Wilma Rudolph, who overcame polio early in life to become a triple Olympic medalist, once suggested: “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion. The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”
You may be among the millions of people across the nation who shared the dreams and aspirations of over 500 athletes with disabilities who took part in the 27th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Milwaukee a few months ago.
The annual five-day wheelchair sporting event is the largest of its kind in the world. But the National Veterans Wheelchair Games is set apart by more than its size; every athlete who competes in these Games has served our country in the armed forces.
Wheelchair sports are more critically important now than they have ever been, as our service members return home from Iraq and Afghanistan with life-changing injuries. For any soldier, the transition from the military to civilian life can be a difficult one. Returning veterans have to reconnect with a life they’ve left behind for months, sometimes years. Some veterans, however, have more to adjust to than others. Veterans who have been paralyzed or sustained other severe injuries due to injury must not only adapt to civilian life but also to life in using a wheelchair for mobility.
Fortunately, the Department of Veteran Affairs provides comprehensivethe care and treatment for veterans with spinal cord injuries and diseases has improved in recent years, and with proper rehabilitation, those who have been injured can continue to lead full lives. And, for many veterans, a critical part of rehabilitation is getting active again, returning to familiar activities and exploring new ones.
Sports and recreation have incalculable benefits for injured veterans. There are the obvious benefits of exercise: physical and mental health, improved coordination, and teamwork skills. But for the newly injured, sports and recreation are also a crucial reminders that their injury does not hold them back. Through wheelchair sports and recreation, athletes with disabilities can break down the barriers — physical and psychological — to leading a full life.
Sports and recreation activities are an invaluable resource for continued therapy and rehabilitation, and should be available to anyone and everyone who needs them. Regrettably, wheelchair sports and recreational activities do not always receive the same funding, support, notoriety, media attention or public support as sports programs for the able-bodied. Because of this, many who need the therapy that wheelchair sports and recreation activities provide are not aware that these programs exist and are/or available to them.
For all these reasons Paralyzed Veterans of America (Paralyzed Veterans) has partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to support the Games for the past 22 years. Paralyzed Veterans, a congressionally chartered nonprofit organization founded in 1946, is committed to serving the needs of injured veterans and maximizing their quality of life. Veterans’ continuing success and happiness is as important as their initial recovery, and wheelchair sports and recreation activities are one of the best venues available for long-term health.
Paralyzed Veterans’ Sports and Recreation program is dedicated to expanding opportunities in wheelchair sports and recreation activities, especially those that enhance lifetime health and fitness. In addition to organizing, coordinating and promoting wheelchair sports and recreational activities, the Sports and Recreation program advocates for accessible athletic facilities and the inclusion of wheelchair athletes in existing competitions and recreational programs. The National Veterans Wheelchair Games is only one of many events that the Sports and Recreation program organizes.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a cabinet level member of the United States Government, provides a comprehensive system of benefits and services to America’s veterans. In addition to a wide range of compensation, health care and memorial benefits, VA sponsors four annual rehabilitation special events each year to continue veterans’ care and treatment, including the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Each program promotes the healing of body and spirit, while motivating eligible veterans and all who observe them, to reach their full potential, improve independence, achieve a healthy lifestyle and a better quality of life.
So, if you have been inspired by the accomplishments of the athletes at the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, you should know that it doesn’t have to end there. Please continue the conversation about wheelchair sports in your hometown and encourage others to get involved. Talk to your friends and neighbors about the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. If you know a veteran who uses a wheelchair, tell them about the Games—they many want to take participate. Then get ready for the 28th National Veterans Wheelchair Games in Omaha next year!
You will be inspired.
