Uncle Jim Brings Wheelchair Basketball To Roosevelt Island's Sportspark - Enabled People With A Disability Who Can Do Everything Other People Do But Just A Little Bit Different

 Roosevelt Island Wheelchair Basketball Image From Damiano Beltrami of Huffington Post

The Huffington Post reported today on our very own "Uncle" Jim Bates, the President of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association (RIDA), and his efforts to bring Wheelchair Basketball to Roosevelt Island's Sportspark facility.

The Huffington Post reports:

Jim Bates, president of the Roosevelt Island Disabled Association, is stretching the shoe-string budget of his small, nonprofit organization to create a wheelchair basketball team on Roosevelt Island, where several hundred disabled people live.

"These guys deserve to show their skills, and they need competition to get better," said Bates, a determined and proactive 67-year-old Vietnam era veteran, who goes by the nickname of Uncle Jim. "Am I going to be the coach? Well, why not?"...

As Mr. Bates says in the video below, disabled people:

... can do everything other people can do - just a little bit different.

Uncle Jim's Team from Damiano Beltrami on Vimeo.

More on Roosevelt Island Wheelchair Basketball from this previous post.

Every Saturday from 10AM to 1PM Sportspark Gym at 250 Main St will be open to all Wheelchair Basketball players.

For more information contact unclejim at 212 731-2547