Sports and recreation are important components of rehabilitation and integration for people with disabilities. For many people, technology is essential to facilitate their participation in adaptive sports and recreation activities. The Paralympic Games held every four years in conjunction with the Olympic Games are the pinnacle of competition for many different adaptive sports. Although there are a wide and growing variety of adaptive sports and recreation activities that are not currently included in the Paralympic Games. Adaptive sports and the technology that enable them are priorities for people with disabilities although often overlooked or under supported for research and development.
The desire to participate in adaptive sports and recreation activities is so great among people with disabilities that new sports continue to be created and adapted. Some emerging sports include, for example, powered wheelchair field hockey, adaptive e-sports, and wheelchair curling However, there are important gaps. Access to adaptive sports and technologies that enable them are not widely accessible creating barriers to participation for people with lowers incomes. Moreover, individuals who require assistance with training and/or competing such as users of powered wheelchairs have fewer opportunities and commonly incur higher costs to participate. This creates some inequities that need to be investigated and eventually addressed so that there are greater opportunities to participate in adaptive sports and recreation that are less dependent on income, and to support leagues and competitions inclusive of people with disabilities who require assistance.
There are several technological advances that are promising for the future of adaptive sports and recreation. The growing field of origami engineering and additive manufacturing (also known as 3 D printing) show promise for providing greater customisation and to potentially reduce costs of technology. Computer aided design and manufacturing brought transformative changes in variety and quality of adaptive sports equipment and assistive technologies. Additive manufacturing has started to bring about changes with custom gloves for wheelchair racing, specialised prosthetics for cycling, and individualised splints and adaptations for a variety of sports such a billiards, table-tennis, etc. Origami engineering is the application of the art of origami to engineering and design, where metals and/or composite materials are shaped and formed from sheets to create complex structures. This approach has the potential to reduce the materials required, minimise waste, and lower costs while improving quality. Advance in radio-controlled vehicles (e.g. remote controlled cars, battery operate drones, etc.) are creating opportunities to expand powered mobility devices for sports and recreation through access to affordable motors, drive trains, and power sources. Smart phone technology is enabling application software to track activity, caloric expenditure, and quality of movement. As smart phones are ubiquitous and application software is often free or low cost, it has the potential to increase access to knowledge and expertise. The lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic have increased access to and usage of tools for on-line communication helping to allow communication between experts and people seeking knowledge around the world.