Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability 24(2), 147- 159 147 Power Soccer: Experiences of Students Using Power Wheelchairs in a Collegiate Athletic Club

Intercollegiate athletics provides an opportunity for improving the societal perceptions and overall quality of life of physically disabled persons. Athletic opportunities in the collegiate atmosphere allow such students to be socially, psychologically, and physically engaged. This study focused on how involvement in a Power Soccer collegiate athletic club using power wheelchairs influenced the collegiate experience of physically disabled students. As a result of par-ticipating in Power Soccer, participants reported higher levels of social interactions and independence, an appreciation of the opportunity to compete and participate on a team, and an increased amount of self-confidence. Mary Allison Milford is a collegiate wheelchair basketball athlete who uses a wheelchair as part of her sport. Unfortunately her university does not offer student-athletes with disabilities, such as Milford, the same funding and resources that it offers student-athletes in traditional able-bodied sports (Lum, 2007). This discrepancy outwardly demonstrates the per-ceived incongruence between people with physica