Introduction:
Adaptive pickleball is an inclusive version of pickleball designed for athletes with physical, intellectual, or sensory disabilities. Participants may play standing, in a manual or power wheelchair, or with other reasonable modifications based on their functional needs.
Like standard pickleball, it is played with solid paddles and a perforated plastic ball on a badminton-sized court divided by a low net. It can be played as singles or doubles, including “hybrid doubles,” in which a wheelchair athlete partners with a standing athlete. The sport is popular because it is social, relatively easy to learn, and adaptable to a broad range of ages and abilities.
History of the Sport:
Pickleball was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum. The game combined elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis.
As pickleball expanded, rehabilitation programs, veterans’ organizations, adaptive recreation programs, and disability-sport organizations began offering it to athletes with disabilities. Wheelchair-specific modifications—particularly allowing an additional bounce—were eventually incorporated into formal pickleball rules.
Adaptive pickleball has continued to become more organized competitively. USA Pickleball now includes wheelchair, hybrid, adaptive-standing, and Special Olympics provisions in its rules and programming. In 2026, it held its inaugural Wheelchair National Championships, marking an important step in the sport’s competitive development