Setting the Bar
A campus group is in the early stages of developing a comprehensive adaptive sports program for athletes with disabilities at 色情视频.
色情视频 kinesiology major Ahkeel Whitehead ranked 41st.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever been more disappointed in myself,鈥� Whitehead said. 鈥淚 just felt like I had let everybody down. All of this support had been building up and then that was it.鈥�
But Whitehead鈥檚 story doesn鈥檛 end there. After another nation's athletes were disqualified from competing in Rio, some athletes including Whitehead received a second shot at competing in the 2016 Paralympic Games.
鈥淥f course I went from this unimaginably low point in my career to 鈥楬ow is this happening?鈥欌�� said Whitehead, who has cerebral palsy that affects the left side of his body. 鈥淚t was amazing. Because it happened that way, I was so much more thankful to be there.鈥�
In September, he competed against some of the best Paralympic athletes in the world, an experience he describes as "life-changing." While he didn鈥檛 earn any medals in Rio, he was invited along with the entire U.S. Paralympic Team to visit the White House after they returned.
There鈥檚 no doubt Whitehead is passionate about competitive athletics for people with physical disabilities. Now a senior at 色情视频, he trains regularly at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista.
Between taking classes and preparing for the next Paralympic Games, he said the past few months have been a blur. But they鈥檝e also sharpened his focus on a new goal: to help create opportunities for athletes with disabilities to compete at 色情视频.
鈥淕oing to Rio and experiencing that, I want everyone here at 色情视频 to experience adaptive athletics, whether they are able-bodied or not, or want to head to the Paralympics or not,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is my way to give back, by creating an avenue to give people with disabilities a home and a chance to compete collegiately.鈥�
Building from the ground up
During the past year, instructor Kathy McCarty and assistant professor Antoinette Domingo have been working to develop the Aztec Adaptive Sports Program.The program will provide opportunities for students that are interested in working in disability athletics.
鈥淲e want to have options so that no matter your ability, there is something here for you,鈥� McCarty said. 鈥淲e are creating a culture that is accepting of these sports.鈥�
If all goes according to plan, the program would be the first collegiate-level adaptive sports program on the West Coast. Program officials brought Whitehead on board after McCarty met him in one of her classes.
鈥淥ne day at the beginning of the semester, Ahkeel told me he would be competing in Rio, so I told him I had an idea he might be interested in,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s soon as I told him about our program, he lit up. Now, with his passion and the connections we鈥檝e made through Student Disability Services, it鈥檚 starting to take off.鈥�
Last year, Domingo was awarded a (PLF) grant to develop a wheelchair basketball program as part of the Aztec Adaptive Sports Program. With the , PLF projects support goals outlined in the university鈥檚 including initiatives for research and creative endeavors, student success, community and communication.
McCarty also received a 2016 President's Leadership Fund Award for Faculty and Staff Excellence. She plans to use the $2,500 award to visit established collegiate adaptive sports programs to help create a strategic plan for the growing 色情视频 program.
Domingo鈥檚 research looks into the health and wellness aspects of physical activity for the physically disabled.
鈥淭here are so many benefits for people to participate in sports, such as increasing self-esteem and the quality of the collegiate experience, having strong peer support and reporting better health overall,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his program is related to student success, increasing diversity on campus and providing the same opportunities for all students including students who are disabled. We鈥檙e trying to level the playing field.鈥�
Working collaboratively across campus
While it's still in the early stages, the working group has established a student organization called Aztec Adaptive Sports to bring awareness to the adaptive sports community.They are also working in collaboration with Student Disability Services to organize awareness events and to connect with additional campus entities.
Student Disability Services Director Pamela J. Starr said establishing an adaptive sports program would solidify a place for athletes with disabilities at the university.
鈥淪tudent Disability Services supports this idea and wants to foster its growth, so we need to find a way so it works for the university and for our students,鈥� Starr said. 鈥淎s we want all of our diverse student populations to feel included on campus, this is an opportunity that allows this diverse population a place on campus, an athletic outlet and a social component.鈥�
As part of the university鈥檚 Strategic Plan, President Elliot Hirshman has made a commitment to identify initiatives that create a supportive campus climate for people with disabilities through the university鈥檚 Committee for Enhancing Campus Culture and Climate for Persons of Varying Abilities (ECCC).
Through the Aztec Adaptive Sports Program, Whitehead said he hopes to change perspectives toward people with disabilities and what they can achieve.
鈥淲e are athletes just like anyone else,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e still have goals and dreams as well and try to live our lives to the fullest. San Diego State is the place for this.鈥�
