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A recent segment on WBEZ-FM, Chicago’s NPR affiliate, highlighted Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s thriving adaptive sports program — Chicago’s most comprehensive, which offers year-round competitive and recreational sports opportunities for youth and adults living with a physical impairment.
Dylan Sams, CTRS, sports coordinator, joined WBEZ host Sasha-Ann Simons for a panel discussion about ways Chicago is making sports more accessible. Jorge Alfaro, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab peer mentor and a wheelchair basketball coach, and Larry Labiak, disability policy officer with the Chicago Park District, also participated in the conversation.
Throughout the segment, the panel discussed the numerous benefits adaptive sports offers athletes — from building physical strength, endurance and coordination to enhancing social skills, and fostering team building and camaraderie among those with different abilities.
Dylan works with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s adaptive swimming program for kids, which is designed to help beginning swimmers build their skills, become independent in the water and, for many, progress to competing in adaptive swim meets.
Recently, Dylan and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s junior swim team traveled to Grand Rapids, Mich., to compete in the Hartford Nationals — the largest and longest-running national sport championship for athletes with a physical, visual or cognitive impairment.
One of the swimmers competing for Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s team is 14-year-old Isa V., who has spina bifida, a lifelong neurological condition that affects the spine and is usually apparent at birth. In a pre-recorded portion of the segment, Isa talked about her introduction to the world of adaptive swimming.
“When I first started swimming, I was feeling nervous and also scared because I was overthinking,” said Isa. “Now, I’m going to nationals, which is a big thing, so I can really see that I’ve improved a lot.”
Dylan shared how rewarding it is to see young adaptive athletes like Isa improve over time.
“They work super hard, and it’s awesome seeing where they start at the beginning of the season and how much they progress,” said Dylan.
In addition to adaptive swimming, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab offers other adaptive sports including archery, boccia, golf, hand cycling, rock climbing, scuba, sled hockey and wheelchair softball, basketball and rugby.
Learn more about adaptive sports at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and listen to the full segment on WBEZ.
