Sun Prairie High Schools learn disability awareness through adaptive sports

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - For four days, students at Sun Prairie East and West High School will get the chance to learn more about disability awareness through different adaptive sports such as wheelchair volleyball, sitting volleyball, and go-ball.

The high schools brought down The Ability Center, who have a program called the Adaptive Scholastic Athletic Program to help teach their students about disability awareness and give them the opportunity to play in a different pair of shoes.

Lindi Winter, Physical Education teacher at Sun Prairie East High School, is happy to be able to give her students the opportunity to learn these new games, and is also grateful for the community for being able to bring the funds needed to provide The ASAP Team to the school.

“Our Education Foundation allows us to fill out an application, and they give money that brings experiences like this to Sun Prairie... and through community members and partnerships they’re able to provide the money for these experiences. They were the ones that made it possible to bring Damian and his people here.”

Throughout their gym class, students were separated into three different groups where they learned how to play wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, and go-ball, a game for the visually impaired. Team members from ASAP were there to guide them through each game, and founder Damian Buchman was able to join in, helping teach the students and show them how to wear a ‘new’ pair of shoes.

“The kids get an opportunity to see what it takes to do something differently, but also understand what inclusion looks like, full inclusion,” Buchman said.

Days before he turned thirteen, Buchman was re-diagnosed with childhood bone cancer, and has had to-date, 28 knee replacements and revisions. So, while he’s grateful he can walk, he can no longer run or jump. For him, The Ability Center and ASAP was a chance to make sure everyone got in the game, and not just sit in the sidelines.

“Not everyone wants to be a team manager or the water boy or girl, they want an opportunity to be able to participate, and this is something we bring - that opportunity for everyone to play.”

To learn more information about The Ability Center and ASAP, visit their website.

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2022 WMTV. All rights reserved.