Educational Media Reviews Online

This inspirational and motivational video is about athletes with physical or developmental disabilities. Through sports action shots and through brief interviews with sports instructors, administrators of sports programs/associations, and with the athletes themselves (most of whom are "weekend warriors"; a few are members of U.S. national disabled sports teams), the viewer learns about the obstacles that athletes with disabilities face when they participate in sports and recreational activities that previously have been inaccessible to them.

People with physical or developmental disabilities are now much more active then in previous generations. Partly this is due to changing attitudes, both among people with disabilities and the general population, and partly due to technological advances that now provide new opportunities to those with disabilities. Additionally, barriers to participation in sports have fallen following the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires that recreation facilities be accessible to all.

The video portrays athletes with disabilities learning or competing in a variety of sports, including technical rock climbing for blind climbers, wheelchair tennis, alpine (downhill) skiing for the blind and for amputees and paraplegics, golf, and nordic (cross-country) skiing. All of the filming was done at a variety of locations in Colorado, and the sports organizations that are profiled are all based in or have extensive operations in Colorado. The video case contains contact information for the following profiled organizations: Colorado Mountain School, Colorado Center for the Blind, Colorado Wheelchair Tennis Federation, National Sports Center for the Disabled, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center, Association of Disabled American Golfers, and Ski for Light. Though the video's focus is on Colorado programs, the video should have general appeal.

The purposes of this video are to inspire, to motivate, and to change attitudes. Amy Kaplan, director/producer of the film, is successful in portraying athletes with disabilities, and she is skilled in interspersing sports action shots with personal interviews that illuminate important social and/or psychological issues. It is at its best when it profiles Maureen, a deaf and blind cross-country skier whose story is truly inspiring.

This is not a "how-to" video. Individuals with vision impairments will not learn how to rock climb, nor will amputees learn how to ski down a mountain. But everyone who watches this video, whether disabled or not, will come away thinking and feeling that sports are for everyone.

This is a excellent video that deserves a wide audience. According to the video case it was a "Heartland Emmy Winner", and was featured at the 1998 American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses Film Festival, and at the 1998 Paralympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.

The audio, video, and editing aspects of the video are all of the highest quality. This is a wonderfully photographed video that takes full advantage of Colorado's natural outdoor beauty. Additionally, the background music, mostly bluegrass and acoustic folk guitar, adds a mellow, Colorado touch. One minor shortcoming should be noted -- with one exception, all the portrayed athletes are adults. The video's effectiveness might have been enhanced had it portrayed younger athletes.

Challenge: Everybody Plays, Everybody Wins! is recommended for junior-high through adult viewers. A valuable addition for all public and academic libraries, especially those that support programs and/or services for people with disabilities.