Paisley: How Her Adaptive Sports Journey Began

The Power to Begin: How Opportunity Opened the Door for Paisley Minor

Mariah Wyckoff

October 1, 2026

Blogs

Like many kids, Paisley loves being active. She participates in a wide variety of sports, including wheelchair basketball, swimming, soccer, martial arts, gymnastics, and cycling, always looking forward to her next opportunity to learn, play, and be part of the action.

But like many young athletes with physical disabilities, access to adaptive sports opportunities often depends on access to specialized equipment.

Adaptive equipment can be life-changing, but it can also be expensive. For many families, the cost of adaptive bikes, sports wheelchairs, and other equipment creates barriers that make participation difficult or impossible.

That is where the Challenged Athletes Foundation became part of Paisley’s story.

Open the Door to Sport

One opportunity helped put Paisley's journey in motion. Your gift can help create that same opportunity for the next athlete with a physical disability.

Power in Motion begins with opportunity.

In 2022, Paisley was introduced to CAF. Born with bilateral above-knee limb loss, Paisley was already full of energy and eager to participate alongside her peers. Like many young athletes with physical disabilities, however, access to adaptive equipment and sports opportunities can often be the difference between watching from the sidelines and fully participating.

Through CAF grants, Paisley received a Top End Li’l Excelerator handcycle along with support for sports participation opportunities that helped unlock new possibilities.

The impact went far beyond a piece of equipment. Her handcycle became a way to ride alongside family members, a way to explore new places, away to participate with friends and teammates, and a way to experience the joy of movement on her own terms.

Today, she participates in a variety of adaptive sports, constantly discovering new opportunities to challenge herself, connect with others, and develop lifelong passions.

Her story reflects something CAF sees every day: When athletes receive access, extraordinary things happen.

A single grant can become a first ride.

A sports clinic can become a community of teammates.

A moment of opportunity can become a future filled with possibility.

That is the Power to Begin.

For more than 33 years, CAF has worked to remove barriers for athletes with physical disabilities by providing adaptive sports equipment, competition expenses, training support, and opportunities to participate in sport.

Because every athlete deserves the chance to discover what they’re capable of.

Paisley’s story reminds us that the value of access cannot always be measured by medals or results.

Sometimes it’s measured in family bike rides, friendships, and in the confidence that comes from participating, belonging, and simply being part of the action.

Those moments matter.

And they’re only possible because of donors who believe every athlete deserves the opportunity to get moving.

This holiday season, your gift can help create that same opportunity for the next athlete.

Right now, another athlete with a physical disability is waiting for their first adaptive bike. Another family is searching for a way to help their child participate. Another youth athlete is ready to discover a sport they’ll love for years to come.