Particpants play in the Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Tournament last year. Photo: Nathan Latil, UM Communications.
The second annual Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Tournament will begin Monday, April 7 as part of campus recreation’s efforts to celebrate Disability Awareness month.
Each game will begin each day at 4 p.m. until a winner is declared. The double elimination tournament will end Friday, April 11.
The department of exercise science is hosting the event in order to raise funds for Student Disability Services and for more awareness of disabilities on campus.
“Students power a university. When change comes, it comes from the student body speaking out,” said Robin Yekaitis, Student Disabilities Services specialist. Yekaitis believes that the Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Event is the Exercise Science Department’s way of raising awareness for disabilities and the need for Student Disability Services on campus
Graduate Assistant Forrest Bryan, one of the event’s coordinators, said all students can participate in the event, regardless of whether or not he or she is handicapped.
Alyssa Radtke, a junior English major with cerebral palsy, said she recently discovered the world of disability awareness days and months. Radtke thinks that on college campuses, “where fliers and emails are sent but ignored,” true awareness is not achieved merely by the declaration of Disability Awareness Month. However, as a student with a disability she finds particular days such as National Cerebral Palsy Day and months such as April, Disability Awareness Month, a comfort.
“Disability dialogue should be—and is for me—an always open one,” she said.
Radtke said months and days for “awareness” can start conversations about disabilities, but the open communication should not conclude once the month or day is over.
All proceeds from the wheelchair basketball tournament will be used by Student Disability Services to provide programs and events that educate and promote inclusion, equity and equal access for people with disabilities, according to Yekaitis.
“The Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Tournament is a fun way to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions and promote inclusion of people with disabilities,” Yekaitis said. “We hope that this event will continue to grow bigger each year and allow us to provide more activities that foster an accessible and welcoming environment for people with disabilities.”
Competing teams will be composed of seven to 10 players in wheelchairs. The event will be considered full once 12 teams have registered. Registration forms can be found online at IMLeagues.com/olemiss. The deadline to register is Friday, April 4, and the registration fee is $10 per person.
Each player will be given a Rollin’ Rebels Basketball Tournament t-shirt upon registration. The winning team of the tournament will receive a catfish dinner at Taylor Grocery. More information can be found at the event’s Facebook page, Rollin’ Rebels Wheelchair Basketball Tournament.
— Mary Daniel Simpson
mdsimpso@go.olemiss.edu
