AdaptED Sports Cofounder, Executive Director
I could not have asked for a more successful and rewarding career or life of purpose. But the time is approaching for another leader to take the reins. I have informed my Board of my intent to retire effective September 1, 2025.
Our organization, the American Association of AdaptED Sports Programs (AAASP), is unique among all disability sport organizations. We are not community-based. Instead, for nearly 30 years, AAASP has served as the athletic association and premier prototype for America’s schools, demonstrating how to fully fund and integrate adapted sports for students with physical disabilities into the traditional interscholastic sport infrastructure.
Exactly as their peers, our students letter in their sport at school, enjoy robust and accurate coverage in media across our state and compete with other school systems for state titles. They enjoy graduation rates above 80%, and have received university scholarship to play ball at prestigious universities. The AAASP State Wheelchair Basketball Championship is fully embedded within the (Georgia High School Association) GHSA State Championships, and each year is streamed and/or televised nationally by the NFHS Network and/or all nine Georgia Public Broadcasting stations. AAASP was also the first to develop and launch wheelchair football as a viable interscholastic sport.
We could not have achieved all we have for the rights and opportunities of student athletes with disabilities, but for our alliance with the Georgia Department of Education, the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) and partnerships with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). Together, we have designed and held trainings in-person and online, courses taken by nearly 3,000 educators, administrators, coaches and advocates. AAASP holds over 100 competitions each school year in Georgia, representing more than 30 weeks of programming. We have provided almost $2.5M in grants to our members for equipment, training and program inception. And each October, we hold the ASPIRE Awards (AdaptED Sports In Recreation and Education) in Atlanta, to honor the outstanding achievements of athletes, advocates, coaches, programs (school and community-based) and media who help us tell our amazing stories in adapted and para sport.
Who will be the next leader of this truly extraordinary organization? Thus far we are honored to have nearly 200 applications from those who believe they have what it takes to lead this movement in education. AAASP is a financially strong and solvent not-for-profit, with decades of success and an embarrassment of awards and accolades. No one can be a delighted as me, a cofounder, to see where we will grow next.
Tommie Storms
Cofounder, Executive Director – AAASP