| Abstrakt: |
Wheelchair basketball is a sport that can benefit individuals with lower extremity impairment. Benefits include improved and enhanced physical and psychological health along with opportunities for socialization. As a well-recognized and available sport in our communities. Life Care planners should consider wheelchair basketball programs when making recommendations to for adolescents and young adults who are interested in being active. Wheelchair basketball was created as a result of World War II veterans returning to the United States with rehabilitation needs. These men were able-bodied while serving their country but returned in large numbers with frostbite/cold injuries, radiation injuries, paraplegia and/or amputation; conditions that commonly limited their ability to walk (Veterans and Their Needs, n.d.). Veterans were interested in becoming more active while recuperating and sought outlets for improving their lives. Prior to World War II, people commonly died after having a spinal cord injury (SCI) but with the advent of penicillin and sulfa drugs and a better understanding of complications (i.e., urinary tract and skin infections), individuals survived (National Spinal Cord Injury Association [NSCIA], 1995). In order to meet the recreation needs of veterans rehabilitating from their injuries, Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals in California and Massachusetts began conducting the first of its kind wheelchair basketball practices with veterans and their doctors (National Wheelchair Basketball Association, n.d.). Veterans enjoyed the camaraderie of the game which assisted in their mental and physical recovery from the effects of war. Wheelchair basketball facilitated healthy engagement in life while connecting veterans who were supportive of each other. In 1946, a group of veterans with SCI formed the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) which has actively provided and supported sports and other opportunities since its inception. The PVA's motto is: "Together we are unstoppable- celebrating the indomitable spirit of veterans with disabilities" (PVA, 2019). Around the same time period at United Kingdom's Stoke Mandeville Hospital, wheelchair sports (e.g., netball- similar to basketball) were also being developed. By 1949, the National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) and the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament (NWBT) were created to allow competition between clubs and groups. After 11 years of success, wheelchair basketball debuted at the Paralympics in 1969. The boost of having wheelchair basketball as an international sport led to greater popularity and the development of larger numbers of community and collegiate teams in the ensuing years. In 1989, the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) became the governing body for the sport and is currently recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the wheelchair basketball authority (International Wheelchair Basketball Federation, n.d.). Wheelchair basketball is one of the featured sports in the Paralympics and the Invictus Games (a Paralympics-style competitive event for injured and wounded military personnel). Wheelchair basketball is now played in over 75 countries with the same scoring rules as the traditional sport of basketball. The court dimensions, the height of the baskets and the playing rules are also the same. Five team members at any given time play two-twenty minute halves (though women play four-ten minute quarters). This popular game can be found at camps, recreation centers, rehabilitation hospitals, community clubs, YMCAs, VA hospitals and college campuses. Recreational and competitive teams are found across the country for adults and youths. Newly injured people may learn about the game from rehabilitation therapists, but friends and peers with disabilities appear to be more influential in connecting people with disabilities to the sport (Wu & Williams, 2001). People with permanent lower extremity limitations are eligible to play wheelchair basketball and typically have diagnoses such as paraplegia, spina bifida, and lower limb amputations. Player classification has evolved over the last 15 years (Disability Sports Australia, n.d.) and is based on observation of a player's functionality while practicing (e.g., trunk/arm movement, stability while wheelchair is rolling or comes to a quick stop). Players are rated based on motor impairment and the ability to move in various planes while sitting and maneuvering a wheelchair and are classified in a range from 1.0-4.5. After classification, international players are issued a card with their score/modification (classification) for their wheelchair. A team cannot exceed a cumulative total of 14 classification points on the court at any given time. In the interest of inclusion, able-bodied individuals (e.g., classified as a "4.5AB") are permitted to play in some divisions/leagues so long as the team complies with the 14 point maximum, which by definition signifies a wide range of abilities represented. This concept of reverse integration allows for the majority of people with disabilities to be joined by a minority of non-disabled people (Fiorilli et al., 2013). As wheelchair basketball has become more popular and accessible to a wider range of people over the years, it is germane to identify recent trends in intercollegiate sport in the United States. Currently, 17 colleges and universities have competitive wheelchair basketball programs for women and men whereas nearly 50 additional colleges and universities have requested information on how to develop a team (personal communication, Dug Jones, President of Intercollegiate Division of NWBA, April, 2020). Some colleges and universities support other types of adaptive sports opportunities (e.g., tennis, track, etc.). A small number of intercollegiate adaptive sports programs have been funded via legislative appropriation. In other instances, clubs have begun with committed and interested people and evolved into larger university sanctioned programs. A recent development is the inclusion of able-bodied players on intercollegiate wheelchair basketball teams. As can be imagined, this has promoted the game to a larger segment of the college student population and capitalizes on the idea of inclusion- a preferable outcome. Technology has enhanced specialized wheelchairs so they are lighter to maneuver and transport more easily; this can raise the level of competition. In the United States, he National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) and a number of teams are receiving mainstream corporate sponsorship (e.g., Toyota) as opposed to more traditional disability related sponsors like wheelchair manufacturers and prosthetic companies. Gains have been made and will continue to raise the profile of wheelchair basketball within conventional society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
