Jacquelyn Brazzale is a junior journalism major and writes ‘Let Me Try’ for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Jacquelyn at jrbrazzale@bsu.edu.
I won’t pretend that playing with the Ball State Wheelchair Basketball League for an hour per week gives me an insight into the life of any person with a disability.
Shooting hoops in a wheelchair didn’t give me an understanding of the daily struggles that a student may be faced with.
What I am taking away from this experience is a new perspective, not on what disabled students can’t do, but what they can do. That even though I may never be in their situation, there is a way for me to take a small step into their world and create camaraderie and understanding through sports.
I’m not alone in that thinking.
“We’re out there sweating with each other, there is more [of] an understanding than there ever was before," said Alex Wallace, a sports and exercise psychology and counseling graduate. "I have that ability within myself to cope and adapt and learn more about where possible disabled athletes in the future are coming from.”
I have heard before of able-bodied individuals receiving criticism for their attempts to step into a wheelchair and potentially replicate and capture some of the limitations a disabled person faces. And, before my first week on the court, I believed I might face that same disapproval.
Instead, I was greeted with welcome, encouragement and plenty of helpful tips that I definitely needed. I found that no one was trying to simulate the experiences of a disabled student, but simply there to play ball with their friends.
Playing with this league every Tuesday night is not about the chairs or the limitations. It is not about what anybody can or cannot do. It is about a game and the people playing that game coming together on the court.
“Wheelchair basketball is a different game than regular basketball to a certain extent. It’s not about getting able-bodied people in here to see what the people with disabilities are doing," Matthew Marshall, a junior chemistry and pre-med major, said. "It’s about getting people to come out, have a good time and play some basketball and see that this is a real sport. This isn’t a substitute for anything. This is just what we do.”
For me, I have found that understanding does not come from learning about a person’s disability. Understanding comes from working, sweating, winning and losing together in a level playing field…or, in this case, a level playing court.
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