According to government figures over 100,000 Iowa residents under the age of 64 have some form of physical disability. According to USA Paralympics, less than 10% of people with a physical disability participate in daily physical activity. Over one-third (35.6%) of Iowa’s physically disabled population reports being in fair to poor health compared with only 5.9% of Iowan’s living without a physical disability. We all know the positive correlation between exercise and quality of life. It ... Read More
According to government figures over 100,000 Iowa residents under the age of 64 have some form of physical disability. According to USA Paralympics, less than 10% of people with a physical disability participate in daily physical activity. Over one-third (35.6%) of Iowa’s physically disabled population reports being in fair to poor health compared with only 5.9% of Iowan’s living without a physical disability. We all know the positive correlation between exercise and quality of life. It is because of all these statistics that the Iowa Sports Foundation has founded Adaptive Sports Iowa.
Adaptive Sports Iowa was officially launched on March 8, 2011, at the Adaptive Sports Iowa Summit. The summit brought together leaders and advocates of individuals with disabilities. Since 2011, Adaptive Sports Iowa has acquired equipment and provided opportunities for all physical disabilities. Programs offered since its inception have included:
Adaptive Sports & Recreation Summit
Adult Wheelchair Basketball
Youth Iowa Grizzlies Wheelchair Basketball presented by GreenState Credit Union
Beep Baseball
Cycling Team presented by Iowa Farm Bureau
Goalball
Iowa Games
Sled Hockey
Track & Field
Veteran Airgun
Wheelchair Tennis
Winter Ski Experience
Adaptive Sports Iowa and the Ames Convention and Visitors Bureau have hosted four national events: the 2012 & 2016 National Beep Baseball World Series, 2014 National Junior Disability Championships, and the 2014 National Goalball Championships.
ASI manages and supports the only recognized adaptive RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) Team. ASI provides ADA lodging and rider support for the seven-day ride across Iowa.
Iowa was the first state in the nation to offer wheelchair events at the State High School Track & Field Championships. Since ASI began in 2011, the number of participants at the state meet has more than doubled due to the equipment loaner program offered by Adaptive Sports Iowa. In 2021, the first ever high school wheelchair event was offered at the Drake Relays in partnership with Adaptive Sports Iowa. For the first time, adaptive track athletes were able to compete in front of an audience of thousands of spectators, college and professional athletes.
Annually, ASI hosts “Adaptive Sports on the Grand Concourse” at the Iowa State Fair. This event provided a platform to promote ASI and allows the opportunity for Iowans to see and try various adaptive sports equipment.
ASI is a program of the Iowa Sports Foundation (ISF) which was founded in 1986 as a 501(c)3 non-profit entity. The Iowa Sports Foundation’s mission is to provide sports, recreation, health, and wellness opportunities for Iowans of all abilities.
In addition to ASI, the ISF is comprised of the Iowa Games, Live Healthy Iowa, Iowa Senior Games, and the Iowa Corporate Games.
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