Community Knowledge Centre - Toronto Community Foundation

About this organization

Mission

The Mission of ParaSport Ontario is to support the development and promotion of the Paralympic movement in Ontario. Our vision is to promote parallel opportunities in sport for athletes with a physical disability. ParaSport Ontario strives to enhance and strengthen its provincial/national role and scope of influence as a leader in the community for persons with a physical disability, as well as maximizing involvement of athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers in ParaSport and Paralympic Sport.

History of Organization

ParaSport Ontario was established in 1981 to increase awareness and sporting opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities. Over the past 30 years, ParaSport Ontario has continued to be a key player in supporting and promoting the Paralympic movement.

Partnerships with four member Provincial Multi-Sport Organizations and eight Provincial Sport Organizations allows ParaSport Ontario to reach athletes with a broad range of physical disabilities, and provide the utmost support and awareness in surrounding communities. ParaSport Ontario works with people of all ages and athletic ability to create a safe and positive environment to learn and succeed.

Since its inception, ParaSport Ontario has helped thousands of youth and adults with physical disabilities participate in sport at local, provincial and national levels.  As well as benefitting from healthy lifestyle changes, participants discover increased self-esteem, new friendships and endless opportunities.

Accolades and Accomplishments

Over the past 30 years, ParaSport Ontario has become an invaluable organization within the Paralympic movement.  ParaSport Ontario affiliates a variety of ParaSport Clubs and more than 1800 athletes (inclusive of OALASA, OBSA, OCPSA, and OWSA) on a yearly basis. These athletes are given the opportunity to compete in Regional and Provincial Level competitions through ParaSport Ontario.

Development programs including “Ready Willing and Able” deliver introductory sport sessions to thousands of athletes, coaches and officials throughout Ontario yearly.  ParaSport Ontario works with Ontario municipalities to develop Accessible Sport Councils, while partnering with communities to develop new ParaSport Clubs through “Community Sport Development Program” for athletes with physical disabilities. Community programs affect a large number of people with physical disabilities as they learn and become more involved in sport.

The Ontario ParaSport Winter/Summer Games are the premier multi-sport competition for athletes with disabilities, with Winter Games being the largest multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities in Ontario. These Games provide Ontario’s top athletes with elite level competitions they would otherwise lack.

Programs

>Ready Willing and Able / Community Development Programs
>Ontario ParaSport Games Program

• Ready Willing and Able – Introductory sport sessions in which athlete/coach ambassadors share their story and demonstrate Paralympic sport(s) of choice.
• Community Sport Development – Provides professional consultation and hands on assistance to enable communities in establishing, developing and launching sustainable sport clubs.
• Accessible Sport Councils – Focus on creating disability program awareness within Ontario communities and encourage municipalities to increase their involvement in sport for athletes with physical disabilities.
• Ontario ParaSport Summer/Winter Games – Occur in alternating years, Ontario’s top-level athletes compete in 6 summer and/or 7 winter Paralympic sports.
• Play 24 – Initiated in 2010 with wheelchair basketball, people (including parasport athletes) participate in a Paralympic sport continuously for 24-hours, while raising money for ParaSport Ontario programs/events and the associated Provincial Sport Organization.
• Concert for Inclusion – The Concert for Inclusion is a yearly event raising funds to help support ParaSport Ontario’s developmental programs.
• Annual ParaSport Ontario Magazine – Published just prior to the ParaSport Games, it contains information on outstanding athletes, upcoming events and Games, and affiliated clubs.
• ParaSport Expos – Occurring in communities hosting ParaSport Games, Expos give community residents the opportunity to learn more about ParaSport programs, meet ParaSport/Paralympic athletes and participate in an array of parasports.

Ready Willing and Able / Community Development Programs

Community Sport Development Programs (CSD) provides consultation and hands-on assistance to enable communities in establishing, developing and launching sustainable sports clubs.  The program provides equipment funding, mentorship and professional consulting on skill development, athlete recruitment, governance, fundraising, volunteer recruitment and sustainability planning to the clubs during their formative phase.

Ready Willing and Able (RWA) is a ParaSport Ontario initiative aimed at demonstrating Paralympic sports within the community at an introductory level.  Facilities such as rehabilitation centers, community centers and schools, provide venues for these introductory sessions which target recreation staff, College/University students, parents of children/teenagers with a physical disability, and many more organizations and groups.

Ready Willing and Able sessions consist of athlete/coach ambassadors who share their story and demonstrate Paralympic sport(s) of choice. After demonstrations, participants have the opportunity to partake in the sport in the form of skill sessions, drill, and/or scrimmages.

Through Ready Willing and Able and Community Development Programs, people with physical disability are exposed to new sports and given the opportunity to participate through sports days and clubs.

Funding and Program Partners

Ontario Trillium Foundation and Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport have generously supported Community Development Programs, including Ready Willing and Able, along with key sponsors Shoppers Home Health Care and AMJ Campbell Van Lines.

Program Impact

Since 1981, Community Development Programs including Ready Willing and Able have affected thousands of people throughout Ontario by introducing them to Paralympic sports and spreading awareness throughout surrounding communities.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

• “When immediate family members are taken into account, the number of people affected by disability is almost 55% of the population.”
• “Leadership that reflects the city’s diversity helps to strengthen a culture of citizen engagement. The more we feel connected to others, the more vibrant and resilient we are individually and collectively.”
• “Less than 15% of Ontario children are physically active (getting the recommended daily hour and a half of physical activity, half of which should come from active play).”

(Toronto's Vital Signs®, 2010)

Participant Vignette

Igor Momot suffered a spinal cord injury in October 2009 and was introduced to Wheelchair Basketball at a Ready Willing and Able session while at Toronto Rehab’s Lyndhurst site before being released in February 2010.  He was very keen to play and was recommended to try out sports in Toronto before borrowing a chair.  ParaSport Ontario, in partnership with Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association and Holland Bloorview Kids Rehab, had started a drop-in wheelchair basketball program that Igor was able to attend.  Under ParaSport Ontario’s Community Sport Development program the drop-in club was developed into an official club and Igor was eager to get involved.  The club now runs a recreational program as well as competitive team that Igor plays on.  Wheelchair basketball helps with his rehabilitation and wheelchair skills, and it is a chance for Igor to be competitive.  “There’s lots of stuff I used to do that I can’t now, but I can still play basketball.”  Igor is thrilled to have found the club and to support the organizations that made it possible, which included participating in ParaSport Ontario’s Play24 fundraising event in August 2010.

Ontario ParaSport Games Program

Ontario ParaSport Games Program consists of Summer and Winter Multi-ParaSport Games, providing Ontario’s top athletes with elite-level competitions that are athlete-centered and offer opportunities to pursue national and international competitions. Summer and Winter Multi-Sport Games are organized in conjunction with the Sport Alliance of Ontario, four Multi-Sport Organizations and six Provincial Sport Organizations, include 6 and 7 sports respectively, and occur on alternating years.

Both Winter and Summer Games are held in different locations around Ontario, creating awareness and interest in the communities where they take place.  While the Games help to spread knowledge of the Paralympic movement through promotion in surrounding areas, they also provide high level competition for Ontario athletes. 

Funding and Program Partners

Ontario ParaSport Games Program is proudly supported by the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport and Sport Alliance of Ontario.  Key sponsors include Shoppers Home Health Care, AMJ Campbell Van Lines, and the Games Host Communities.

Program Impact

Over the past three decades, Ontario ParaSport Summer Games have played an integral role in the development of Ontario’s top athletes including many Paralympians, and are considered to be Ontario’s premier Multi-Sport Games, hosting approximately 250 participants in August 2011.  Established in 2006, Ontario ParaSport Winter Games are now the largest multi-sport competition for athletes with a physical disability in Ontario, including approximately 450 participants in 2010.

Toronto's Vital Signs® indicator(s) addressed by Program

• “When immediate family members are taken into account, the number of people affected by disability is almost 55% of the population.”
• “Leadership that reflects the city’s diversity helps to strengthen a culture of citizen engagement. The more we feel connected to others, the more vibrant and resilient we are individually and collectively.”
• “Less than 15% of Ontario children are physically active (getting the recommended daily hour and a half of physical activity, half of which should come from active play).”

(Toronto's Vital Signs®, 2010)

Participant Vignette

For Brock Richardson, sports are just as much about friendship as they are about competition. “I’ve learned that being competitive is fun, and I’ve learned how to strategize. But sports is about making friends, too,” Brock says.  Brock started competing in Boccia six years ago. The seventeen year- old credits his special needs worker with introducing him to the sport. “She wanted me to get into sports, because all of my friends were involved,” Brock recalls.  Brock has cerebral palsy. With Boccia, he has found a sport he loves, a natural talent, and a lot of success. A very skilled competitor, he has won 2nd place at both the 2008 Nationals and Boccia Blast 2007. He took top honours at the 2007 provincials. For the 2008 Ontario ParaSport Summer Games, Brock’s goal was to build on his past successes. In particular, he used the Ontario ParaSport Summer Games to prepare for the Paralympic Games in Beijing.