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Program Details

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Activities Offered
  • Fitness
  • Water Aerobics/Exercise
  • Weight Training
Building Access
  • Meets ADA standards

Adaptive Equipment
  • Adaptive equipment available

Transportation
  • Accessible by Public Transportation: No

  • Transportation Provided by the Program: No

Notes

The Montgomery Therapeutic Recreation Center Wellness Program is a program developed to promote fitness for persons with disabilities. All persons must have a disability and have completed a physician's medical form to participate. A membership fee of $25.00 per semester enables all members participation in therapeutic aquatics, weightlifting, and exercise groups. Adapted Recreation Archery:
Under normal circumstances, shooting the longbow is a six-step procedure. The steps, in order of occurrence, are assuming the correct stance, nocking the arrow, drawing the bowstring, aiming at the target, releasing the bowstring, and following through until the arrow makes contact with the target. One or more of these steps may be problematic and may require some modification in the archer's technique. Several assistive devices are available to aid the archer who has a disability. These include (1) the bow sling, commercially available from most sports shops, which helps stabilize the wrist and hand for good bow control; (2) the below-elbow amputee adapter device, which is held by the terminal end of the prosthesis and requires a slight rotation of the prosthesis to release the strong and the arrow. And (3) the wheelchair bowstringer, which consists of a post buried in the ground with two appropriately spaced bolts around which the archer places the bow to produce enough leverage to string it independently. Wheelchair football is gaining popularity for many disabled persons. The game is played on a hard, flat surface 30 by 60 yards and, with few exceptions, is very similar to touch football.

Rule modifications are as follows:

  • Each team is composed of six of the field players.
  • The ball carrier (not the wheelchair) must be touched above the knees with two hands simultaneously.
  • All players on the team are eligible to pass receivers.
  • Blocking by ramming the wheelchair into the opponent's wheelchair from a front angle is allowed, while blocking into the larger rear wheel constitutes clipping
  • A team must gain 15 instead of 10 yards for a first down.
  • Ball throwing is substituted for kicking, and the kicking team must announce this to the defensive team through the referee before breaking the huddle.
  • Extra point tries (which are taken from the 3yard line) earn 2 points for a successful run and 1 point for a successful pass.
Adapted Sport

In 1980 the National Foundation of Wheelchair Tennis (NFWT) was founded to develop and sponsor competition in that sport. The rules for wheelchair tennis are the same as for regular tennis except that the ball is allowed to bounce twice before being returned. The first bounce must land inbounds, while the second bounce may land either inbounds or out-of-bounds.

Other Variations and Modifications:

If mobility is a problem, the court size can be reduced to accommodate the disabled person. This might be accomplished by having players without disabilities defending the entire regulation court while players with disabilities defend only half of their court. It could likewise be accomplished by permitting players to strike the ball on the second bounce.

Wheelchair Basketball:

The National Wheelchair Basketball Association has also modified the game for people confined to wheelchairs.

These are the major rule modifications:
  • The wheelchair is considered part of the player.
  • Players must stay firmly seated in the chair at all times, especially during a jump ball.
  • Offensive players may not remain in the key more than five seconds.
  • Dribbling consists of simultaneously wheeling the chair and dribbling the ball (however, the player may not take more than two consecutive pushes without bouncing the ball.
  • Three or more pushes results in a traveling violation.
  • The ball is awarded to the other team if the footrest or anti-tip caster of the player's wheelchair touch the floor while the player has possession of the ball.
  • The feet (especially those with some remaining function) may not be used to aid the player at any time.
Track and Field:
Track and field competition are governed by the rules of The Athletic Congress. The NWAA sponsors a classed division for field events. Classes include 1A, 1B, 1C, II, III, IV, and V. All classes compete in 100-, 200-, 400-, 800-, and 1500-m races; Class 1A also competes in a 60-m race. Relays are run at 400-, 800-, and 1600-m distances. The open division competes at the same distances and also runs a 5000-m race. In field events, all classes compete in the discus, shot put, and javelin, except class 1A, which substitutes the club throw for the javelin event. Additionally, all classes compete in the pentathlon, which consists of five individual events. Adapted Program Wheelchair Dance:
Rhythmic movement and dance are important movement forms of communication and creative expression. Adapted dance is a modified dance curriculum using instruction designed to meet the unique needs of individuals. Basic rhythmic skills, such as motor and axial movements, are a prerequisite to successful dancing. Ballroom, folk, and square dances are important socialization and integration vehicles for students with disabilities. Water Skiing:
Opportunities for disabled persons to engage in waterskiing have been expanding for more than 20 years. People who are blind or are amputees have skied in many clubs for years, and the development of the site ski (a sled-like device) and the ski seat opened the sport to people with paraplegia. In general, a strong back and strong legs are desirable for skiing, although many single-leg amputees and unilateral amputees ski well.