WHO IS A CHALLENGED ATHLETE?

A challenged athlete is an individual with a permanent physical disability pursuing an active lifestyle through physical fitness or competitive athletics. The individual’s permanent disability must impair mobility, affect the neuromuscular system, impair balance or motor control. CAF uses the International Paralympic Committee’s classification structure as a guideline and all qualifying individuals must provide supporting documentation from a medical professional to explain how their physical disability affects their activities of daily living. Hearing impairments, Intellectual and developmental disabilities do not qualify for support through CAF.

Some of the most common conditions among challenged athletes are spinal cord injury, amputations, visual impairments, hemiplegia, paraplegia, quadriplegia, limb differences, short stature, and impaired passive range of movement. There are many diagnoses that can cause these and other permanent physical disabilities, so it is vital to have a thorough Medical Verification of Disability to explain one’s physical limitations and support their eligibility as a challenged athlete.