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In years past, a serious physical disability meant unemployment, isolation, and inactivity for many thousands of people.

No longer. While the Americans with Disabilities Act has opened up the workplace and public facilities to people with disabilities, many organizations around the country have sprung up, offering access to sports programs both for wheelchair-bound individuals and amputees with artificial prosthetic devices. Disabled people are experiencing the joy of participating in Alpine and cross-country skiing, all kinds of water sports from swimming to sailing to scuba diving, and even more extreme sports such as mountain climbing and sky diving.

The importance of both competitive and recreational sports for individuals with disabilities can't be overestimated. Particularly for formerly able-bodied people who find themselves disabled, sports can serve as a tremendous motivation in the rehabilitation process and can help alleviate the depression, confusion, and loss of self-esteem that often accompanies a debilitating injury. For those born with a serious disability, sports can serve as an important way of connecting to the "abled" world.

Competitive sports for the disabled are experiencing phenomenal success. The world-wide organization now known as the Paralympic Games was founded in Rome, Italy, in 1960, inspired by a 1948 competition organized in England for disabled World War II veterans. According to the Paralympic Games website, participating athletes compete in a variety of sports based on one of six disability-based classifications: amputee, cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, visual impairment, intellectual disability, and a general group including individual disabilities which do not fit into one of the other five categories.

Both summer and winter sports competitions give disabled athletes the change to compete in a variety of sports; the list of summer sports includes 21 different competitive sports, ranging from archery and cycling to equestrian, powerlifting and judo. Five competitions designed specifically for wheelchair-bound athletes include basketball, dancing, fencing, rugby, and tennis. The list of winter sports is smaller, but no less challenging: athletes can compete in either Alpine or Nordic skiing, ice sledge hockey, and wheelchair curling.

Children with physical disabilities have special challenges; they're dealing with sometimes substantial limitations at the same time that they are meeting all the other demands of becoming competent, balanced, emotionally and mentally healthy human beings. The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) offers opportunities for children to take part in a wide range of sports activities, from skiing, ski racing, snowboarding and snowshoeing in the winter to rafting, horseback riding, and in-line skating in the summer.

The Paralympics and NSCD are only two of many organizations founded to involve disabled individuals in sports. It's evident, from the success and increasing popularity of these organizations, that both adults and children with disabilities benefit greatly from participating in adaptive sports activities, and that the benefit extends to all aspects of their lives.

If you are bored of the typical candy and flowers presents for Mothers Day, you can get your mother a unique present that will be a tribute to the special bond you share with her. There are several different possibilities for special and distinctive gifts.

Women and their love for jewelry is an old story. You can get your mother a special pendant to mark her special day, or you could splurge and get her a pair of diamond earrings. If you have the time (and the money), you can also craft your own design and have it made. Or, you can opt for a special vintage watch for your mothers watch collection.

You can buy her a framed painting or a replica of a famous work. Or better still, you could commission a portrait of your mom. If that is a bit too expensive for you, you can have an old photograph converted to a painting on canvas.

A day at the spa is every womans fantasy. You can buy her the gift of health and rejuvenation. Treat your mother to a days pampering at a spa a great relaxation technique and an effective stress buster.

You could write a poem for you mother, to commemorate the gift of life she gave you; if that is too much for you, you can give her the ultimate present by buying a star for her. This is a wonderful gesture that will really overwhelm your mother, and she will cherish it forever. Dedicating as star to your mom isnt as expensive as you think. You will be given a star certificate with or without a wooden plaque (depending on the package you choose), a map to help view the star, and a mythological explanation of your mothers star. This could be the most special present your mom receives, and you might find it difficult to top this present in the years to come!