The Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association is the peak body for sport, recreation and fitness for people with a physical disability or

vision impairment Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

in the Australian state of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. The

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organisation's mission was 'to enhance the lives of people with a disability through community engagement and education, sport and healthy activity', and was changed after 2019 to 'Engage, empower and develop people with a disability to live a more healthy, active and fulfilled life of their choosing'. It supports people with a range of disabilities including

acquired brain injury Acquired brain injury (ABI) is brain damage caused by events after birth, rather than as part of a genetic or congenital disorder such as fetal alcohol syndrome, perinatal illness or perinatal hypoxia. ABI can result in cognitive, physical, em ...

amputation Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on ind ...

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be p ...

, multiple sclerosis,

muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily af ...

spina bifida Spina bifida (Latin for 'split spine'; SB) is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the spine and the membranes around the spinal cord during early development in pregnancy. There are three main types: spina bifida occulta, m ...

spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal co ...

, other neuromuscular and orthopaedic conditions, and

(partial or total vision loss). The organisation's sports programs and services encourage participation from social level through to elite competition such as the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

. The organisation's headquarters is in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

, about September 2020, moving from 60 Edmondstone Road, Bowen Hills, to 30 Dover Street, Albion. There were offices in Cairns,

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 30 ...

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

and

Central Queensland Central Queensland is an ambiguous geographical division of Queensland ( a state in Australia) that centres on the eastern coast, around the Tropic of Capricorn. Its major regional centre is Rockhampton. The region extends from the Capricorn Coa ...

Governance

Under the association’s constitution, the general control and management of the administration of Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association is by a board of six. An advisory council of Queensland business and community leaders meets on a regular basis to advise and assist the Board in the development and implementation of association policies. Five-time Paralympian and coach

Ray Epstein Ramon (Ray) Gary Epstein, (born 14 October 1959) is an Australian Paralympic weightlifter and powerlifting coach. He represented Australia in weightlifting at the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Paralympics and was Head Coach of the Australian ...

was the chief executive officer of the association from 1998 to December 2016.

History

The association has its origins in the 1960s as a small sports club within the Paraplegic Welfare Association in Queensland. Sport for people with spinal cord injuries was gaining popularity following the first

in Rome in 1960, and the 'Queensland Sports and Social Club for the Disabled' played an active role in promoting disability sport and raising funds for Queensland athletes selected for national and international competitions. In 1977, the club became a registered charity in its own right as the

Paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neur ...

and

Quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...

Sport Association of Queensland. By the following year, the association had extended its programs and services to include people with physical disabilities other than spinal cord injuries. The decision was made to change to the current name to reflect the association's broader mission and capitalise on the popular term 'sporting wheelies' to describe wheelchair athletes. The association also works with national bodies such as the Sport Australia and the

Paralympics Australia Paralympics Australia (PA) previously called the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) (1998–2019) is the National Paralympic Committee in Australia for the Paralympic Games movement. It oversees the preparation and management of Australian tea ...

Notable Paralympians

Ashley Adams Ashley Phillip Adams (12 October 1955 – 17 March 2015) was an Australian Paralympic shooting medallist and cattle grazier. Personal Adams was born on 12 October 1955 in Toowoomba. He became a paraplegic in 1982 at the age of 26 after being i ...

Rene Ahrens Rene Ahrens from Queensland is an Australian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair basketballer. At the 1980 Arnhem Paralympics The 1980 Summer Paralympics ( nl, Paralympische Zomerspelen 1980), branded as the Olympics for the Disabled, were ...

* Greg Ball *

Brendan Burkett Brendan John Burkett, OAM (born 7 October 1963) is an Australian swimmer who won five medals at four Paralympics and a silver medal at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. Personal Burkett was born on 7 October 1963 as one of six children i ...

Lyn Coleman Lynette ("Lyn") Coleman (born 16 September 1964) is an Australian Paralympic boccia player, athlete and swimmer with cerebral palsy. Career Lyn was born in Brisbane. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, she won a silver medal in ...

Cameron de Burgh Cameron de Burgh (born 11 April 1971) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer, who has won four medals at two Paralympics. Personal De Burgh was born in New Zealand on 11 April 1971, and moved to Brisbane in Australia in 1991. At the age of 16, hi ...

Stephen Eaton Stephen Robert Eaton, OAM (born 15 September 1975) is an Australian athlete with cerebral palsy from Toowoomba, Queensland who competes at the national and international level in discus throwing and shot put at events such as the Paralympic ...

Amanda Fraser Amanda Fraser (born 10 November 1981 in Emerald, Queensland) is an Australian Paralympic athlete and swimmer. She has cerebral palsy and competes in the F37 category for the physically impaired. Competing in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Par ...

Darren Gardiner Darren Gardiner (born 19 November 1969) is an Australian Paralympic powerlifter. He has won two Paralympic silver medals in the Men's Over 100 kg powerlifting event. He did not medal at the 2012 Games. Personal Gardiner was born on 19 Nov ...

Marayke Jonkers Marayke Caroline Jonkers (born 13 September 1981) is a retired Australian Paralympic swimmer and paratriathlete. She won two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, along with a bronze med ...

* Adrian King *

Warren Lawton Warren Lawton (born 23 March 1966) is an Indigenous Australian Paralympic athletics and goalball competitor with a visual impairment. He was born on 23 March 1966 in Augathella, Queensland and has been visually impaired since birth. At th ...

* Karni Liddell * Alison Mosely * Mike Nugent * Christopher Scott * Brooke Stockham *

Darren Thrupp Darren Brian Thrupp, OAM (born 6 December 1966) is an Australian Paralympic athlete competing mainly in category T37 sprint events. He has won nine medals at six Paralympics. Biography Thrupp was born in the Queensland town of Kilcoy. He acqu ...

Geoff Trappett Geoffrey Douglas Trappett, OAM (born 18 September 1979) is an Australian Paralympic athlete who won three medals over two Paralympics. Early life Trappett was born in Brisbane on 18 September 1979 with spina bifida. He grew up in the Brisban ...

Rachael Watson Rachael Elizabeth Watson, (born 30 January 1992) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. Watson represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics winning gold in the 50m Freestyle S4, a feat she repeated at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Personal Wa ...

Association members inducted into the Queensland Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame have included Robert McIntyre (1996),

(1996), Beryl Ahrens (1996), Kevin Bishop (1996), Fred Nitz (1996), Mike Nugent (1996), Mathew Le Busque (2001), and Adrian King (2003).

Services

Member services include financial support to participate in representative sporting events and training camps; junior development squads for young athletes; social sporting competitions; subsidised recreational activities; and fitness and rehabilitation services through its Brisbane gym. The organisation also works with partners in disability services, the public sector and sporting bodies to promote inclusion and increase participation of people with a disability in sport and active recreation.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.sportingwheelies.org.au/ Parasports organisations in Australia Organisations based in Queensland Cerebral palsy organizations Sports organizations established in 1977