Overview of Adaptive Sports New England
Founded in 2013 by Paralympian Joe Walsh, the mission of Adaptive Sports New England (ASNE) is to increase participation in sports among New England youth and adults who have visual or mobility impairments.
Since its inception, the organization has worked diligently on establishing a supportive environment for the inclusion of youth with a visual or mobility impairment in the traditional youth sport settings of community, school, and college. In the early years, ASNE created the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association framework for inclusion in high school sports and partnered with the Eastern College Athletic Conference to offer Paralympic sport competition at the ECAC swimming and track championships. An early learning was that supportive, inclusive programs were not enough to increase participation when youth were not receiving the expert coaching required for them to develop skills and confidence. With no other organizations catering to the needs of these youth, ASNE launched specialized sport programs led by Paralympians and other Para sport athletes – first in swimming, and subsequently in track, rowing, wheelchair basketball and sailing. Beep baseball was added in 2022 and adult wheelchair football in 2023. ASNE continues to advise the MIAA on school sport inclusion and provides free consultations to youth, families, coaches, and schools on how to support adaptive athletes.
Our Ask
Adaptive Sports New England is requesting $500,000 to support its mission to increase participation in sports among New England youth who have a visual or mobility impairment. Funds raised will support weekly adaptive sport programming, policy advocacy, and consult with schools, community centers and other organizations on how to make youth adaptive sports accessible.
Core Programs
Our community is comprised of individuals who have a visual impairment or physical disability, and their families, friends, and supporters. While data is difficult to find on the topic, a 2010 study by the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) found that only 25% of Secondary school students who are blind participated in sports compared to 60% of students who do not have a disability. In 2024, The Aspen Institute’s Project Play
found that 60% of Massachusetts youth participate in organized sports, and there is no indication, specific or general, that youth who are blind or have a physical disability play sports more often than they did in 2010. With a lack of data, we can only guess that individuals who did not play sports as youth are less likely to participate in sports as adults, and certainly there are very few programs and services in Massachusetts that specifically serve or support sport participation for individuals who have a visual or mobility impairment.
In 2025-2026, ASNE will pursue four intertwined goals:
a) Strengthen the ASNE specialized sport programs in swimming, track, beep baseball, wheelchair football, and wheelchair basketball as well as partnerships in rowing and sailing;
b) Support our two travel teams (beep baseball and wheelchair football) to participate in national tournaments;
c) Continue individualized consultations, educational presentations, contributions to policymaking, and leadership in the New England adaptive sports community; and
d) Increase the total number of participants in ASNE programs by 25% over 2024 from 160 to 200.
Needs
Capacity building – Support of future growth will require expansion of the current staff 2.5 FTE. Specific staffing requirements include hiring (or contracting) a grant writer, and additional programmatic staff to support new and expanded weekly sport programs.
Funding to support travel of New England Patriots Wheelchair Football Team and Boston Strong Beep Baseball Team. Joe can you fill in details on future travel plans
General program costs including facility rental, coach’s salaries, and uniforms. General program costs also include the purchase and maintenance of adaptive sports equipment, which is often customized to the participant, and significantly more expensive than traditional sport equipment. Weekly sport programs are offered free of charge to participants, thus Adaptive Sports New England undertakes all direct and indirect program costs.
Potential areas for collaboration and partnership exist with organizations who also provide services and support to youth who have mobility or visual impairments. This may include state agencies such as the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, disability specific organizations similar to Spina Bifida Association of Greater New England, local hospitals, physical therapy and occupational therapy practices, and other organizations that offer adaptive sport programs.