Three unique stories of success
JULY, 2025 – By Tommy Floyd, Ed D, National Archery in the Schools Program. As seen in EP Magazine epmagazine.com
Inclusion in schools is vital for students with disabilities, as it promotes both academic achievement and social integration. Outside the classroom, inclusive sports, defined as programs, leagues or competitions where people with disabilities can participate alongside athletes who do not have disabilities, can engage students and their families who typically shy away from conventional athletics.
Breaking down barriers so all students can participate, regardless of disability, is a first step toward inclusion. These barriers can exist in many forms, such as: inaccessible buildings, lack of transportation, limited access to technology, biased attitudes, or exclusion from educational and recreational opportunities. Reducing a barrier means removing or minimizing physical, social, systemic, or attitudinal obstacles that prevent individuals with disabilities from fully participating. Some examples of reducing barriers are: making spaces wheelchair-accessible, providing assistive technologies, offering materials in alternative formats or educating others to foster inclusion and respect.
With appropriate support, in-school archery allows success for students of all abilities, – including students with physical and developmental disabilities – to learn, enjoy and excel side by side. More than just participating in archery, students with disabilities develop life skills such as: learning to handle pressure, dealing with success and failure, and building self-confidence. Here are three examples:
Eli Elsner
Eli Elsner, from Indiana, is a prime example of the power of inclusion. Eli has Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) which can cause nerve tumors and other symptoms like learning difficulties, bone deformities and hearing loss. Eli was in 4th grade when he won his first archery medal. Eli has an older sister, Keely, who wins in just about every sport or academic competition she tries. So, when Eli started winning medals and beating his sister’s archery score, it was clear he had found “his sport” in which he was on a level playing field with the other kids. To support archers with hearing loss, a coach or support person is permitted to stand directly behind the archer, providing light taps on the shoulder to replace the whistle commands. To this day, Keely has never been able to beat her little brother in archery, but she is one of Eli’s biggest fans.
Dylan Black
For students with physical disabilities, archery can be made inclusive, enabling full participation through modifications such as mounted bows, or mechanical release aids. Dylan, from Kentucky, was born with bilateral phocomelia, a congenital condition that caused malformation of his upper limbs. Like Eli, Dylan was also introduced to the sport of archery in 4th grade, when a teacher passed out fliers for tryouts. Now a senior in high school, Dylan, who shoots using mouth tabs (used to draw the string with the mouth), recently scored the top spot in his division, and is preparing for the National Tournament. Rather than seeing his disability as a reason not to participate, he uses the opportunity as a challenge to overcome. Dylan uses archery as a way to show everyone what one can do if they stop limiting themselves.
Brooklyn Ferris
Brooklyn Ferris overcame Spina Bifida Occulta (diagnosed at 6), pseudo tumor cerebri and other health issues to become a champion archer. Brooklyn had severe migraines, and her vision started to deteriorate. She required multiple hospitalizations, but was still able to shoot and be part of the archery team. To support archers with vision loss, a coach or support person looks over the archer’s shoulder and may provide audible instructions to guide the archer’s aim to the target, and when to release. The support person may also accompany the archer to and from the target, and assist with the pulling of arrows and scoring. Brooklyn uses archery as her physical therapy, which helps with muscle memory and infuses her with confidence. Since graduating from high school, Brooklyn became an archery master for the Girl Scouts, and is now attending college to become a Physician’s Assistant in pediatrics.
Accessibility Beyond Equipment
In addition to equipment and space modifications, inclusive archery also requires a culture of acceptance and awareness. Coaches and organizers play a key role by receiving training on adaptive techniques and fostering a welcoming, respectful environment. As each child is unique with individual circumstances, anyone seeking options to enable participation in an in-school archery program should first consult with the school’s teachers, school administrators, and the program’s coaches. These trusted individuals would know best as to the specifics of any existing educational support or modification plan in place for a student seeking to experience archery.
Archery programs, like that offered to 4th to 12th graders through the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP®), are available to everyone regardless of ability, gender, popularity, size, athletic skills or income level. NASP® has welcomed hundreds of students who have vision, limb or hearing loss, autism and other disabilities. Watching a group of kids experience something they thought was unimaginable is incredible. Once those kids experience the bow and arrow, learn the 11 steps to success, and send an arrow to the target, they’re hooked. It builds their self-esteem because it builds their confidence. Inclusive sports like archery are a good way to do that.
More than 7,500 student archers responded to a recent student participant survey and attested to the benefits of archery in their school:
- 67.9% said they felt more connected in school
- 34.0% attributed NASP® to working harder in the classroom
- 34.0% felt more confident in other areas of their lives
- 52.5% feel proud of the skills they’ve developed
- 33.0% are better able to focus on the task at hand because of the discipline of archery
As parents and educators, our goal of reducing barriers is to create equal opportunities and promote independence and inclusion for people with disabilities. Because an inclusive sport like archery draws from various social groups, it creates opportunities for students to connect across typical school divides. Eliminating obstacles aligns with the universal design principles creating inclusive environments and experiences for everyone. By embracing adaptive strategies and inclusive values, the sport of archery can become a source of empowerment, skill-building and social connection for all participants.
Tommy Floyd, Ed D. – Is a former superintendent of the Madison County Schools and chief of staff for the Kentucky Department of Education. He is now president of the National Archery in the Schools Program. https://www.naspschools.org