Institute for Disability Studies on Gulf Park Campus Designated U.S. Paralympics Sports Club
Thu, 08/14/2014 - 10:00am | By: Charmaine Williams Schmermund
The Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), located at the Technology Learning Center on The University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach, was recently named a U.S. Paralympic Sports Club. This designation, only one of two in the state of Mississippi, allows IDS to train athletes as a way to qualify for various U.S. Paralympics events.
Partnered with community organizations throughout the nation, the U.S. Paralympics organization says the sports clubs were “developed to involve youth and adults with physical and visual disabilities in sports and physical activity, regardless of skill level.”
“The U.S. Paralympic Sports Club program will provide the IDS's Technology Learning Center location with the chance to further our organization by engaging in more adaptive sports, reaching out to a greater number of athletes, and hopefully increasing our community's involvement,” said Ashley-Nicole Ross Flowers, coordinator of recreational services and assistive technology specialist at the IDS Technology Learning Center.
While IDS can assist athletes with any U.S. Paralympic sport, the organization's largest athletic event is wheelchair basketball. IDS, having hosted the TLC Golden Eagles wheelchair basketball team since 2011, is currently ranked 17th in the nation among more than 300 other Division III teams after competing in the 2014 National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) national championships in April.
The Institute for Disability Studies serves as Mississippi's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Research, Education and Service. The Institute's Technology Learning Center on the university's Gulf Park campus in Long Beach serves children and adults with disabilities through assistive technology, evaluation, consultation and recreation.
For more information, contact the Institute for Disability Studies' Technology Learning Center at 228.214.3400 or email tlcFREEMississippi.