Sports teams get kids with disabilities onto the ice

By Michael Winerip in the New York Times:

An unsentimental look at a day in the life of Brian Collins and his son Danny at an American Special Hockey Association game in Hicksville, NY. Danny,13, has Down syndrome and plays for the Long Island Blues. The association now has 50 teams, and many of the players have Down syndrome, autism, ADD, Tourette’s syndrome, Asperger’s and cerebral palsy.

“We look like no other hockey you’ve ever seen,” said Jon Schwartz, who is the national association vice president and coach of the New Jersey Daredevils.

Danny loves playing offensive hockey. He also loves routine, French fries, Coke, pepperoni, “High School Musical” (the CD) and “The Night Before Christmas” (the book).

When Danny was born, a relative who had a child with cerebral palsy said something that made things easier for Mr. Collins. She said no matter how many years passed, when Christmas came around again, Danny would still believe in Santa Claus, and Mr. Collins thought, “I can live with that.”

… Though it was 10 by the time they got back to Garden City, well past Danny’s bedtime, Mr. Collins read him “The Night Before Christmas,” said good night and then, as he always does, sat in the dark watching until his son fell asleep.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Asperger's, Down syndrome, attention deficit disorder, autism, exercise/sports, tourette's. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post