The event aimed to promote awareness and understanding of adaptive sports, showcasing how these activities can foster camaraderie and community. Participants were encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, engage in physical activity and experience firsthand the adaptive techniques that make sports accessible to everyone. 

“Our goal is to bridge the gap between able-bodied and disabled students on campus,” CSD President and political science pre-law senior Rebekah Batu said. “We want them to feel a chance to connect over this and it's like they realize, 'Oh, this is a ton of fun.' They have something to bond over. It just gets them feeling like they're more a part of something here at MSU and they're also being more aware of the world around them.” 

Batu is legally blind, so the Adaptive Sports and Recreation club is incredibly meaningful to her. 

"I was born with congenital characters and glaucoma, so I'm legally blind," Batu said. "Playing these sports is actually quite challenging for me, but it is always a ton of fun for me to play these sports and meet new people in the process."

During the event, participants used sports wheelchairs, which are made differently than standard hospital wheelchairs or day wheelchairs. The wheels are slanted right, which allows quicker turns. An anti-tipping mechanism is on the back of the chairs.

The Adaptive Sports program offers many opportunities for engagement and fitness, encouraging participation and community building. 

“We have a lot of different sports going on all the time,” Adaptive Sports Instructor Piotr Pasik said. “We just started a wheelchair basketball team last year. Last year, we played against UofM and then St. Clair County Community College. We're doing a halftime show at the Breslin during one of the women's games. We're doing stuff all the time and I just really wish more disabled students knew about it because this is a great opportunity to just engage in a healthier lifestyle.” 

The Adaptive Sports and Recreation Club celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sept. 2. Over the decade, the club grew quite a bit.

“I was born with cerebral palsy, which is a neurological condition that affects my muscles and my balance," said Pasik. “Growing up, I really didn't have access to sports opportunities or exercise opportunities. So, I wanted to do something about that. Now, disabled students on campus have access to those opportunities as well, just like our able-bodied students who are part of different sports clubs, get to travel all over the country or all over the world for competitions."