More than half of the athletes representing Team USA at the 2026 Winter Paralympics received support from the Challenged Athletes Foundation at some point in their careers. More than half. That's not a footnote in a press release — it's a map of how athletes with physical disabilities get from aspiration to competition when the financial barriers are real. The Challenged Athletes Foundation, known as CAF, has provided grants to athletes with physical disabilities for more than 30 years. Since 1994, it has raised over $191 million and fulfilled more than 52,000 grants across all 50 states and more than 70 countries. For families with a child who has a physical disability and wants to pursue sport, CAF's grant programs are one of the more direct paths to funding that exists. Here is what the grants cover, who is eligible, and exactly what an application requires. What CAF Grants Cover The annual grant program has two tracks. Equipment Grants provide funding toward adaptive sports equipment: racing wheelchairs, hand cycles, sit-skis, prosthetic components used in sport, and similar items. Sport Expense Grants cover the costs that equipment alone doesn't reach: coaching fees, training programs, competition entry fees, travel to events, small equipment, and maintenance. CAF also runs several programs year-round, separate from the main grant cycle: CAF + Össur Grant Program: Specialized lower-limb sports prosthetics CAF Operation Rebound: Support for U.S. military veterans, first responders, and active-duty personnel with permanent physical disabilities CAF Idaho Grant...

How Families Apply for CAF Adaptive Sports Grants: What the Money Covers

More than half of the athletes representing Team USA at the 2026 Winter Paralympics received support from the Challenged Athletes Foundation at some point in their careers. More than half. That's not a footnote in a press release — it's a map of how athletes with physical disabilities get from aspiration to competition when the financial barriers are real. The Challenged Athletes Foundation, known as CAF, has provided grants to athletes with physical disabilities for more than 30 years. Since 1994, it has raised over $191 million and fulfilled more than 52,000 grants across all 50 states and more than 70 countries. For families with a child who has a physical disability and wants to pursue sport, CAF's grant programs are one of the more direct paths to funding that exists. Here is what the grants cover, who is eligible, and exactly what an application requires.  What CAF Grants Cover  The annual grant program has two tracks. Equipment Grants provide funding toward adaptive sports equipment: racing wheelchairs, hand cycles, sit-skis, prosthetic components used in sport, and similar items. Sport Expense Grants cover the costs that equipment alone doesn't reach: coaching fees, training programs, competition entry fees, travel to events, small equipment, and maintenance. CAF also runs several programs year-round, separate from the main grant cycle:   CAF + Össur Grant Program: Specialized lower-limb sports prosthetics  CAF Operation Rebound: Support for U.S. military veterans, first responders, and active-duty personnel with permanent physical disabilities  CAF Idaho Grant...

US Paralympics has announced its full team competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, held 7-18 September. The 267-member team, which includes seven guides for athletes with visual impairments, is the largest US delegation in history. "We are very excited and proud to announce our largest team yet to compete in the Paralympic Games," said Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic Sport and National Governing Body Organisational Development, United States Olympic Committee (USOC). "To see our team increase in size by more than 17 per cent since London is tremendous, and it shows the growth of the Paralympic Movement here in the US. This team of 267 athletes is not only going to excel on the field of play, but they are also going to captivate the nation with their athleticism and determination, inspiring the next generation of amazing athletes." US athletes will compete in 20 sports contested throughout the 11 days of competition. For the first time since 2004, Team USA qualified all eight of its team sports to compete in the Games. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Team USA claimed a total of 98 medals, finishing fourth in the medal count. Among the members of the 2016 US Paralympic Team are 14 reigning Paralympic champions, and 18 athletes who won multiple medals in London, including swimmer Jessica Long (five gold, two silver, one bronze) and track and field athletes Raymond Martin (four golds) and Tatyana McFadden (three golds, one bronze). The team also includes 30 military veterans and...

US Paralympics sends its largest team of 267 athletes to Rio 2016, aiming to build on their 98 medals from London 2012.

US Paralympics announce full delegation for Rio 2016

US Paralympics has announced its full team competing at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, held 7-18 September. The 267-member team, which includes seven guides for athletes with visual impairments, is the largest US delegation in history. "We are very excited and proud to announce our largest team yet to compete in the Paralympic Games," said Rick Adams, chief of Paralympic Sport and National Governing Body Organisational Development, United States Olympic Committee (USOC). "To see our team increase in size by more than 17 per cent since London is tremendous, and it shows the growth of the Paralympic Movement here in the US. This team of 267 athletes is not only going to excel on the field of play, but they are also going to captivate the nation with their athleticism and determination, inspiring the next generation of amazing athletes." US athletes will compete in 20 sports contested throughout the 11 days of competition. For the first time since 2004, Team USA qualified all eight of its team sports to compete in the Games. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Team USA claimed a total of 98 medals, finishing fourth in the medal count. Among the members of the 2016 US Paralympic Team are 14 reigning Paralympic champions, and 18 athletes who won multiple medals in London, including swimmer Jessica Long (five gold, two silver, one bronze) and track and field athletes Raymond Martin (four golds) and Tatyana McFadden (three golds, one bronze). The team also includes 30 military veterans and...

My name is Xiomara Montes, I am 35 years old, born on the island of Puerto Rico. I have 5 years of marriage, and my husband served in the U.S. Armed Forces. We have 3 beautiful children, two girls and one boy. Our first daughter is 10 years, a very intelligent girl and academically excels in school. Our boy, who is 2 years old, is the baby of the house, happy, always smiling and very active. Our second daughter is 4 years. Her name is Xaymara. She was born on December 28, 2007 at 2:00 a.m. in San Juan, Puerto Rico, only 29 weeks old. She weighed 3 pounds 10 ounces and measured 16 inches. It was unexpected, given the fact that during pregnancy there were no problems. She was quickly taken to the intensive care unit and stayed there 37 days, battling for her life. When discharged from the hospital, we took our home a healthy baby at first, but it was very difficult to handle. She was crying all the time; only me or my husband managed to calm her. At night she slept with me because there was no other way to get to sleep.    In the next six months, we went from appointment to appointment with specialists, pediatricians, but neither said anything. After six months of doubts and questions, we made an appointment with a pediatrician, a specialist in development. She did some tests and decided to send her to do an MRI....

Xiomara Montes, a military wife, shares her journey of raising a child with special needs and the support provided by the military.

On Being a Military Wife and Mother

Xiomara Montes, a military wife, shares her journey of raising a child with special needs and the support provided by the military.

On Being a Military Wife and Mother

An article in USA Today reported that home schooling has been on a steady rise for the last five years and that the reasons for home schooling have shifted. There are now 1.5 million children being home schooled, which is up 74% since they first started keeping track of numbers in 1999. Current statistics indicate that the number of alternative educational/school choices, not including religious based schools or military schools, are somewhere around 12,000. That is the largest number of choices ever, that exist outside the traditional public school system and a number that keeps growing. So now comes the question, what is the best for my child, ADD/HD or not? Obviously, the selection of public verses private has many things to consider, including such practical aspects such as cost, location, and does it represent any basic ideology that you would not want your children exposed to? A desire for religious or moral instruction, formerly number one, is still the second most given reason for parents to chose to home school. The first was for reasons of safety, peer pressure and exposure to drugs. Third was the dissatisfaction with academic instruction and fourth was interest in non-traditional approaches. So what are your reasons for not wanting your child in public school? Determining what is your goal, as a parent, is an easy way to eliminate whole groupings of alternative educational choices. Now you might want...

The best education for ADD/HD kids varies; it should match learning style and needs, with home-schooling being a rising, flexible option.

Best Educational Formats for ADD/HD Children

 An article in USA Today reported that home schooling has been on a steady rise for the last five years and that the reasons for home schooling have shifted. There are now 1.5 million children being home schooled, which is up 74% since they first started keeping track of numbers in 1999.   Current statistics indicate that the number of alternative educational/school choices, not including religious based schools or military schools, are somewhere around 12,000. That is the largest number of choices ever, that exist outside the traditional public school system and a number that keeps growing.   So now comes the question, what is the best for my child, ADD/HD or not?   Obviously, the selection of public verses private has many things to consider, including such practical aspects such as cost, location, and does it represent any basic ideology that you would not want your children exposed to?   A desire for religious or moral instruction, formerly number one, is still the second most given reason for parents to chose to home school. The first was for reasons of safety, peer pressure and exposure to drugs. Third was the dissatisfaction with academic instruction and fourth was interest in non-traditional approaches.    So what are your reasons for not wanting your child in public school?    Determining what is your goal, as a parent, is an easy way to eliminate whole groupings of alternative educational choices. Now you might want...

Nebraska senators voted 28–14 on April 7, 2026 to reject LB841, a bill sponsored by Sen. Victor Rountree that would have required school districts to get parental consent before making "material" changes to a child's Individualized Education Program. The measure would have also shifted the legal burden of proof to school districts in disputes with families. The bill came to Rountree from the Defense Department, following complaints from military families that Nebraska schools were denying their children services they'd received in other states when families moved. Sen. Bob Hallstrom opposed the measure, arguing it would give parents "veto power over every single decision made by educational experts for special education students" and expand consent requirements far beyond what federal law requires. The defeat keeps Nebraska's current system in place, and it reflects a tension playing out nationwide. Parents often feel outmatched by district lawyers and procedural expertise in IEP meetings. School administrators argue that expanding consent requirements would make it harder to deliver services when families disagree with professional recommendations. Here's what families in Nebraska and every other state should know about their actual rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. What Schools Must Get Consent For. Under IDEA, school districts must get your written consent at specific decision points: not suggestions, not notification, but actual consent. You must consent before the district can conduct an initial evaluation to determine whether your child has a disability. The school can't test your child without your permission. You must consent before...

Nebraska senators voted down a bill requiring parental consent for IEP changes. Here's what your rights actually are under federal law.

Nebraska Rejected a Bill That Would Have Given Parents More Power Over Their Child's IEP. Here's What Families Should Know About Their Rights.

Nebraska senators voted 28–14 on April 7, 2026 to reject LB841, a bill sponsored by Sen. Victor Rountree that would have required school districts to get parental consent before making "material" changes to a child's Individualized Education Program. The measure would have also shifted the legal burden of proof to school districts in disputes with families. The bill came to Rountree from the Defense Department, following complaints from military families that Nebraska schools were denying their children services they'd received in other states when families moved. Sen. Bob Hallstrom opposed the measure, arguing it would give parents "veto power over every single decision made by educational experts for special education students" and expand consent requirements far beyond what federal law requires. The defeat keeps Nebraska's current system in place, and it reflects a tension playing out nationwide. Parents often feel outmatched by district lawyers and procedural expertise in IEP meetings. School administrators argue that expanding consent requirements would make it harder to deliver services when families disagree with professional recommendations. Here's what families in Nebraska and every other state should know about their actual rights under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. What Schools Must Get Consent For. Under IDEA, school districts must get your written consent at specific decision points: not suggestions, not notification, but actual consent. You must consent before the district can conduct an initial evaluation to determine whether your child has a disability. The school can't test your child without your permission. You must consent before...

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Special Needs
Articles

How Families Apply for CAF Adaptive Sports Grants: What the Money Covers

US Paralympics announce full delegation for Rio 2016

On Being a Military Wife and Mother

Best Educational Formats for ADD/HD Children

Nebraska Rejected a Bill That Would Have Given Parents More Power Over Their Child's IEP. Here's What Families Should Know About Their Rights.

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

How Families Apply for CAF Adaptive Sports Grants: What the Money Covers

US Paralympics announce full delegation for Rio 2016

On Being a Military Wife and Mother

Best Educational Formats for ADD/HD Children

Nebraska Rejected a Bill That Would Have Given Parents More Power Over Their Child's IEP. Here's What Families Should Know About Their Rights.

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles