COSD forum: cooperative relations.

Throughout its history, the Committee on Sports for the Disabled (COSD) has encouraged cooperative relations among disabled sport organizations (DSOs), and national sport governing bodies (NGBs) on national and international levels. A number of these cooperative relationships were reported at the May, 1992 COSD meeting.

National Handicapped Sports (NHS) continues to improve its relationship with the United States Skiing Association (USSA). Under the recent proposal, NHS would continue to conduct grassroots and development programs for skiers with disabilities, while NHS and USSA would jointly sanction the national championship. In addition, U.S. Skiing would provide active assistance through its grassroots programs toward reaching and training skiers with disabilities.

The American Athletic Association of the Deaf (AAAD) has established working relationships with several NGBs, including swimming, volleyball, water polo, and especially team handball. An AAAD deaf athlete is presently training as a member of the team handball national team.

Special Olympics is actively involved with many NGBs. Of note is the fact that a team of Special Olympians competed recently in the United States Team Handball Federation Championships. Additionally, it was reported that there were four events for Special Olympics athletes conducted in conjunction with the TAC (The Athletic Congress) Olympic Trials.

Similar to other DSOs, the United States Cerebral Palsy Athletic Association (USCPAA) has also formed working relationships with NGBs. Prior to the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, USCPAA worked with the U.S. Soccer Federation and some of its coaches in preparing the CP Paralympic soccer team.

In addition to establishing relations with NGBs, DSOs have continued to form alliances with related disabled sport organizations. For example, the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA) has nearly finalized agreements with organizations for wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis which would incorporate these programs into NWAA activities and organizational structure. NHS was reported to be working closely with the National Ocean Access Project, as well as with United States Sailing, on programs to prepare and select athletes to represent the United States in competitions.

On the international level, cooperation and collaborative efforts continue to be influenced by the existing organization and structure of the international governing bodies for disabled sport, as well as by events surrounding the evolution of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Paralympic games. All DSOs except AAAD and Special Olympics (SOI) enjoy representation to the IPC, and participation in the Paralympic Games. Special Olympics has no plans to participate in the Paralympic Games inasmuch as it currently sponsors its own quadrennial games. In addition, SOI has sought no formal relationship nor communication with the International Federation of Sport for the Mentally Handicapped (INAS-FMH), the organization which is recognized by IPC as the international governing body for sport for individuals with mental handicaps. It was reported that the Atlanta bid for the Paralympics did not contemplate events for athletes with developmental disabilities (mental handicaps or mental retardation) inasmuch as none have been a part of previous Paralympic competition schedules. (Note. The first Paralympic Games for the Mentally Handicapped were held in Madrid, Spain, in September 1992 -- see article starting on page 59.)

As for the involvement of AAAD with IPC and the Paralympic Games, it was reported that as the international federation for Deaf sport, the CISS is a member of IPC. In addition, IPC has recognized the separate World Games for the Deaf as an equivalent of the Paralympic Games, and there are no current plans for integrating events for the deaf into the Paralympic Games.

Primary reasons cited in support of continuing with separate events were (a) the fact that deaf sports do not need to utilize adaptive rules, (b) added costs to provide sign language interpreters at the Paralympic Games, and (c) cultural uniqueness of the World Games for the Deaf.

Cooperation, as well as understanding and respect for each other has improved tremendously over the last 40 plus years at national and international levels. As sport for individuals with disabilities continues to mature, cooperation and collaboration among groups will undoubtedly increase.