Led by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center (GRC) and funded by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, the Inclusive Sports Project empowers schools and local partners to design physical activity programs that welcome children of all abilities from the start. Rather than separating students into different tracks, the project focuses on inclusive coaching and universal sports design so that kids with and without disabilities can play, move, and grow together.
During 2024 and 2025, the project, piloted in Athens County, blending an eight-hour online training with hands on, in person learning. Eleven coaches completed the training, gaining practical tools and growing confidence in how to engage adaptive athletes. That groundwork led directly to an after school Inclusive Sports Sampler held at the Athens Community Center Gymnasium. Meeting twice a week for five weeks, the program filled all 20 available spots almost immediately. More than half of the participants were youth with disabilities, joined by peers without disabilities, sharing the court as teammates rather than bystanders.
Families noticed the difference right away. For some children, it was the first time they put on a jersey, joined a team, or felt the rush of competition alongside friends. Another parent whose child does not have a disability described the broader impact, saying, “This gives him the opportunity to play hard, get exposed to sports, and serve as a mentor to other kids who are here.” The model, simple yet intentional, allowed inclusion to happen naturally through play.
The design of the program was guided by an advisory group that included people with disabilities and family members, ensuring that lived experience shaped every decision. The result was not just a sports program but a community hub where relationships formed across differences. For many families, the gym became a place of connection, routine, and pride. As one mother shared, her daughter was eager to attend each session even on nights when leaving the house usually felt overwhelming.
“Opening new opportunities for youth with disabilities in this aspect of physical activity will also greatly improve long term health and wellbeing outcomes across physical, mental, and social health outcomes,” said GRC’s Dr. Cara Whalen-Smith, Project Director, who leads the project along with Brynne Presser Funderburg, MPH, Project, Manager and David Ellsworth who works a dual appointment at the Ohio State University Nisonger Center and the Ohio Department of Health.
That focus on long term impact reflects a growing recognition that inclusive sports are about more than recreation. Physical activity supports healthy bodies, social participation builds confidence and friendships, and shared experiences help reshape community attitudes about disability. By training school staff and community partners, the Inclusive Sports Project lays a foundation that can last well beyond a single season.
In February 2026, that work gained national attention when the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council tagged GRC on LinkedIn to announce that the organization had received the 2026 Social Responsibility Award for its Inclusive Sports poster presentation. The poster, titled “Inclusive Sports: How Physical Therapists Can Affect Public Health Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities,” was selected by the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Leadership and Innovation from nearly 2,000 submitted abstracts.
The recognition highlights research and practice that reflect physical therapy’s core value of social responsibility, with reviewers identifying the project as work that meaningfully contributes to advancing public health outcomes for youth with disabilities. The GRC presented the poster twice during the conference, expanding conversations about inclusive sports and the role physical therapists can play in improving access to physical activity.
Earlier this year, representatives from the GRC were formally presented with the award at ALI Fest 2026 in Anaheim, California. The honor positions the Inclusive Sports Project as a model not only for Ohio but for communities nationwide seeking practical ways to make inclusion real.
For the GRC, the award reflects years of collaboration with families, schools, therapists, and state partners, and underscores the importance of translating policy and research into programs that touch everyday lives. Strong feedback from the Athens pilot has already sparked plans to expand inclusive sports training and resources into more counties, ensuring that the lessons learned reach children in rural and urban communities alike.
Back in Athens, the success of the sampler program still echoes in the voices of parents and children who found a place to belong. One mother summed it up simply, sharing that her child finally felt part of a team. In a gym filled with laughter, movement, and applause, inclusion was no longer an abstract goal but a lived experience.
