Progression of Inclusion: Athletes

First Disabled Olympian Medalist

Oct 29, 1904

George Eyser became the first disabled Olympian to compete in the Olympics. He competed in men's gymnastics and had an artificial leg. On October 29, Eyser won three gold, two silver, and one bronze medal. Link text

Smith Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act

Mar 14, 1918

Referred to as the Soldier's Rehabilitation Act. This was the first major Act passed by Congress to provide services and programs for disabled veterans after WWI. WWI forced the United States Government to think more of how to help those veteran soldiers who served their country and were injured during their service. Link text

Wheelchair sports begin

Mar 14, 1946

The birth year for wheelchair sports as World War II Veterans became involved in sports with emphasis on wheelchair
basketball. Many of these sports evolved from the Stoke Mandeville Sports Centre in Ashbury England founded by neurologist, Sir Ludwig Guttman, often considered
the father of wheelchair sports. The Center hosted the first international wheelchair competition.
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First Olympic Competition for Wheelchair Athletes

Jul 29, 1948

During the 1948 London Olympic Games, a man named Dr. Guttmann organized the Stoke Mandeville Games. This was the first competition for wheelchair athletes and included the following event: archery. There were 16 injured athletes that took part in the event. Paralympics History - History of the Paralympic Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2016, from
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First Paralympic Games

Mar 14, 1960

The 1960 Summer Rome Paralympics was the first Paralympics event in the world. It takes place every four years, like the Olympics, and included "400 athletes from 23 countries." (MD) Paralympics History - History of the Paralympic Movement. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2016, from
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Bob Hall Wheels in the Boston Marathon

Mar 21, 1975

Bob Hall becomes the first wheelchair-bound competitor in the Boston Marathon, a highly competitive marathon in the United States. His action paved the way to include other disabled men and women in competitive sports.
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Olympiad

Mar 14, 1976

The first Olympiad was held in Toronto, Canada for paraplegic, blind, and amputee athletes in separate divisions.
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First National Veterans Wheelchair Games

Mar 14, 1981

The first National Veterans Wheelchair Games were held in 1981, the “International Year of Disabled Persons,” at the VA Medical Center in Richmond, Va. That year, 74 veterans from 14 states competed in sports ranging from table tennis and billiards, to swimming and weightlifting. The hundreds of Veterans who choose to compete in the Games each year demonstrate their continuing popularity.
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Advances for Disabled Athletes

Mar 14, 1984

The First Exhibition wheelchair races were at the summer Olympics in Los Angeles. George Murray appeared on the Wheaties cereal box. International Games included all except spinal cord injury athletes. Rode Rodewald is the first pilot with paraplegic to circle the world.
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Rick Hansen's Man in Motion Tour

Mar 21, 1985

Rick Hansen began to circle the Earth in his wheelchair. It took him 26 months as he went through 34 countries and 4 continents. He raised $26 million for spinal cord research.
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Craig Blanchette sets mile record and Mark Wellman climbs El Capitan

Mar 14, 1989

Craig Blanchette, wheelchair bound, sets the mile record (3:51) at the Prefontaine Classic. Mark Wellman climbs El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. He had been paralyzed due to a mountain climbing accident and continued to climb. Both are also motivational speakers. Link text

USODA changes name to ADA

Mar 14, 1996

The US Organization of Disabled Athlete (USODA) changes it's name to America's Disabled Athletes (ADA). Also, Paralympic equestrian competition was introduced.
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Paralympic Games XI

Oct 18, 2000

The Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia. The games included 561 separate medal events in 18 sports. Impairment groups for the games included: Amputees, Blind & Visually Impaired, Cerebral Palsied, Intellectually Disabled, Les Autres and
Spinal Cord Injuries.
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Full Inclusion in Commonwealth Games

Mar 14, 2002

he first totally inclusive Commonwealth Games took place during the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002. Unlike before, all disabled athletes were fully acknowledged as members of their national teams. This made the Commonwealth Games "the first fully inclusive international multi-sport games." from Link text

Paralympic Games XII

Sep 17, 2004

The XII Paralympic Games were held in Athens, Greece. Four new events were introduced to the Paralympics in Athens; 5-a-side football for the blind, quads wheelchair tennis, and a women's competition in sitting volleyball and in the judo. A total of 1567 medals were awarded during the Athens games: 519 gold, 516 silver, and 532 bronze.
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Paralympic Games XIII

Sep 6, 2008

The XIII Paralympic Games were held in Beijing, China. 3,951 athletes from 146 countries took part. This was the largest ever number of nations at the Paralympics. 339 Paralympic records and 279 world records were broken. Twenty different sports were on the program.
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Ethics Rule

Mar 14, 2016

An ethics rule of the American Bar Association now forbids comments or actions that single out someone on the basis of disability, as well as other factors.
[Link text](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_disability_rights_in_the_United_States

Paralympic Games XV

Sep 7, 2016

The fifteenth Paralympic Games were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 4,342 athletes representing 159 National Paralympic Committees competed in Rio. Events in 22 sports were contested at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
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