who is interested in interscholastic wheelchair basketball, please contact Adaptive Sports Ohio at
OIAS@AdaptiveSportsOhio.org. Adaptive Sports Ohio will work with your school district to help get the process started.
Students with physical disabilities deserve the same opportunities to benefit from schools sports as their non-disabled peers. As part of the league, students with disabilities can:
- Wear their school’s colors with pride
- Build friendships and team camaraderie
- Ride the bus with teammates
- Earn recognition and awards, including senior night, varsity letters, and All-Ohio
- Attempt a playoff berth and a chance to win the state championship
- Have an opportunity to obtain a collegiate wheelchair basketball scholarship
Reaching out to your school district's athletic director, superintendent, and special education director is also an important step. Advocacy within the school district is crucial to building support and launching an interscholastic wheelchair basketball team.
