More students with disabilities in Western New York may be able to access sports in their schools thanks to a large donation announced on Wednesday in Buffalo.
High school senior Bradley Kingston seemingly plays every sport: Bocce ball, volleyball, basketball, flag football, soccer, bowling, and boxing. And that’s all when he’s not busy with science club or cooking classes.
“I've always been busy all the time," Kingston said.
But statistically, Kingston is an anomaly. Teenagers with disabilities like Kingston, who have Down syndrome, often don’t get as much physical activity as their non-disabled peers. According to the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health, teenagers ages 12-17 who have been identified as having “special health care needs” are less likely to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day compared to a teenager without a disability.
![Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. 2022 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data query. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). Retrieved [10/25/23] from [www.childhealthdata.org].](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c4b6b9d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/700x500+0+0/resize/840x600!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff2%2F7a%2F3a15458045c1b2127cb7731709f2%2Fmicrosoftteams-image-72.png)
Part of the reason Kingston has been able to stay so active is because of unified sports programs offered through Special Olympics New York. Kingston says beyond being active, he’s been able to try new sports that he’s been curious about, like Bocce ball, improve with his friends, and fuel his competitive side.
“I know, like my friend Nathan and Jamie Lee," Kingston said. "So we did get better like playing Bocce Ball and stuff and yeah, I was just so curious about it."
Unified sports programs create competitive sports opportunities that both disabled and non-disabled athletes compete in together. Kingston says it helps his non-disabled classmates understand him better.
“Participating schools see an immediate change in their school culture," said Special Olympics New York CEO Stacey Hengsterman. "They have five high-fives in the hallways, they now eat lunch together in the cafeteria. When we are doing everything right, they spend time together in school and out of school. The program proves over and over again when you give students the opportunity they will choose to include.”
Hengsterman visited Buffalo on Wednesday to announce that their unified sports program will grow in Western New York thanks to a $100,000 donation from Delaware North. Western New York schools currently make up 50 of 250 unified sports programs in the state run by Special Olympics New York.
As she wrapped up her remarks and kicked off a Bocce demonstration with Kingston and other athletes, she committed: “I'm here to tell you we will not stop until every school in Western New York and across the state is playing unified.”
