USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project

Para-College Inclusion Project - Wheelchair Track and Field

The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the NCAA office of inclusion launched the Para-College Inclusion Project in 2021 to engage schools offering adaptive sport to collectively increase Paralympic sport understanding, awareness and connection across the collegiate landscape. The project originally focused on awareness-building across three sports: wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis and Para track and field, recognizing that Para college sports needed a stronger foundation and collaboration across sports. Since 2024, the project has evolved to include activations in Para fencing, Para swimming and Para rowing. Discover more about the USOPC Paralympic Sport Development program and Olympians and Paralympians Made Here campaign or explore the journey to becoming an NCAA student-athlete.

Stay in the Game

High school student-athletes with disabilities can continue their athletic careers in college through competitive Para sport programs offered at over 20 colleges across 17 states, including sports like wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, para track and field and more.

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Taking the Next Step

Current and former NCAA student-athletes with a physical, visual, or intellectual disability interested in Paralympic sport are encouraged to complete the form below. By completing the form below, you’ll get connected with Team USA and Paralympic sport opportunities.

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The USOPC/NCAA Para-College Inclusion Project launched several initiatives, including:

Para-College Inclusion Project - Wheelchair Women's Basketball

Wheelchair Basketball

The collaboration among the wheelchair basketball tactical team, USOPC, NCAA and National Wheelchair Basketball Association resulted in joint activations at the 2024 and 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Final Fours. A highlight was the second-annual Team USA vs. College All-Stars game, held during halftime of the 2024 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and in front of a crowd of more than 18,000. In both 2024 and 2025, the NWBA hosted open exhibitions at Tourney Town with the Cleveland Wheelchair Cavaliers (2024) and the Tampa Bay Strong Dogs (2025). The partnership at Tourney Town continued by highlighting U.S. Paralympians on the Beyond the Baseline panels in both 2024 and 2025. Additionally, the USOPC and NCAA partnered to have U.S. Paralympians Emily Oberst, Fabian Romo and Trey Jenifer recognized on center court during the 2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship.

Wheelchair Tennis

Following a groundbreaking national collegiate wheelchair tennis exhibition during the 2023 NCAA Division I, II, and III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, the 2024 ITA National Collegiate Wheelchair Tennis semifinals and finals were held at the same time and location as the 2024 NCAA Division I semifinals and finals at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 2025 ITA Wheelchair Individual National Tennis Championships were once again held alongside the NCAA Division I singles and doubles tennis championships, November 22 – 23 in Orlando, Florida featuring Alabama’s Feliciano Felici, Arizona’s Max Wong and Michigan’s Caiden Baxter and Jacob Wald. Felici took home the title for the second year in a row.

Para Track and Field

On June 7-8, 2024, history was made. The second inaugural National Collegiate Wheelchair 100-Meter Championships were held during the 2024 NCAA Division I Outdoor Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s famed Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. Evan Correll and Hannah Dederick, both from Illinois, won the respective men’s and women’s championships. The 2025 National Collegiate Wheelchair 100-Meter Championships were held once again during the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Championships, where Correll and Dederick both repeated their championship titles.

Wheelchair Fencing

In a groundbreaking development for the world of fencing, the 2024 NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships featured a wheelchair fencing demonstration for the very first time. The demonstration took place during the event’s final day of competition at The Ohio State University and featured Paris 2024 Paralympian Byron Branch. In 2025, the wheelchair fencing demonstration was held once again at the 2025 NCAA National Collegiate Fencing Championships at Penn State University, featuring Paris 2024 Paralympian Noah Hanssen and LA28 hopeful Abe Kaplan. This historic inclusion, orchestrated by USA Fencing, the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the NCAA, is a monumental move toward fostering inclusivity and broadening the horizons of fencing for athletes with disabilities.