ODS Launches Adapted Sports Programs for Young Adults

Since our inception, ODS has enriched the lives of children with disabilities through sport. Until ODS was founded, many children with disabilities had never been part of an after-school sports program. As ODS has grown, so have our players, most of whom will eventually transition to life after high school at the age of 21, which is commonly known as “The Cliff”. The students won’t have access to after school programming, they will lose their vibrant school communities and connections, and their options for sports or fitness programs are limited. Sadly, there is a dearth of sports programming options for young adults with disabilities in the Metropolitan DC area.

To address this very real need, starting this month, ODS has launched an adapted sports program for young adults, ages 18-25, with disabilities. This inaugural program consists of nine players and twelve peer buddies participating in a basketball program once per week for six weeks on Sundays at Rock Creek Forest Elementary School in Chevy Chase. As with the growth of ODS’s programs for children with disabilities, ODS is similarly planning to grow the offerings for young adults to multiple sports, locations and days. With the addition of this new program, Executive Director, Sarah Albus’s long term vision has begun to be actualized.