Bankshot now at the Childrens Museum of Memphs and Kevins Court in Connecticut
Now open at the CMOM, weather permitting! This unique and challenging exhibit teaches Children about shapes, angles, math, geometry, trigonometry and cooperative play. Bankshot is a new game of skill and challenge that is often described as a "mini golf, but with a basketball." Players of all ages and abilities, including disabled participants, proceed through a course of 19 angled, curved and non-conventionally configured brightly colored backboards, banking shots off the Bankboards™ and through the rims. Bankshot™ Sports are non-aggressive and entirely inclusionary. Participants play alongside, not against, each other. Some shots demand caroms off two Bankboards™. Some are ricochets and some diabolically maddening shots have three Bankboards™ and two rims. Players may use a scorecard to track their score as they shoot increasingly difficult shots at each of the stations. It's a basketball lover's greatest challenge! Read more here
Furthermore, a Connecticut location of a Bankshot court opened on Monday, Kevin Ollie opened a "Kevin's Kourt," a handicapped-accessible basketball court at the Boys & Girls Club of Hartford. The court features 10 stations with special baskets at all different heights, and they're designed for people in wheelchairs and with other disabilities.It's the first such court in Hartford and one of several the UConn coach is building across the state.
Disabled, autistic community the mobility impaired
Inclusive playgrounds 8/25/16
Playgrounds, whether they are or are not inclusive, are invariably outgrown by typical as well as atypical youngsters including the disabled. Our organization, the National Association for Recreational Equality, (a group of retired clergy ),advocates for the post-playground physically and cognitively challenged, the autistic community and mobility impaired in the matter of facility shortages, particularly ballplaying sports facilities that are drop-in inclusive.
By this we mean the sport offered is played without opponents and without teams because autistic participants and the mobility impaired are better served - after they have graduated from the playground - by independent or individual ballplaying sports rather than body contact and team sports.
By alongside participation, without offense and defense, as in golf, bowling and Bankshot sports, full inclusion is achieved with universal design much as in the diversity provided by a swimming pool. It may be of value to check out nareletsplayfair.org or the National Association for Recreational Equality and bankshot.com to evaluate how the autistic spectrum members can have their drop-in recreational and sports facilities available for them and their families, at all times, not having to wait for a program next week.
Besides, programs often segregate, segment and fail to socialize the very individuals we wish to mainstream into the general community.
Many youngsters who are delighted with an inclusive playground but have now grown out of it will welcome a ball playing sports such as Bankshot and others that offer alongside companionable play enabling them to transition beyond the playground to the more aggressive ball playing sports communities (unfortunately, some would say) also provide.
It’s good to have ballplaying sports that are companionable and not competitive. Self competition is every bit as important as rivalry competition. Ball playing sports receive the most attention, budgets and space but invariably once the inclusive playground is established communities often call it a day and believe that they have met the needs of the differently able when they have merely met the needs of the younger segment of special populations and their families. Think of the recreational needs of the eight to the 16-year-old cognitively or mobility impaired and look in at the National Association for Recreational Equality and the YouTube videos on the League for Autistic participants at Bankshot.com.