Adaptive Sports and Inclusive Recreation Initiative (ASIRI) at U-M aims to increase awareness of and participation in adaptive sports and inclusive recreation
Video by Jo Mathis/AAPS District News
Slauson and STEAM middle schoolers enjoyed a fun-filled field trip of adaptive sports on Tuesday as the University of Michigan Adaptive Sports & Fitness coaches and adaptive athletes hosted ASIRI Day at U-M’s Intramural Sports Building.
U-M ASF coaches and adaptive athletes worked with the AAPS students at the Intramural Sports Building, helping them play and compete in a series of games of wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and goalball.
The 18 students’ high energy and engagement levels were palpable throughout the day, said Kristin Stoops, AAPS 6-12 PE/Health District Department Chair and Slauson Middle School PE/Health teacher. The students loved ASIRI Day, she added.
“I hope students take home the topic of adaptive sports to discuss with their families and friends,” said Stoops. “I hope students have a greater understanding of adaptive sports, how adaptive sports are for everyone, and how disability is NOT inability. This greater understanding will bring more acceptance, awareness, and access for everyone—people with and without disabilities—to be physically active.”
Adaptive sports, also known as para sports, are competitive or recreational sports designed for people with and without disabilities. They involve modifications of rules or equipment that allow for equitable participation in sport. Some adaptive sports are variations of existing able-bodied sports that run parallel to those activities, such as wheelchair basketball, which is adapted from traditional basketball. Others were specifically designed for persons with a disability and do not have able-bodied equivalent activities, with goalball being a prime example of such a sport.
ASIRI Day provides students with an opportunity to build on the skills and play the adaptive sports they learned earlier in the year in a dynamic and fun environment. It allows them to socialize and participate in adaptive sports with students from another school.
These adaptive sports teach the same individual and team skills that other sports do and can be enjoyed by everyone. Whether pursued leisurely, recreationally, or competitively, adaptive sports create inclusive opportunities for all participants.
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