1. CDSS Training Trinidad and Tobago

2. Overview Athlete Pathways Disability Sport Structures
Trends and Insights
Global trends

3. Personal History Recreational sport Organized sport
Interscholastic sport
Collegiate sport
Paralympic Games – ’84, ‘88, ‘92
Sport Governance & Leadership

5. Athlete Pathways PE and APE Youth Sport Community-based programs
High School – Track and Field, Swimming, etc.
Disability Sport Organizations and NSO’s
Collegiate pathway
Wheelchair basketball, Track and Field, Swimming
National Team
World championships
Paralympic Team

6. Disability Sport Structure
Local disability sport clubs and programs
National disability sport organizations
National sport federations
National Paralympic Committee
International federations
International Paralympic Committee

7. Trends and Insights Increased awareness of Paralympic sport
Increased investment in sport & athletes
Health promotion efforts
Laws, treaties, regulations, and guidelines
Youth sports options
School-based sports

8. Global Trends and Insights
IOC/IPC Relationship
Marketing, branding, brand protection, visibility
Globalization
Technology – IPC policy on sports equipment
Human Rights
UN CRPD
UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace

9. Olympic & Paralympic Games alignment:
IPC / IOC Relationship
Olympic & Paralympic Games alignment:
IPC/IOC joint marketing agreement
Bidding for the Games
Organizing the Games
IPC President is IOC Member

10. Technology

11. UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace
Sport and Child & Youth Development Sport and Peace
Sport and Gender Sport and Development
Sport and Persons with Disabilities in one of the 5 Thematic Working Groups of the Sport for Development and Peace International Working Group (SDP IWG). The three strategic priority areas:
• Independence and Sport Participation
• Using Sport to Empower Persons with Disabilities
• Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities within Sport

12. T&T Paralympic Sport Development
Sport programs represented
Commitments we are making
Communication & Collaboration (ongoing)
Planning and goal setting
Measureable objectives
Next steps

13. Final Thoughts Paralympic sport programs are: Game changers
Enriching for all students
Illustrative of a values system
Producing high achieving citizens and future leaders

14. QUESTIONS?

15. Washington DC & Atlanta, GA
Contact Information
BlazeSports America
Washington DC & Atlanta, GA
Ann Cody:
Dan Humphreys:

17. Sport History History of Disability Sport:
Paralympic sport- World War II
Sports clubs emerged from veteran‘s hospitals sustained by the large number of war casualties.
Informal competitions led to international competitions and ultimately the Paralympic Games.
1952 – First International Games held at Stoke Mandeville, England
1960 – Birth of the Paralympic Games in Rome

18. Sport History History of Disability Sport:
Deaflympics – International Committee of Sports for the Deaf established in 1924
Special Olympics World Games - Special Olympics International established in 1968
Sport for people who are blind or visually impaired – dates back to late 1800’s.
History of Collegiate Disability Sports:
1948 – Collegiate sports programs for students with disabilities.
1970 – Collegiate conference for men’s wheelchair basketball.
1977 – Collegiate championships in wheelchair basketball.

19. International Paralympic Committee
Global governing body of the Paralympic Movement
Serves as the International Federation (IF)
Oversees Paralympic Summer and Winter Games
Coordinates World Championships

20. International Paralympic Committee
Global Development
170 National Paralympic Committees (NPC)
5 Regional Organizations
4 Disability Specific International Sports Federations (IOSD)
25 Sports on the Paralympic Program

21. IPC General Assembly Structure
International Sports Federations (IFS)
IOSD*
IPC Sports**
National Paralympic Committees (NPCs)
International Organizations of Sports for the Disabled (IOSD)
Regional Organizations (ROs)
IPC Regions*
Athletes’ Council
IOSDs’ Council
Regions’ Council
Sports’ Council
Classification Committee
Athletes with High Support Committee
Education Committee
Paralympic Games Committee
Sports Science Committee
Anti-Doping Committee
Standing Committees
Audit and Finance Committee
Development Committee
Legal and Ethics Committee
Medical Committee
Women in Sport Committee
Sport Technical Committees
Management Team
Governing Board
Councils
*Speaking and Voting Rights
** Speaking Rights

22. U.S. Paralympics Organizational Structure
Steve Whisnant
Managing Director, Paralympic Outreach Programs
Scott Blackmum
Chief Executive Officer
Charlie Huebner
Chief of Paralympics
Larry Probst
Chair, Board of Directors
James Benson
Chair, Paralympic Advisory Committee (PAC)
Ann Cody
Co-chair, PAC
Mike Mushett
Director Community and Veterans Programs
Julie O’Neill
Director Sport Performance
Roger Neppl
Director Military Programs
Jeannine Hansen
Director
Public Relations

23. Paralympic Sports Wheelchair Rugby Swimming Wheelchair Tennis
Track & field
Wheelchair Basketball
Football/Soccer
Sailing
Triathlon
Rowing
Goalball
Sitting Volleyball
Canoe
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair Tennis
Ice Sledge Hockey
Cycling
Boccia
Alpine Skiing
Cross Country Skiing
Biathlon
Archery
- The benefits of good health are obvious. If you feel better, you look better. You’re more open to life and you can enjoy whatever comes your way. Good health lets you learn, work, and play— whether or not you have a disability.
With good health, people with disabilities can work, learn, and be active in all areas of life.
- One of the key strategies for being healthy is leading a healthy lifestyle such as participation in sport and physical activity,
- Sport and physical activity have numerous benefits on the health and quality of life of people with physical disability.
Other important points
People with disabilities are twice as likely to be physically inactive as people without disabilities
People with disability are more likely to be obese than those without a disability
In 2005, the Surgeon General released a Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities. In this report, the Surgeon General noted that “People with disabilities need health care and health programs for the same reasons anyone else does—to stay well, active, and a part of the community. The Bottom Line: Having a disability does not mean you can’t be healthy.
Being healthy means the same thing for all of us—getting and staying well so we can lead full, active lives. 23

24. Legacy of the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games
National nonprofit organization
US Agency for International Development recognized NGO and PVO
United States Olympic Committee - Multi-Sport Organizations Council

25. BlazeSports Divisions
BlazeSports Georgia – Direct service programs, clinics, camps, equipment loan, competitions, and technical assistance.
Education – Training, certification, and technical assistance for recreation and education professionals, coaches, and volunteers.
Policy – Local, state, and national policy, systems, and environmental change initiatives, and national partnerships.
International – Sport development, diplomacy, and human rights initiatives.

26. BlazeSports Resources:
Phone & technical assistance
Communities
Athletes, parents, service providers, others
Web-based Resources –
Annual Conference
Certified Disability Sport Specialist (CDSS)
Regional trainings
Webinars

27. Certified Disability Sport Specialist (CDSS)
The Need…
Skilled and trustworthy volunteers and coaches
The Solution…
Credential to certify knowledge and ability to deliver safe programming that meets with standards of best practice
The Result…
Higher degree of professionalism among direct service providers at all levels