Many Organizations Provide Financial Support to Help Those with Physical Disabilities to Get Active
by Alison Brown
On the podcast, we’ve had a number of para athletes who compete using sports prosthetics, racing wheelchairs, or other adaptive sports equipment that helps them play. While sports can be absolutely life-changing for people with disabilities, gearing up can be very expensive. As our recent podcast guest Noelle Lambert explained, running blades can cost anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000, and they’ll wear out over time, just like running shoes (but a whole lot more expensive).
And that’s just one type of sports prosthetic. There are also swimming legs, cycling prosthetics, golf arms, weight training prosthetics, shooting and archery prosthetics, just to name a few.
Racing wheelchairs can be equally as expensive. Gear for other para sports can add up too: frame runners, throwing frames, and more.
While it’s great that there is so much gear to help people with disabilities become more active, it can also be daunting to try to pay for it.
Our TKFLASTANI para runner and long jumper Noelle Lambert is passionate about getting more people involved in adaptive sports, so much so that she started a foundation, The Born to Run Foundation, to get sports prosthetics into the hands of amputees. Specialized prosthetics and sport-specific wheelchairs can cost thousands of dollars, out of reach for many.
How can individuals with disabilities get access to and assistance for adaptive sports equipment? Here are some options with descriptions from their respective websites:
Amputee Blade Runners
Founded by 2004 Paralympic gold medalist Ryan Fann, ABR goes beyond paying for specialized running blades. The organization also connects its athletes with peer mentorship, community, and education.
Challenged Athletes Foundation
Provides grants for adaptive sports equipment such as sports wheelchairs, handcycles, mono skis and sports prosthetics, and resources for training and competition expenses directly to physically challenged individuals.
Dare2Tri
Through the Ron Weinert Ability Fund, Dare2tri provides financial and equipment grants to eligible athletes who have a physical disability or visual impairment. The goal of the Ability Fund is to eliminate the barrier of high-priced equipment, travel, coaching, and race entry fees.
Heather Abbott Foundation
The Heather Abbot Foundation is committed to helping individuals who have lost limbs due to traumatic circumstances get specialized prosthetic devices. There is no application deadline for grants; requests are considered on a rolling basis.
High Fives Foundation
The High Fives Foundation’s Empowerment Fund offers two grant cycles each year, designed to support individuals recovering from life-altering injuries in pursuing goals related to outdoor adventure sports.
IM ABLE Foundation
IM ABLE Grants provide hand-cycles and other adaptive athletic gear, as well as instructional training programs to allow physically challenged children and adults to be more active, enjoy the benefits of physical fitness, and spend more time in the great outdoors.
Kelly Brush Foundation
Through the Active Fund, the Kelly Brush Foundation provides grants for individuals with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury to purchase adaptive sports equipment.
Move United
Move United is an organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities discover get involved with sports and recreation. The Hartford Athlete Equipment Grant provides up to $5000 to youth and adult adaptive athletes with a permanent physical disability to purchase adaptive sports equipment.
Wheels for Wheels
Wheels for Wheels offers Adaptive Sports Grants to competitive para sports athletes up to a maximum of $500 max per application for the costs associated with para sports competition including travel and accommodations, adaptive sports equipment, competition expenses, and coaching and training.
These organizations provide support in the United States, and there are plenty of other groups who help athletes around the world. Many local and regional groups work in specific states or cities. Don’t let financial limits limit your access to sports and recreation!
Photo courtesy of Noelle Lambert.