Ali Adaptive Sports Lifts Up Those With Disabilities Physically And Emotionally
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y.: Adaptive Sports hosted their first Inclusion Walk in Middletown early this month celebrating the thirty-year anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act.
All members of the community joined the organization's physically disabled athletes for a day of socialization, recreation, and fitness. The group navigated Middetown's Davidge Park, one of Middletown Park and Recreation's 13 parks, which has a handicapped-accessible trail that goes through the forest and around a lake.
Faiz Ali is the Executive Director of Ali Adaptive Sports. Through sports, Faiz has turned his life around after suffering from losing his leg. After overcoming the mental and physical pain, Faiz has gone on to win 3 National Championships in The National Wheelchair Basketball Association.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are nearly 2 million amputees living in the U.S., and more than 500 Americans lose a limb each day. People tend to negatively stigmatize those who are disabled. The emotional impact on amputees is crippling, further diminishing their feelings of self-worth.
Recovery following an amputation is long and physically painful. Through sports, amputees find engaging in competitive play helps to adapt to the disability. Competitive play stokes the fires of self-esteem. Nothing cures you socially and emotionally like playing a great game. Your self-worth is strengthened having overcome. Meeting challenging obstacles and progressively getting stronger and better in body and mind.
"We have another Inclusion Walk scheduled for the fall. Sponsors are needed to 'Adopt an Athlete' to give them the skills to overcome the challenges of being disabled. We are actively recruiting disabled athletes to join us in our mission to give amputees the strength to life, a full with meaning and purpose." -- Faiz Ali, Executive Director of Ali Adaptive Sports.
Faiz attributes his successes in life and as an athlete to the positive transformational impact that adaptive sports had on his life.
