you can
make history

Meet Maria. She has been fighting to integrate athletes with disabilities in school sports in the state of Michigan, not just as a spectacle to show token accommodation, but as adaptive athletes who score points in an adaptive category.   All kids, regardless of physical disability, should have the same opportunity as their peers to earn a varsity letter, progress to state finals, earn state-level athletic accolades, and be valued team members.

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Almost every state has some model in place to allow adaptive athletes the same opportunities for placing and advancement, but Michigan was one of 14 states that did not.    That all changed in 2022, when our group lobbied the MHSAA to create a wheelchair category  on a two year pilot program for MHSAA regional and final competitions.   That pilot program became permanent for the 2024 track season!

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The inaugural season of the wheelchair division happened in the spring of 2022, with three adaptive athletes competing in the Upper Peninsula, and two in the Lower Peninsula.   2023 saw 8 athletes state wide, and in 2024 we had 18 adaptive athletes in Michigan, both ambulatory and seated, competing in all divisions in the state!  We need to flood this category with more adaptive athletes, so that opportunities continue to exist state wide for inclusive participation on school sports teams.  

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Our work is far from done, though.  We continue to fight for equity.  Adaptive athletes should  be point-scoring members of their team, able to earn state records, and be able to participate in any event available to other athletes.  In short, they should be treated like every other member of the team.

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Come make Michigan State History by joining YOUR school track and field team, and pave the way for future generations of adaptive athletes!