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Play Ball Here are some local leagues that will get your special needs kid started in the wonderful world of sports. Cherokee, Forsyth and Fulton countiesThe North Metro Miracle League provides sports activities for children of all ages and abilities. It offers an adapted baseball league in the spring and fall; an adapted swimming program in the winter, and bowling for kids and their families. The program provides a buddy ststem. Participants are welcome no matter where they live. 770-777-7044. www.nmml.net. Cobb CountyThe Dream Makers Youth Foundation offers S.T.A.R.S., an adaptive sports program. Sports include an indoor wheelchair soccer league and basketball league. The basketball league will have one team each from the metro Atlanta area, and Cobb and Fulton counties. The foundation also offers other activities throughout the year such as tennis lessons and 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. Smyrna. 678-398-6693. www.dreammakersyouthfoundation.org. The Acworth Special Needs League is a baseball league for children ages 5 to 21. The Acworth Sports Complex also has a playground and facilities for children with special needs. 770-917-1234. www.acworthspecialneeds.com. DeKalb CountyThe Decatur-DeKalb YMCA offers beep baseball for the visually impaired in grades 1-12. They also have wheelchair basketball for ages 18 and up. Must be a YMCA program or facility member to participate. Decatur. 404-371-3309. www.ymcaatlanta.org. The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta offers Blonder Family Bowling, a Monday bowling league for people of all ages with developmental disabilities and their families. Games take place at Chamblee Lanes from 6-7:30 p.m. Atlanta. 678-812-4092. www.atlantajcc.org. Fayette CountyPeachtree City’s Little League Association offers the Challenger Division, baseball for special needs kids, ages 5-18. Three levels are offered: tee-ball, coach pitch and player pitch. The program incorporates the buddy system to help friendship development. The league plays in spring and fall. Peachtree City. 770-486-9277. www.ptcll.com. Forsyth CountyAtlanta Soccer Academy offers TOPSoccer, a soccer program for special needs children introduced in 1991. Kids ages 4-19 can participate. Cumming. 770-557-0430. www.atlantasoccer.com. Gwinnett CountyThe Special Populations Program operates out of Bay Creek Park. It offers baseball with three levels to choose from: Anything Goes, Friendly Competition and Big League. Basketball and cheerleading are also offered. Kids ages 5 and up may participate, as well as adults. 770-884-1955. www.gaasports.org. The Fowler Family YMCA offers adapted aquatics for children and adults – participants learn basic water skills and build strength. Private lessons also available. 5600 West Jones Bridge Rd., Norcross. 770-246-9622. www.ymcaatlanta.org. Henry CountyHenry County’s Park and Recreation Rockdale CountyThe Miracle League, formed in 1998, allows every player to hit, be safe on base and cross home plate. Players enjoy the experience of a baseball game and the buddy system. 770-760-1993. www.miracleleague.com. Other OpportunitiesBlazeSports Georgia:
For 10 years
this program has provided sports and
recreation for youth and adults with special
needs. BlazeSports offers junior teams in
wheelchair basketball, swimming, track and
field, and more. 280 Interstate North Cir.,
Atlanta. 770-850-8199. ALTA Foundation Wheelchair Tennis: For older kids, the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association offers a wheelchair tennis league for ages 16 and up. The league plays in spring and fall for seven weeks each season. 6849 Peachtree Dunwoody Rd., Atlanta. 770-399-5788. www.altatennis.org. Georgia Gymnastics Academy Inc.: Kids ages 3 and up can participate in this academy’s special needs gymnastics classes. The children work in small groups; one-on-one lessons are available. Suwanee, 770-945-3424; Lawrenceville, 770-962-5867. www.ggacademy.com. Satori Marital Arts and Healing
Center:
This center works one on one
with children who have special needs.
Children may be any age; the special needs
curriculum can be challenging, but
rewarding. 11235 Alpharetta Hwy., Roswell.
770-521-1152. PEOTSI: This program for kids ages 5-11 provides an opportunity for competition among “motor peers” in sports, such as soccer and hockey. They participate in tournaments and receive trophies. Adaptations are made to the playing field and equipment. 770-393-3939. SwimAtlanta: These Atlanta area swim schools offer individual lessons for special needs children. Kids may also take group lessons depending on the child’s ability and comfort in the water. Suwanee, 770-622-1735; Roswell, 770-992-7946; Lawrenceville, 678-442-7946; Dacula, 770-277-9499. www.saswimschool.com. – Emilia Bak
by Tali Toland It can be easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what children with special needs can’t do instead of what they can. As they get older, not being able to participate in sports can be hard on their self-esteem. That’s one reason Pam Powell of East Cobb wanted to get her son, Bryan, involved with wheelchair sports. Bryan, 12, has cerebral palsy, which in his case mostly affects his lower body. “Because there are so many things Bryan cannot participate in with his friends from school, it has been life-changing that he has found something that he loves and can participate on the same playing field as everyone else on his team,” says Powell of Bryan’s involvement in sports. “In wheelchair sports, everyone must play from a wheelchair and by the same set of rules.” “Sports can play a role in redefining who kids with special needs think they are,” says Carol Johnson, executive director of BlazeSports, which offers adapted sports for individuals who are blind, in wheelchairs or need assistance walking. “The coaches and teammates focus on what each child can do.” Johnson, who has spent 30 years working with adapted sports, believes it also helps parents see their kids differently.
More than 90 percent of kids without a disability have played at least one team sport by age 12. One of the main reasons is that parents want kids to learn the life skills sports can teach – cooperation, team work, how to deal with stress. Parents of children with special needs seek that same benefit. “I am thrilled that my son is able to be a part of that now,” says Powell. Bryan currently plays wheelchair basketball and soccer, and he will begin track next season. Johnson says setting goals and achieving them is also a big part of being on a team. “These kids learn to deal with stress and that they have to perform no matter what,” she says. “They also feel a sense of belonging and get positive feedback they may lack in other areas of life.” BlazeSports gives kids throughout the state the opportunity to be active and live a healthy lifestyle while competing in popular sports (sometimes at an international level).
Sometimes it’s difficult for families to get their child with special needs involved in sports with other therapies and schedules for siblings. Families’ lives are so busy and there are so many demands on time – you’ll wonder: Is driving an hour to practice too big a sacrifice? “No,” says Johnson. “We have families that drive an hour for practice, but when you notice the remarkable change you’ll see in your child, it’s worth every effort.” Such is true for Powell’s son; playing sports has given Bryan more than just the opportunity to shoot hoops. “He is a much happier, confident young man,” says his mom.
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