Syracuse University should have sports that are accessible for people with disabilities. SU says it believes in inclusion programs that include the abled and disabled, and to prove this they need sports that are accessible for people with disabilities. Sports are an activity in life that should be enjoyed by all. The fun, excitement and thrill of competition experienced in sports are feelings like no other experienced in life, as well as the great life lessons learned in the process. All people should be able to experience sports, including people with disabilities. There are sports organizations in place for people with disabilities but only at two universities in the entire country.

People in the community, including SU students, faculty and alumni, can help support the program by funding it and by bringing awareness to other people about sports for people with disabilities so that they can gain support. Greg Callen and Move Along Inc. are in contact with Upstate Medical University Hospital and SU to help spread awareness about athletes with physical disabilities and to gain resources to further expand sports programs for people with disabilities. Move Along is for adults and kids and has sports for people with disabilities (but still includes able-bodied people), including wheelchair basketball, sled hockey and aquatics. According to Callen, Move Along and Syracuse should join together in this campaign to get more information out there on disabled sports and to get more athletes and more support from the community. If the campaign works and it gets more support and, therefore, more funding and more athletes, Syracuse can further justify the creation of disabled sports programs at the university. If Syracuse starts sports programs for people with disabilities, it will be helping many young people with disabilities realize their potential to do and overcome anything. And possibly get someone out of a depressed state of mind and into a jersey to start having fun. That’s the main thing: Sports are about having fun.

Bringing a sports program for people with disabilities would be a wonderful addition to an already fantastic university. It will help support SU’s idea of inclusion and help change the ideas of people in the community about disability. It will give disabled student athletes an opportunity to thrive in competitive sports and learn many life lessons along the way, but most of all have a ton of fun. All it needs to get started is the support and funding from the athletes who attend SU, philanthropists and other alumni, as well as people who are trying to advocate for the concept of sports for people with disabilities, such as Greg Callen and Move Along. SU could have a great program that brings many disabled student athletes to SU from all over the country. Students want the great education that they can receive at SU, as well as to play in a new Division I disabled sports program.

Cory Cumber

Freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences