Playing basketball in a wheelchair – it’s harder than it looks.
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Zig Zag Public School students took to the court on Thursday to get a firsthand experience of wheelchair basketball.
Wheelchair Sports NSW visited the school with its Roadshow road safety program.
The program aims to raise awareness of road safety and the dangers of speeding, drink driving and using mobile phones while behind the wheel.
The students first listened to a 20 minute talk on road safety and the consequences of taking risks on the road.
It was then time to get a taste of being in a wheelchair with 40 minutes of wheelchair basketball, something most students had never done before.
Have a look at all the fun in the video below.
Roadshow presenter Rick Engles said the students were able to have a bit of fun in the wheelchairs, but only for the day and not for the rest of their lives.
Mr Engles has been confined to a wheelchair from a young age and said that while the sport may be enjoyable, going around town in a wheelchair isn't always fun and games.
He was born with spina bifida however the people he worked with were all wheelchair bound due to incidents or mistakes they made on the road.
Mr Engles urged people to not be careless and to think about the consequences of something you won’t be able to take back.
“Accidents can happen in a split second. It can happen to anyone, it doesn't matter who you are. In one split second it can change your life forever,” he said.
Wheelchair Sports NSW’s main goal is to give people with a physical disability the opportunity to play sport.
“We help them either with playing recreational or high level sport, representing their state or country,” Mr Engles said.
“We also point them in the right direction if they want to become a coach and we supply equipment to those who cant afford it.”
Wheelchair Sports NSW specialises in 12 different wheelchair sports and is funded by Transport for NSW.
Sports include basketball, tennis, table tennis, lawn bowls, archery, shooting, fencing, hand cycling, power-lifting, rugby, track and road racing as well as cue sports.
Transport for NSW are currently looking to start a new campaign focusing on drivers in country areas.
Mr Engles said that statistics showed in a quarter of country areas, two thirds of drivers were involved in car accidents.
He said this needed to change.
