Ball playing sports facilities, including community fields, courts and courses, receive the greatest funding, attention, promotional support and real estate in our communities.
Stevie age 12 uses a wheelchair and his 10 year old brother Andy does not and with their seven-year-old sister they’d like to go out and play ball together at a community field or court of play on a nice Sunday at a Park facility like other kids without waiting for a program and supervision. They cannot. There are no inclusive mainstream sports that accomplish the matter of addressing the needs of the physically challenged. There are no drop-in, wheelchair accommodating ball playing sports in the community. All the sports are composed of competing teams; require physical contact, strength, stamina, age and are gender exclusionary. The three siblings have no play-together opportunity participating at mainstream sports and games in the community.
Programs, however excellently conducted, cannot replace facilities that are always drop-in available and accessible. Other youngsters do not have to wait till next Thursday for an activity or program that provides inclusive play.
The single basic requirement is that the community offers ballplaying fields for the inclusion of the differently able, of the physically challenged, and that the sport be self competitive, not against but like bowling golf and Bankshot - designed for that purpose - providing alongside play. Inclusive means alongside play not requiring rivals to defeat at play. No opponents necessary; a sport requiring no offense or defense permits full participation; one takes on the challenge of the court, not one another. Bankshot in particular was developed for the express purpose of alongside play based upon achieving total mix diversity. Facilities are purposefully non-exclusionary by virtue of providing self competitive play.
