Wheelchair Basketball Comes to Jordan PE

PE students got a feel for what it’s like not to be able to walk when they strapped into seats for a game of wheelchair basketball.  

A local company called Bridge ll Sports - which provides support for those with disabilities -  came to Jordan for a day in mid-April and brought wheelchairs specifically made for basketball. The chairs feature low, angled seats and slanted wheels for better balance and faster turning. 

Photo by Grayson Evans

“Playing wheelchair basketball gave me perspective on what people who actually have those disabilities, that have to use wheelchairs, and what they have to go through, to do the things that we take for granted everyday, like playing basketball,” said 10th grader Jaylen Suitt. “I could go play basketball right now, but a person in a wheelchair would be harder for them to just go out and do it.”

And seeing that was the point of the activity, according to Coach Garrett, the organizer. “Not only did they get to experience wheelchair basketball, but the students were able to learn about disabilities and how people with disabilities can do the same things, just with a different skill set,” he said.

Photo by Grayson Evans

Ninth grader Landon Simpson said, “I got to experience how it was being in a wheelchair, like how people feel in their everyday lives. And it was pretty fun playing basketball in the wheelchair. It made me think about what wheelchair users' daily lives look like.” 

The students got in the wheelchairs after changing into their gym clothes and stayed in them until the end of class. The students rolled around for a little while and then they started shooting around. After about 10 minutes of shooting around they started two games of halfcourt basketball, and played that for the rest of class.