at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center was developed in 1987 to provide movement, exercise and competitive athletic opportunities to approximately 50 individuals of all ages with a range of physical disabilities. 

Our program emphasizes physical fitness and skill development, while also emphasizing a high standard of academic achievement that is woven into every practice and meeting.  Each youth athlete must be enrolled in and doing well in school, and seasoned athletes serve as role models/peer mentors or tutors for our younger or newly injured participants.  The goals for each participant are to:

(1) Develop a lifetime of physical fitness behaviors through movement, exercise and/or participation in competitive team sports in order to improve overall health, quality of life and to increase longevity; and

(2) Promote independence and integration with society through the pursuit of higher education. 

This program pairs younger or new participants with adult peer mentors, who model what they are capable of achieving through hard work in the athletic arena and in everyday life.  Many mentor athletes share how they have been told of all the things they cannot do – this program seeks to instill a sense that all goals are attainable.  Mentors challenge new participants to greater heights simply by showcasing their prowess on the athletic courts and by living their lives to the fullest.  With sports and activities geared toward both the very young child through adult, the Rancho Wheelchair Sports Program has proven to be an effective mechanism for reintegration to society through athletic accomplishment as well as academic success.  Numerous Rancho athletes have completed bachelor’s degrees and several have earned advanced degrees.

Most mentors are pursuing a college or advanced degree to further their job and career-path prospects (many are the first in their family to pursue a higher education!), while others have completed their education and are working full-time, have married and are raising a families of their own.  Mentors demonstrate first-hand that life does go on, and further, they are uniquely qualified to navigate various life challenges that a loving parent or concerned friend simply cannot relate to.  The program creates a safe environment to talk about a wide range of topics from how to get classmates or colleagues to see past disability, to how to ask someone out on a date or how to participate in a slow dance at the senior prom. 

Program Director, Lisa Hilborn, works with each youth athlete, their parents and teachers to ensure that each athlete receives all educational services that are necessary for their individual development based upon their needs.  She attends each Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting held by the child’s school and team of teachers.  In addition, a variety of wheelchair sporting exhibitions and ability awareness seminars are conducted at various athletes’ schools throughout southern California to heighten ability awareness levels. In this way, the child with a disability travels down the halls of the school the next day and is viewed for their abilities and individual characteristics beyond the wheelchair. Tiffany Slater, MA, MS, OTR/L, of California Children's Services, Norwalk Medical Therapy Unit, says that “Lisa has provided incredible insight into the world of wheelchair sports and the opportunities that children with orthopedic disabilities can experience through education, focus on ability and sport”.

Not only does the Rancho Wheelchair Sports Program emphasize physical fitness and skill development, but academic achievement is also incorporated into every practice and meeting.  Each youth athlete must be enrolled in and doing well in school, and seasoned athletes serve as role models/peer tutors for our younger or newly injured participants. With sports and activities geared toward both the very young child through adult, the Rancho Wheelchair Sports Program has proven an effective mechanism for reintegration to society through athletic accomplishment as well as academic success.  Numerous Rancho athletes have completed bachelor’s degrees and several have earned advanced degrees. Social work, machining, high school and college educators are among the many successful careers held by Rancho Wheelchair Sports athletes.