Adaptive sports and community

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee sport guide says there are 28 sports on the Paralympic program, 23 summer and five winter. A different USOPC page, Getting Started, says 27 sports and 22 summer sports. We are not choosing between those counts. Use the sport guide to read about sports. Use Getting Started for the athlete questionnaire, the club list, and the email ParalympicSport.Info@usopc.org.

Move United says it has 257 member organizations in 45 states and that it serves more than 131,000 youth and adults a year. Those figures are theirs. The site has a finder titled Find a Move United Member Organization Near You. Phone 301-217-0960. Email info@moveunitedsport.org. Address 451 Hungerford Dr., Suite 608, Rockville, MD 20850.

Move United's dance page describes inclusive dance. It says World Para Dance Sport holds championships every two years, and that the last edition it cites was in Genoa in 2023. It names combi, duo, group, and single events, and says electric wheelchairs are allowed if needed.

Dance Mobility, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was created by Cheryl Angelelli and Evan Mountain. It says it is funded by Reimagine Life Foundation, a 501(c)(3). It offers free monthly wheelchair ballroom group lessons, private lessons for a fee, and Para Dance training. It welcomes all ages and disabilities.

A team is not the only kind of community. The National Council on Independent Living keeps a finder for Centers for Independent Living. NAMI can help you find a local mental health affiliate. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 before you look for a group.