A group of kids played basketball this weekend on the South Coast, but there was no running across the court. That's because they were all in wheelchairs.
About a dozen six- to 19-year-olds who must use a wheelchair to do physical activities participated in this Junior Wheelchair Mini-Sports Camp on Saturday at Camino Real Park in Ventura.
Sixteen-year-old Anya Kewley who suffers from spina bifida, a birth defect in which bones don’t properly form around the spinal cord, says she enjoys these wheelchair sports.
"Makes me feel like I can do anything. It widens my opportunities to show that I'm not as different as people might think I am," she said.
The free event sponsored by Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital also included wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby and hand cycling.
The goal was to introduce these young people to sports that will hopefully build their physical skills and self-esteem.