ACBDD Special Edition: ‘Sports Sampler’ showcases athletic opportunities

Below is an excerpt from the ACBDD’s 2026 Special Edition, which is produced in partnership with Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and The Post. The full edition can be found here.

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By Erika Taylor 

To help children of all abilities discover the sports they enjoy most, Athens County disability advocates launched a new Inclusive Sports Sampler program last fall. The program is the latest step in a growing county-wide effort to make sports more inclusive and adaptive for people of all ages.

The sampler program is part of an initiative led by the Athens City-County Health Department’s Creating Healthy Communities (CHC) program. Based on community feedback, CHC Coordinator Meredith Erlewine convened a working group of disability advocates and community members who wanted to create an inclusive recreation offering.

“We had heard from parents and from ACBDD that there was a need for more recreation opportunities for youth with disabilities,” Erlewine said. “And we know that kids want to have fun playing with their peers, so we developed a program that welcomes all kids, ages 8 and up, to play together.”

The Inclusive Sports Working Group includes staff from the Southeastern Ohio Center for Independent Living (SOCIL), which serves teens and adults; ACBDD’s Integrate Athens, which focuses on community inclusion and accessibility; Ohio University’s (OU) Department of Physical Therapy; OU’s Patton College of Education’s Coaching, Health & Physical Education program; the City of Athens Arts, Parks & Recreation; and community members with lived experience. Additionally, Ruben Arroyo Santiago, the Adaptive Physical Education Instructor at ACBDD’s Beacon School, volunteered his time and expertise to the effort.

Jeff Williams, an independent living advocate at SOCIL, runs the organization’s Inclusive and Adaptive Sports Program for adults and teens. He brought his experience with adaptive sports to the working group, helping to plan drills and provide support when needed on the court.

Williams said working with athletes with disabilities “… opened my eyes up about what is missing in the disability world — and sports being one of the biggest ones.”

That belief in sports as a connector is what drove the working group’s vision for the Sports Sampler Program. Knowing that some participants will need help on the court, program planners are creating a pipeline of university students who are studying physical therapy and recreation to serve as coaches for the program.

“This is such a great partnership, because the Ohio University students are looking for real life experience working with kids,” Erlewine said. “And the kids are looking for coaching and mentorship.”

The first running of the Inclusive Sports Sampler, held in fall 2025 at the Athens Community Center, quickly filled to capacity with 20 registrants – 11 with disabilities and nine without a disability. The program will be held again in spring 2026.

“Our goal is to have an inclusive offering available for all Athens County youth at least annually at the Athens Community Center,” Erlewine said. From there, as kids get older they can opt to participate in SOCIL’s programs for teens and adults.

Integrate Athens director Autumn Brown, who has worked in Athens County for 29 years, said she learned early on that “we all thrive when we feel connected and have meaningful activities.” Early inclusive sports efforts show how powerful athletics can be in creating those connections, Brown said.

For more information or to get involved with the working group, residents can reach out to Erlewine at merlewine@athenspublichealth.org. To find out if the next Inclusive Sports Sampler is open for registration, contact the Athens Community Center at 740-592-3325..

Edited by doctoral student Matt Fitzgerald