From August 10th to August 17th, nine European countries were represented in the first international competition forathletes with a disability. The competition took place in Paris, France.

Wheelchair basketball was introduced as a form of rehabilitation for people who served in World War II. Around the same time, Sir Ludwig Guttmann came up with wheelchair netball, a similar sport game, at the Spinal Rehabilitation Hospital in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain. Over time, the leadership from the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA) and their networking efforts helped to grow the sport of wheelchair basketball, internationally. Stan Labanowich, as National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) Commissioner, was also on the NWAA Executive Board. He provided much liaison networking that positively affected disabled athletes as a whole.

The PVA was founded by service members with spinal cord injuries as an organization to empower and advocate for the men and women who served. Members of the PVA played a major role in the leading and funding of the NWAA, including helping to create the organization as well.

On July 29th, neurosurgeon, Sir Ludwig Guttman, founder of the Spinal Injury Center in Stoke Mandeville, England, organized a competition held for 16 veterans in wheelchairs in the sport of archery. The games were named after the nearby hospital. Inspired by the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England, the Stoke Mandeville Games ultimately led to the foundation for the Paralympic Games.

In 1948, the University of Illinois at Galesburg began a highly specialized program in competitive sports, which they coined, the “U of Illinois Gizz Kids.” Professor Timothy J. Nugent was a catalyst in this push for wheelchair sports. He is known worldwide as the founder of the NWBA, the famous Gizz Kids wheelchair basketball team, and the Ms. Kids, the first women’s team.

The inception of Adaptive Sports USA was in 1956 with committee work that led to the 1974 incorporation of the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA). Founded as the NWAA through the National Wheelchair Athletic Committee, the initial impetus grew out of the interests of athletes with a disability, many of whom were veterans of World War II. This was the beginning of an organization that became a leader in “promoting active, healthy lifestyles through recreational and competitive sport for individuals with a physical disability.” A number of influential individuals were members of the BRAIN Trust, which developed and created the NWAA. A few honorable mentions include Ben Lipton, Anne Lipton, the Bulova Watch Company and the Bulova School of Watchmaking, Sy Bloom, Charlie Ryder, Alonza Wilkins, and General Omar Bradley. These individuals also comprised the U.S. Teams’ leadership and administration well into the late 1970s.

Due to the success of the Stoke Mandeville Games, the ISMGC was founded to propel the Games forward and led to the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy.

Created by the NWAA, the National Wheelchair Games were introduced by the Bulova School of Watchmaking in cooperation with the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Adelphi College and were hosted for the first time in the summer of 1957 at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. Following the pattern set by Dr. Ludwig Gutmann, the games were planned to provide a variety of competitive sports for those with disabilities.

National Wheelchair Games were moved to Bulova Park in Jackson Heights, NY and remained there through 1973.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

Due to the growing number of disabled veterans returning from war, 20th century wars sparked the rise in disability rights movements. The push for civil rights and disability rights around the world gained momentum in the 1960’s.

From September 18th to the 25th, 1960, the first Paralympic Games were held in Rome, Italy. At the Games, 400 athletes represented 23 different countries, including the U.S. The National Wheelchair Athletic Committee fielded the team representing the U.S. led by Team Leader, Ben Lipton.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

The committee established rules and regulations which governed wheelchair sports in the U.S. excluding those formed by the NWBA. Additionally, the committee recorded and maintained wheelchair athletic records, the selection of teams, the section of sites for future events and was a resource for consultation and advice around the country as it related to wheelchair sports.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

The International Sports Organization for the Disabled (ISOD) was founded to make competitive sport more inclusive. There were more people than known with visual impairments, amputations, and other disabilities who wanted to compete in sports – this was the driving force behind the ISOD. The ISOD fought hard for inclusion of visually impaired and athletes with amputations.

The NWAA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games held in summer of 1964 in Tokyo, Japan.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

NASA was founded with three chapters. Was renamed to National Handicapped Sports and Recreation (NHSRA) and provided additional movement for adaptive sports.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

On July 20th, one thousand athletes with intellectual disabilities gathered together from the United States and Canada. The games took place in Chicago, Illinois. Recognized by the International Olympic Committee today, this movement continues to bring people together from 170 countries.

The NWAA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games held in summer of 1968 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The ABA of 1968 required that all federally funded facilities and buildings be made accessible, and if not, renovations be made so with federal funding. This was the first measure by Congress to ensure accessibility to buildings for people with disabilities.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

Operated by the Tri-State Wheelchair Athletic Association, a NWAA chapter member.

The NWAA Hall of Fame was established in 1970 with Sy Bloom as the first Chair of the Committee, followed by Al Youakim in 1974, and Cliff Crase from 1976-2004. Since the creation of the Hall of Fame, dozens of influential athletes and contributors have been inducted and continue to make an impact locally, nationally, and internationally.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

The NWAA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games held in summer of 1972 in Heidelberg, Germany.

The ISMGC transformed into the ISMGF to better govern disabled sports and to pioneer the growing interest in national organizations and competitions.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was signed in the U.S. on September 26, 1973. This document was one of the first federal rights law in U.S. that prohibited discrimination based on disability. Failure to enforce early versions of the legislation led to protests. One protest was the “504 Sit-In.” During this protest, activists with disabilities conducted a sit-in at federal buildings. Section 504 provided the framework for what would become the Americans with Disabilities Act.

National Wheelchair Games held in Jackson Heights, NY

On February 26, under section 402, for the not-for-profit corporation law of the State of New York by Chairman Benjamin H. Lipton and Secretary Edward L McLean for the National Wheelchair Athletic Association, Inc.

Cliff and Nancy Crase founded the Sports N Spokes publication. Since 1975, Sports and Spokes has been the premier magazine for wheelchair sports and recreation and has been a catalyst for promoting adaptive sports opportunities and awareness.

The NWAA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games held in summer of 1976 in Toronto, Canada. Blind and amputee athletes were also included in the Toronto Paralympic Games.

Operated by the Dixie Wheelchair Athletic Association, a NWAA chapter member.

In 1977, 7 athletes were entered into the wheelchair division of the race. One honorable mention is Bob Hall. Bob Hall opened up the opportunity for wheelchair athletes to compete in the Boston Marathon by unofficially completing the race two years prior. He made an incredible impact on many other marathons, both nationally and internationally. The committee organizing this participation was a committee of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association and was chaired by Paul DePace.

On November 21st, the International Charter of Physical Education and Sport (UNESCO) declared that sport is a fundamental right. UNESCO claimed that access to physical education and sport is a right that should be guaranteed for all human beings.

The Act provided National Governing Bodies for each Olympic sport and provided important legal protection for individual athletes.

The late 1970’s commenced the start of Wheelchair Road Racing throughout the country. This sport integrated races with non-disabled runners, leading to an environment of inclusion for races to come. Disabled athletes were finally beginning to receive the recognition and respect that they deserve. A prime example is Marty Ball. Marty was a long-time athlete and leader in wheelchair road racing. He was, and continues to be, one of the “true gentlemen” and “7/24 goodwill ambassadors” in reaching out to new athletes and juniors. He has even contributed significantly to wheelchair design, manufacturing, and technology.

The NWAA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games held in summer of 1980 in Arnhem, the Netherlands. Athletes with cerebral palsy were welcomed to participate in the Paralympic Games in 1980.

Due to the push for equality of persons with disabilities, the United Nations named 1981 the “International Year of Disabled Persons.”

The ICC was founded out of a need for the established international organizations serving athletes with a disability to join forces and cooperate. The ISOD, ISMGF, International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), and Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) are the original organizations behind the ICC and over the years more organizations have joined.

The office moved from New York to Colorado in an effort to be close to the National Governing Bodies of the core sports of the NWAA. The move created the first professional staff position to administer the organization alongside the Board of Directors.

The organization’s largest annual event was first held in the U.S. on July 27th, 28th, and 29th of 1984 in Wilmington, Delaware. The event began with 3 sanctioned events for wheelchair athletes and it is now one of the largest longstanding U.S. multi-sport events for juniors with a physical and/or visual impairment. Sharon Frant Brooks, Andy Chasanoff and Maureen Freda (Petersen) were three of many leading forces in creating the junior competition.

NWAA continued to play a key role in putting competitive sports for athletes with a disability on the international stage by promoting a series of exhibition events in wheelchair track at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, CA. The first wheelchair sports demonstration events included the Men’s 1500m race and the Women’s 800m race.

Stoke Mandeville attracted wheelchair users and Long Island hosted those who were blind, had Cerebral Palsy and amputees with the NWAA organizing the U.S. presence.

In 1984, George Murray appeared on the cover of a Wheaties’ box. Murray’s career includes 2 Boston Marathon championships in the wheelchair division (1978 and 1985); and, he was one of six athletes selected in Wheaties’ first “Search for Champions” contest.

The NWAA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. at the Paralympic Games held in the summer of 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. The 1988 Games marked the first Paralympic Games that were held in the same city at the same venue as the Olympic Games. This was the first time the term “Paralympic” was used.

The IPC was established by the ICC to govern the Paralympic Movement and to organize the Paralympic Games with all the efforts under a single global organization.

Operated by the Challenge Foundation, a NWAA chapter member.

On March 12th, Washington D.C. became a platform for the disability rights movement. Activists who had disabilities set aside assisted gear and crawled up capitol building steps in protest. This powerful display inspired hope for disability rights activists.

On July 26th, U.S. President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. This civil rights law prohibits the discrimination against people who have disabilities.

Operated by the Bennett Institute for Physically Challenged, a NWAA chapter member. Visit website.

To expand past the Paralympic Games, the ISMGF established the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF). The new constitution included a more thorough membership of operations, programs, and competitions.

In 1991, Bill and Brenda Greene were praised for pioneering and introducing Junior wheelchair sports in their respective school systems and in the greater D.C. area. The couple utilized their experiences with wheelchair basketball to keep Washington’s New Life Air Capital Wheelchair track team going. Greene coached the team as they prepared to participate in the Junior Wheelchair Championships in Princeton, N.J.

Operated by Arizona Disabled Sports, a NWAA chapter member. Visit Website.

The U.S. Disabled Sports Team was formed through five Disability Sport Organizations (DSO’s) joining together to include NWAA, Disabled Sports USA, the Dwarf Athletic Association of America, the United States Association of Blind Athletes and the United States Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association. The Team was the largest and most successful team of athletes with disabilities to date at the Paralympic Games held in the summer of 1992 in Barcelona, Spain. One hundred and thirty members of the U.S. Team were NWAA athletes who earned 55 of the world leading total of 176 medals.
Photo credit: This photo was the cover of Sports and Spokes magazine November December 1992 Volume 18 Number 4 by William R. Sallaz, Denver CO

On December 4th, the entity changed their name from the NWAA to Wheelchair Sports USA, Inc. (WSUSA) with the approval of Chairman Paul DePace and Secretary Maureen Freda at the time. Paul DePace was the longest serving member of the organization having served in multiple roles. He portrayed incredible leadership during the organization’s most challenging times, whether it was organizational, financial, inclusiveness, or partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC). In addition, he was the longest serving U.S. representative at international leadership, policy, Paralympics, and other respective administrative posts.

Operated by the Southeastern Wheelchair Sports Association, a WSUSA chapter member. Visit Website.

Operated by the Children’s Lightning Wheels, a WSUSA chapter member. Visit Website.

On January 27th, the organization filed to solidify the above name change to better reflect the mission of the organization.

WSUSA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. alongside the U.S. Disabled Sport Team at the Paralympic Games held in the summer of 1996 in Atlanta, United States of America. The 1996 Paralympic Games marked the first time within the U.S. that the Paralympic Games were held in the same city using the same venues at the Olympic Games. The collaboration of the leading DSO’s in the U.S. assisted the Atlanta Paralympic Organizing Committee in winning the opportunity to host the X Paralympic Games in 1996.

WSUSA and the other DSO’s set the goal of ensuring that the previous Amateur Sports Act of 1978 was revised to require quality support be delivered to athletes with a disability at a level equitable to elite able bodied athletes. The revision, sponsored by then Senator from Alaska, Ted Stevens, stated that amateurism is no longer a requirement for competing in most international sports. It expanded the USOC’s role to include the Paralympic Games, and increased athlete representation and protection. This revision ultimately led to significant changes in the administration of sports for individuals with a disability.

WSUSA fielded the wheelchair team representing the U.S. alongside the U.S. Disabled Sport Team at the Paralympic Games held in the summer of 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

Operated by the University of Central Oklahoma,

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded on May 22nd. The ICF serves as a framework to measure health and disability at both individual and population levels.

From June 4th to 6th, the seminar met to discuss the need for international standards for measuring disability. The event resulted in the formation of The Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG). The WG serves as a United Nations Statistical Commission City Group, and today includes more than 135 countries and organizations.

In December of 2001, the discussion on the Treaty for Persons with Disabilities started in the UN. “Mexico addressed the United Nations General Assembly with a proposal to develop a treaty to protect the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities worldwide.”

In addition to selecting and managing the teams, which compete for the U.S. in the Paralympic Games, U.S. Paralympics took responsibility for supporting the Paralympic community and governing the Paralympic sports of cycling, skiing, swimming and track and field. Other National Governing Bodies took greater ownership of their applicable Paralympic sport and U.S. members of the International Paralympic Federation (wheelchair basketball, boccia, goalball, powerlifting and wheelchair rugby) organized further. DSO’s such as WSUSA were no longer responsible for fielding the national team for their respective disability groups and/or sports and could now focus efforts on support to member organizations as a feeder system into the athlete pipeline.

Barbara Chambers and Gregg Baumgarten continued leading the Hall of Fame from the early 2000s through 2020 with a temporary exhibit in Warm Springs, GA and future virtual exhibit on the organization website.

The Paralympic Games were held in the summer of 2004 in Athens, Greece.

Signature event name change from Junior Wheelchair Championships to the National Junior Disability Championships (NJDC)

In 2004, ISMWF and ISOD came together to help grow the Paralympic sport movement. As a result, the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) was formed. IWAS is still based outside of the Stoke Mandeville Stadium in Aylesbury, where the Paralympic movement began over 60 years ago. WSUSA is the sole U.S. member of IWAS with a mechanism for providing competitive opportunities for athletes seeking to establish themselves on an international stage.

On December 13, The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was put into place by the United Nations. The goal of the convention was to protect, promote and ensure all human rights and fundamental freedoms for all people with disabilities.

In 2006, WSUSA sent a U.S. delegation to the IWAS Junior World Games in Dublin, Ireland.

DSO’s including WSUSA sit on the Council alongside other Community Based Organizations such as the YMCA, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and other well rooted national organizations to develop national interest in sport.

In 2007, WSUSA sent a U.S. delegation to the IWAS Junior World Games in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Paralympic Games were held in the summer of 2008 in Beijing, China.

On September 25th, President George W. Bush signed the ADA Amendments Act. The mission of this act was to create a broader definition of disability.

In 2008, WSUSA sent a U.S. delegation to the IWAS Junior World Games in Piscataway, United States of America. The IWAS World Junior Games were held in conjunction with WSUSA’s National Junior Disability Championships which were led by the Tri-State Wheelchair Athletic Association in Piscataway, New Jersey.

Operated by the Disabled Athlete Sports Association, a WSUSA chapter member. Visit the Website.

Operated by Michigan Sports Unlimited, a WSUSA chapter member. Visit the Website.

In 2009, WSUSA sent a U.S. delegation to the IWAS Junior World Games in Nottwil, Switzerland.

On January 26th, the entity changed their name from WSUSA to Wheelchair and Ambulatory Sports, USA, Inc. (WASUSA) to better reflect the population of athletes being served. The name change was a result of several Disabled Sports Organizations dissolving that represented the sporting interests for a specific segment of the disabled population, including organizations representing athletes with Cerebral Palsy and “Les Autres” athletes. Wheelchair Sports USA found its mission changing dramatically from providing sports opportunities to individuals using wheelchairs to serving as a comprehensive competitive sports organization for all individuals with a disability, both ambulatory and non-ambulatory.

In 2010, WSUSA sent a U.S. delegation to the IWAS Junior World Games in Olomouc, Czech Republic.

On May 5th, the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group was established under the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) to promote the power of Sport for Development and Peace and harness the potential of sport.

The Paralympic Games were held in the summer of 2012 in London, United Kingdom.

In 2013, WSUSA sent a U.S. delegation to the IWAS Junior World Games in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.