USA Amputee Soccer

The biggest event for athletes with disabilities is the Paralympic Games, which helps to raise awareness and promote inclusivity for all athletes. The Paralympic Games are the Olympic Games competition for athletes with disabilities.

They are held in tandem with the Olympic games, and in recent years, viewership of the games has increased. According to news service Freshered, the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games counted about 4.1 billion viewers globally, a significant increase from London 2012, which counted 3.8 billion. This is great news, as the showcase of the skills of these elite

Swedish golfer Joakim Björkman is another great example of a remarkable athlete with a physical disability. He holds a career-high ranking of third in the world for golfers with disabilities, and is winner of 35 worldwide titles for golfers with disabilities, including (but not limited to)

Swedish Champion in 2016, four-time Italian Open Champion, and European Champion 2006.

Despite this success, his journey to-

As soon as he began playing golf around age 11, he signed up for a golf school and then quickly advanced in skill. In golf, all players measure their ability with a number called a handicap. The lower the handicap, the better the player.

Björkman’s first official handicap was a 54, and only four months later he was down to a 15.

“Starting in that school, … I knew it was this kind of sport that I was supposed to do,” he said.

Björkman plays in both golf tournaments for those with disabilities and also ‘normal’ ability golf tournaments, in a ratio of about one-to-one. Playing in the more mainstream tournaments makes a big difference in awareness and accessi-

“Competing in the biggest stage and … the biggest tournaments is when you create more exposure, in a good way,” he

Björkman sees that it makes waves and helps to change people’s per-

“I compete on that stage, and it’s like you’re shaking up the world and [people see] ‘whoa, you can do something big,’” he said. With the impact golf has made on his life, Björkman encourages others with disabilities to try a sport, even if they feel trepidation.

“Because everyone will be feeling fearful, nervous, unsure,” he said. “Actually, that’s the first sign that you are ready. You have to accept that and when you do… you start to see what you’re capable of.”

Like Björkman said, it can be intimidating to start a new sport, whether you have a disability or not. But here in the Bay Area, there are organizations dedicated to helping athletes with physical disabilities start a sport.

The Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program (BORP) is one such organization. BORP works to create a supportive, fun and active community for adults and youth with physical disabilities and visual impairments.

BORP offers a variety of team activities and sports for adults and kids. Some of these include: wheelchair basketball, sled hockey, goalball, power soccer, adaptive cycling and other outdoor activities. The goal of these programs is to allow kids the opportunity for fun and competitive interactions while also learning new skills and making friends.

Sled hockey and youth basketball coach Trooper Johnson shares his experience with BORP and its mission.

“What we try to do is provide oppor- struct programs that normally aren’t offered to them in kind of the general population or general communities that they’re in.”