Causes: Amateur Sports Competitions, Sports

Mission: Disabled Sports USA provides national leadership and opportunities for individuals with disabilities to develop independence, confidence, and fitness through participation in sports.

Results: Over 60,000 people with disabilities served this past year through our 100+ chapter network.

Direct beneficiaries per year: Over 60,000

Geographic areas served: Nationwide

Programs: Warfighter sports: offers sports rehabilitation for severely wounded warriors in military hospitals and communities across the u. S. Through a nationwide network of over 100 community-based chapters. Since 1967, disabled sports usa has proudly served wounded warriors, including those injured in the iraq and afghanistan wars, offering over 30 winter and summer sports at more than 100 events each year. Warfighter sports rebuilds lives through sports by improving self-confidence, promoting independence and uniting families through shared healthy activities. Contributions cover all expenses for participation of the warrior and a family member, including individualized adaptive instruction, adaptive sports equipment, transportation, lodging and meals. Since 2003, more than 6,000 of the most severely wounded and their families have been served, including those with amputations, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, visual impairments, and significant nerve and muscle damage.

ski spectacular: each year for over 25 years, disabled sports usa has conducted an annual national winter sports symposium that offers instructional programs in adaptive winter sports. Each year, the ski spectacular attracts over 800 participants from over 30 states and several foreign countries, for a week of activities. This includes training of local ski instructors and coaches in the latest adaptive ski techniques for amputees, spinal and head injured, blind, those with neuromuscular disabilities like cerebral palsy and developmentally disabled. It also includes race training clinics for youth, wounded warriors and others; learn to ski and snowboard classes; nordic ski training; fun races and chapter development seminars.

chapter services: disabled sports usa provides services to its community based chapters operating locally in over 100 locations in 38 states. These services are designed to enable the local community non profit chapter to provide safe and effective sports rehabilitation programs to people with disabilities in their communities. Services include: instructor and coach training in adaptive sports; grants to operate programs and purchase adaptive equipment; seminars in program administration, volunteer recruitment and training, marketing, fundraising, and risk management; insurance; promotion of local activities on a national level and other ongoing technical assistance.

skitour and summerfest: disabled sports usa also supports a nationwide series of "learn to", race training and instructor training clinics held by local dsusa chapter in states throughout the usa. This includes "skitour" for winter sports and "summerfest" for summer sports. Sports include: alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing; golf, water skiing, kayaking, sailing, outrigger canoeing, rafting, scuba, equestrian, cycling, rock climbing, and other activities. Disabilities served include those with amputations, spinal and head injury, neuromuscular disabilities such as multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy and developmental disabilities.