Today we’d like to introduce you to Beverly Vaughn.
AAASP was founded in Atlanta following the 1996 Paralympic Games to assist schools in meeting the demands of parents seeking access to athletic participation at school for their child with a physical disability. Bev Vaughn and Tommie Storms founded the organization. AAASP provides extracurricular interscholastic adapted sports programs for physically disabled children attending grades 1 through 12 to improve their wellbeing while positively influencing total student development. Since incorporating as a non-profit organization, in the state of Georgia alone, AAASP has held over 1700 interscholastic (school-based) athletic competitions in seven adapted sports, has surpassed a participation rate of 5600 students, while serving over 40 varying physical disability types and provided resources to schools totaling more than 1.2 million dollars in equipment, wheelchairs, training manuals, videos and teaching guides as well as offsetting transportation costs.
Since 2001, AAASP has been working in partnership with the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) through a dual governing alliance affording children with physical disabilities the experience, benefits and satisfaction of competitive school-based sport, on a par equal to their non-disabled peers.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The primary challenges have involved four key areas which include, lack of awareness, confusion about programs, location of eligible students, and creating inclusive programs.
Students with physical disabilities may be unaware they can take part in school sports. Additionally, educators are likely to discover that these students, regardless of their age or grade level, have never taken part in school sports or any sport for that matter.
There may also be a lack of awareness regarding the difference in sport offerings for students with intellectual disabilities and those with physical disabilities. Many believe Special Olympics and Unified Sports serve individuals with all types of disabilities. However, this is not the case. Under the Special Olympics eligibility rule, persons, whose functional limitations are based solely on a physical, behavioral, or emotional disability, or a specific learning or sensory disability, are not eligible to participate as Special Olympics athletes.
Students with physical disabilities may be enrolled in schools across the district. Educators may only see one student with a physical disability in their school and draw the conclusion that there are not enough students to form a team. However, it is possible and reasonable to form adapted sports teams utilizing a district-wide approach.
Schools and states are expanding their view and methods of providing appropriate and equal opportunities in extracurricular athletics for students with physical disabilities, by including adapted team sports as part of the school district’s extracurricular athletic offerings. This takes resources and the commitment by local educational agencies to provide these inclusive programs.
Please tell us about American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP).
The American Association of Adapted Sports Programs (AAASP) represents a standardized approach to interscholastic sports programming for students with physical disabilities. It’s a not-for-profit association dedicated to developing adapted interscholastic sport programs in partnership with national, state, and local educational agencies
In Georgia, AAASP serves in a dual governing alliance with the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) to provides extra-curricular interscholastic adapted athletic programs for physically disabled children attending grades 1 through 12 to improve their well-being while positively influencing total student development.
Membership in the Association is available to individual schools serving a reasonable number of students with qualifying disabilities. However, AAASP is comprised primarily of school district members, whereby all students and schools within it are provided access to programming while simultaneously compiling with federal guidelines for inclusion in athletics. District membership cast the widest possible net of opportunity while reducing costs through shared resources and responsibility.
Additionally, AAASP provides an organizational structure and leadership to facilitate statewide competition in adapted sports while offering coaches, official training, and technical expertise in all program areas. Participating school districts have access to interscholastic adapted athletic programs including wheelchair team handball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair football and wheelchair track & field.
AAASP is the only athletic association in the United States whose members are comprised solely of schools and state high school associations cooperating in the implementation, administration and development of sustainable education-based adapted sports programs.
We are partnering with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) to expand opportunities for students with physical disabilities in adapted team sports.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I remember competing in school sports and the feeling of being on a team…every kid should be afforded that same opportunity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.adaptedsports.org
- Phone: 404-294-0070
- Email: sports@adaptedsports.org
- Facebook: American Association of Adapted Sports Programs
- Twitter: Adapted Sports @AdaptedSports
Image Credit:
Cindy Brown Photography
