Adaptive Sports Coalition

Mission

The Dallas-Fort Worth Adaptive Sports Coalition focuses on the abilities of people with impairments, functional limitations, and/or disabilities. We aim to increase awareness of, access to, and engagement in adaptive and Para sports, physical wellness, and recreational activities.

The Coalition acknowledges that exercise is medicine and should be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability level. Our goal is to help individuals of all ability levels find a safe and healthy way to stay active throughout life.

Research has demonstrated that potential benefits of participating in adaptive or Para sports include:

• Improved heart and lung health and function, mobility, muscular endurance, strength, and balance
• Positive impacts on psychosocial factors, including improved mental health and overall well-being, psychological resilience, confidence, social skills development, and peer and emotional support
• Increased functional independence and self-efficacy
• Decreased social isolation, depression, and stress
• Reduced risk of osteoporosis and obesity
• Decreased fatigue and effects from chronic disease

Meet the Coalition Organizers

The Coalition recognizes the need to provide comprehensive medical support of individuals with impairments, functional limitations, and/or disabilities when participating in physical activities, recreational activities, or sports. As part of the Coalition, UT Southwestern’s Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation provides an adaptive and Para sports medicine program in collaboration with Children’s Health and Scottish Rite for Children Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center. The program provides comprehensive sports medicine for athletes with impairments/disabilities and individuals with impairments/disabilities who want to be more physically active.

About Us

The Adaptive Sports Coalition is led by faculty from UT Southwestern’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and includes volunteers from many organizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with a shared interest in adaptive and Para sport.

See a listing of adaptive sports groups in North Texas.

Watch adaptive sports drills from the University of Texas at Arlington's Movin' Mavs camp.

For more information on the Coalition and our partners, please visit our Facebook page or send us an email at adaptivesports@utsouthwestern.edu

2021 Annual Adaptive Sports Expo and Symposium

The Dallas-Fort Worth Adaptive Sports Coalition is hosting its 5th annual Adaptive Sports Expo on Saturday, October 2, 2021, to showcase the variety of sports, recreational, fitness, and wellness activities available to individuals with impairments and disabilities. New this year will be a symposium consisting of educational sessions.

We also have some exciting new events and giveaways for our 5-year anniversary, in a fully virtual environment! See what we have planned.

Register Now

Check out our video from last year's Adaptive Sports Expo:

The 4th annual Expo was held on Saturday, September 26, 2020, as a virtual event. It showcased a variety of adaptive and Para sports. Watch now to learn how people of all abilities can take part.

Our Sponsors

A huge thank you to our sponsors for making the 2020 Expo possible. 

Title sponsor: UT Southwestern Medical Center

Silver sponsors: National Seating & Mobility and Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

Bronze sponsors: PMR Fort Worth and Children’s Health Dallas

Special thanks to our Coalition members who helped make this event possible: Darlene Hunter; Doug Garner; Ron Davis; Dana Dempsey; Robert Rinaldi, M.D.; Kathleen Bell, M.D.; Nicholas Fey, Ph.D.; and many others!

Partners: University of Texas Arlington