DISABLED VETERANS

This is an interesting article for those of you that are proud disabled Veterans. I stand with you as one of these Veterans and I am going to start another wb site just for the purpose of helping all of you that are disabled Veterans as a place you can come for advise and help.

In the interim if you do have any questions on your benifits or help on anything you having a problem with don't hesitate to email me, if I don't have an answer I will try my best to get one for you. Email me at jack@jtcbiz.com On to the the article by Val Towley, his article is on "Vigor Among Veterans".

Vigor among Veterans

Athlete games and events of competition or exhibition for those in wheelchairs is now in its 24th year. These National Veterans Wheelchair Games grew out of an historic wheelchair sports involvement of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Sports with participants in wheelchairs started when the Second World War ended, when veterans young and disabled started to play basketball in their wheelchairs while they recovered in VA hospitals all over the country. Sports in wheelchairs soon went beyond basketball to track and field, swimming, archery, and bowling. A number of associations for wheelchair sports sprouted.

Wheelchair sports and competitive events during the wheelchair games now include archery, weightlifting, air guns, basketball, bowling, nine ball, power relays, trap shoots, motor rallies, rugby, slaloms, power chair 220, hand cycles, softballs, swimming, table tennis and track. Each year the competition in wheelchairs by disabled and paralyzed veterans expanded in numbers. The U.S. Veterans Administration premiered its Recreation Therapy Services in 1980, the focus of which was on spreading the word about the rehabilitative affect of these games in wheelchairs. VA therapists now recognize and use these wheelchair sports as therapeutic tools for disabled veteran recovery.

To compete in any of these sports with their wheelchairs, these athletes have to qualify and be placed competitively with others whose disability degrees are similar. Each is given a medical exam for this purpose. Three quadriplegic classifications emerge, as well as four paraplegic classifications. Amputees get divided up by the degree of their amputation. Victims of stroke, multiple sclerosis and other such disabilities are also classified according to their impairment level. 1981 debuted the National Veterans Wheelchair Games. The year became known as the "International Year of Disabled Persons. The first event took place in Richmond Virginia at the city's VA medical center. 74 disabled veterans brought their wheelchairs from 14 states to compete in such sports as billiards, table tennis, weightlifting and swimming. What this initiated among those who participated was the strength of camaraderie and having something in common. Hundreds of disabled veterans now compete in the Games every year.

By 1985 the wheelchair games had grown in size drastically, becoming more complex and taxing the resources of the medical centers that hosted them. To help assuage this problem the Paralyzed Veterans of America became the sponsor of these wheelchair games. Money was needed and so the PVA when to various corporations asking them to also co sponsor the event. Since that time these sponsorships have helped grow the games, with more competitors as well as more sports variety. British disabled military veterans joined the games in 1987 and participate each year. From this sprang up a new association, the British Ex-Services Wheelchair Sports Association. It now hosts International games for veterans in wheelchairs and has had competition in the UK in 1994, 1996 and 1999.

The National Veterans Wheelchair Games is now the biggest annual sports event for those in wheelchairs anywhere in the world. Now more than 500 athletes bring their wheelchairs from nearly every state, from Puerto Rico and from the UK to compete. The 2004 games were held in St. Louis Missouri, the 2005 games in Minneapolis Minnesota. The 2006 games will be held July 3rd through 8th in Anchorage Alaska. Right now the folks putting the games together are busy soliciting the 200+ volunteers they will need to help with meals, with transportation, setting up the sites, keeping scoring, timing, take photos, and giving out water. Those interested in volunteering can apply online. The VA and the PVA both remain committed to the games and their ability to help rehabilitate these disabled veterans.

Val Towley is the webmaster and owner of "www.wheelchairsnet.com" Wheelchairs Net Ltd which is an excellent place to find wheelchairs links, resources and articles. For more information go to: http://www.wheelchairsnet.com/