RIOT Para-Tae Kwon Do Special Needs Program
The World Taekwondo Federation and
RIOT Para-Tae Kwon Do Special Needs Program
Studies show that students who participate in personal development and afterschool activities have higher
academic achievement, improved social competence, higher aspirations, and other benefits, compared with
students who do not. The news is that youth with disabilities benefit even more than the non-disabled.
"Unfortunately, youth who have activity limitations or mental disabilities – special needs youth – often have
less access to afterschool programs and other recreation, even when they are attending the same schools and
the same classes as their neighbors.
About one in 10 families has a child age 5-17 with a disability. Since 1976, the government has mandated their
inclusion in the public schools. Yet they remain grossly underrepresented in after-school programs, according
to Kids Included Together, a California support group. Barriers can include physical ones (such as stairs),
communication barriers, lack of adequate transportation, and lack of confidence. Youth with disabilities often
feel disconnected from society and sometimes give up trying to make friends.
As a proud member of the World Taekwondo Federation RIOT is offering its Para-Tae Kwon Do Program to
kids and adults with disabilities.
Para-Tae Kwon Do is a growing global movement. It is also a method of teaching Tae Kwon Do specifically
designed for students with intellectual and physical disabilities. We work with a wide range of students from
those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Asperger Syndrome, to those with visual and hearing
impairments. Our instructors are well trained in this field, and are consistently involved in continuing
education to ensure the delivery of quality lessons.
Our mission of the program is to foster a love of Tae Kwon Do for students with diverse learning needs in a
safe and structured environment. Para-Taekwondo is a newly emerging strand of the World Taekwondo
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Federation, and Reitenbach Institute of Tae Kwon Do is thrilled to be part of this new and exciting
development.
This is perhaps the most rewarding program that we offer both for students and instructors alike. Our
instructors take great pride in offering the Kid’s Para-Taekwondo program in the San Francisco Bay Area.
World Taekwondo Federation Para-Taekwondo
In 2005 the World Taekwondo Federation formed the Para-Taekwondo Committee in an effort to develop and
promote Taekwondo to athletes of all disabilities. Initially Para-Taekwondo focused on developing 'kyorugi' for
arm amputee athletes and the 1st WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships was held in 2009 in Baku,
Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 2009 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships.
Since 2009 the WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships has been held an additional three times, 2010 in
St. Petersburg, Russia, 2012 in Santa Cruz, Aruba and 2013 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Participation in the
Championships has been growing steadily.
On the occasion of the 4th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships in 2013 a Para-Taekwondo
Development Task Force consisting of Para-Taekwondo Committee members and invited guests from CPISRA
and INAS met to discuss the future of Para-Taekwondo. Following their recommendations the decision was
taken to expand Para-Taekwondo and make competitions on a world level available to athletes of all
disabilities. Para-Taekwondo 'Poomsae' will be the competition format for athletes with Cerebral Palsy,
Intellectual disabilities or Visually impaired athletes.
During the 4th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships the WTF signed Memorandum of Understanding
with INAS and CPISRA to work together for the development and promotion of Para-Taekwondo for athletes
with intellectual disabilities or Cerebral Palsy. Para-Taekwondo Poomsae Competitions will be included in the
5th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships. Para-Taekwondo Poomsae has also been confirmed as a
demonstration sport for the 2015 INAS Global Games.
Since 2009 Taekwondo has been included in the official program of the Deaflympics and at the 2013
Deaflympics Taekwondo competitions were held in both Kyorugi and Poomsae. The WTF signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the International Committee of Sport for the Deaf (ICSD) on October 25,
2013 in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the 2nd SportAccord World Combat Games to include Taekwondo
competitions for Deaf athletes in the 5th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships in 2014.
On October 16, 2013 the WTF became an International Paralympic Committee (IPC) recognized IF, a
recognition of the ongoing work to develop Para-Taekwondo.
The World Taekwondo Federation aims to have Para-Taekwondo included on the program for the 2020
Paralympic Games.
The hope that taekwondo brings is limitless, it knows no boundaries and is hampered by no disability.
Chungwon Choue, President of the WTF
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WTF Para-Taekwondo
Para-Taekwondo incorporates many of the same components as Olympic-style Tae Kwon Do for our Athletes
based on weight categories and the following sparring classifications:
Existing World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Para Tae Kwon Do Sparring Classifications
A5: Amputation of both limbs above the elbows
A6: Amputation of one limb above the elbow
A7: Amputation of both limbs below the elbows
A8: Amputation of one limb below the elbow
The same Electronic Chest Protector and Scoring System (PSS) and an instant video replay system, which made
its introduction at the Olympic Games in London 2012 are used.
Para-Taekwondo was first established a World Championships in 2009, when the WTF staged the first event in
Baku, Azerbaijan. As of 2013 there have been 4 World Para Championships. Also in 2009, Tae Kwon Do Canada
held its 1st Canadian National Para Taekwondo Championship.
“The hope that Tae Kwon Do brings is limitless, it knows no boundaries and is hampered by no disability.”
Chungwon Choue, President of the WTF (World Taekwondo Federation)
INAS_Provisional_Eligability_information.pdf
INAS_Provisonal_Eligability_Application.pdf
WTF Para-Taekwondo and Deaf-Taekwondo Classification Rules and Regulations
Who Can Compete?
The Para-Tae Kwon Do Special Needs Program is open to anyone with a disability. It can be played by athletes
with a visual impairment, a spinal cord injury, amputations, cerebral palsy, an intellectual disability, spinal
bifida, multiple sclerosis, or other disabilities. This programs use processes to make sure that the playing field
is even, whether you're a beginner or have varying abilities.
Participants with intellectual disabilities can also find more information by visiting Special Olympics Canada or
the Canadian Association of Athletes with Intellectual Disability. Although not integrated into the Canadian
parasport system, you can also find information on sport for people with hearing impairments.
“The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the international representative organization of elite sports
for athletes with disabilities. The IPC organizes, supervises and co-ordinates the Paralympic Games and other
multi-disability competitions.”
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— Source: International Paralympic Committee, March 2011
In order to compete on equal terms, Paralympic athletes are placed into different classes. Specialized medical
and technical personnel, called classifiers, evaluate the athletes with various tests based on the athletes’
ability to perform skills required by the sport.
In that way, it guarantees that the athletes competing within a class have equal or similar abilities and the
determining factor for their success is skill and training, rather than the level of disability. People with the
following disabilities are eligible to compete at the Paralympic Games and their class in each sport is
determined by their functional ability to perform movements associated with that sport.
If you know someone who might benefit from this program, please be sure to contact us today for more
information. For More Information on Classification: http://www.paralympic.org/Classification/Introduction
Sports at the Paralympic Games are Contested
By Athletes with the Following Disabilities
To create fair competition, athletes with a disability are classified to ensure that athletes with similar function
and abilities compete against each other. As a result, not all disabilities compete in all sports.
Amputee:
Persons with at least one major joint or limb missing. This may be congenital, from birth, or acquired due to
illness or injury.
Spinal Cord:
Persons with impaired function in the lower limbs and all or part of the trunk (paraplegia) if the injury is higher
or in the neck area of the spine (quadriplegia), or where the upper limbs also are impaired (tetraplegia).
People with medical conditions that result in similar loss of muscle function (e.g. spina bifida and poliomyelitis)
are also included in this group of athletes with spinal injury.
Cerebral Palsy:
Cerebral palsy is a condition in which muscle tone, reflexes, posture, or movement are affected. It may be
present from birth or acquired up to age three as a result of a stroke or head injury. For sport purposes,
athletes who acquire a brain injury after age three also fall in to this group.
Visual Impairment
Persons with any condition that impacts vision from reduced visual field or visual acuity (the acuteness or
clearness of vision) to full blindness.
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Les Autres
“Les autres” is French for “others”. This group includes persons with multiple sclerosis (MS), muscular
distrophy (MD) as well as any physical disabilities that do not fall into the other categories.
Intellectual disability
Intellectual disability refers to a cognitive impairment affecting brain function. This group of athletes did not
compete at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, but competed at the London 2012
Paralympic Games in the sports of athletics, swimming and table tennis. For more information, please visit
www.inas.org
* Not all events are offered to all disability classes.
** The eligibility requirement is a permanent, substantial or total loss of function in one or both legs.
Athletes with Physical Disabilities Defined
Amputee Athletes
An amputee is a person who is missing all or part of a limb (arm or leg). Not all amputees are alike. Some
athletes were born without a limb or parts of limbs. Others have lost limbs or parts of limbs through illnesses
such as cancer or diabetes, or as a result of an accident. Amputations can affect an individual’s balance and
ability to move. In order to help improve an individual’s movement, some athletes wear prostheses. A
prosthesis is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part.
Athletes with Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord or back injuries may result in paralysis, which can affect movement of the lower body and all or
part of the trunk muscles. The degree of a disability from a spinal cord injury depends on where the injury
happened along the spinal cord. In general, the higher the injury occurs on the spine, the less function there is
afterward because more muscles are affected.
Athletes with Cerebral PalsyCerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition that damages the areas of the brain that control
movement and body posture. This damage can occur before, during and after birth due to a delay in oxygen
getting to the brain. The disability may have no visible signs, or it may cause lack of control of facial and limb
movements and speech difficulties.
Les Autres
This impairment classification encompasses individuals with Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Polio and
Spina Bifida. It also includes a number of other disabilities that do not fall into any of the more specific
classifications. Below you will find information some about the disabilities in this category.
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
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, unpredictable condition that affects the brain or spinal cord or both,
causing muscular weakness, loss of coordination and speech and visual problems.

Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive genetic condition characterized by progressive muscular weakness
and shrinking of the muscle fibres. Some people with Muscular Dystrophy may experience paralysis
(the inability to move part of the body) because of the gradual weakening of arm, shoulder and leg
muscles.

Poliomyelitis (Polio) is a viral infection of the motor cells in the spinal cord that leads to deformation,
muscular paralysis or weakening of the muscles. The severity of the infection determines the extent of
the damage and paralysis.

Spina Bifida is a developmental buckling of the spine in which one or more of the vertebrae fail to
completely close during early development. Vertebrae are the series of bones that make up your spine.
This leaves an opening in the spine that leads to nerve damage and can affect muscle function and
sensation to varying degrees.
Athletes with a Visual Impairment
A visually-impaired athlete may have partial sight or may be completely blind. Some people with visual
impairments can distinguish only the difference between light and dark. Others see a mist, as if a thick white
curtain were always in front of their eyes. Some see the world around the edges of a dark area in the centre of
their eyes, never seeing a whole shape, but only its top, bottom or sides. For others, everything is blocked off
but a tiny speck of light. Some see nothing at all.
Athletes with an Intellectual Disability
There are many types of intellectual disabilities. Some people are born with an intellectual disability, while
other people have an intellectual disability that is caused by an accident or a medical condition.
Intellectual disability refers to a cognitive impairment affecting brain function. This group of athletes did not
compete at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, but competed at the London 2012
Paralympic Games in the sports of athletics, swimming and table tennis. For more information, please visit
www.inas.org
Para-Taekwondo as a recreational activity and
competitive sport is quickly growing around the world.
This dynamic and exciting martial art is however, not limited to participants with physical amputations. Tae
Kwon Do has also become an activity with great benefits for individuals with a large range of abilities – from
physical to intellectual to sensory disabilities. http://worldtaekwondofederation.net/para-taekwondo
Our country is going through tough times. Poverty and violence turn even more intense. However, we are
convinced that through these programs we are giving people a different perspective of life; we are giving them
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the hope that things can be different through hard work and self-confidence, and we are giving them the hope
that dreams can come true.
We are sure that in addition to teach them the techniques of Tae Kwon Do, we will teach them the deep
values and principles of our sport as, respect, loyalty, self-control, perseverance, modesty and indomitable
spirit.
PROFILES OF MARTIAL ARTISTS WITH DISABILITIES
JESSICA COX
HOMETOWN: Tucson, AZ
TYPE OF DISABILITY: Born without arms.
AGE: 25
OCCUPATION: Professional Motivational Speaker
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Tae Kwon Do
CURRENT RANK: Black Belt
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: 15 yrs
WEBSITE: http://www.rightfooted.com/
VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2IqpPSF9-U
CONTACT: [email protected]
Jessica is recognized internationally as an inspirational keynote speaker. Born without arms, Jessica now flies airplanes,
drives cars, and otherwise lives a normal life using her feet as others use their hands. She holds the title of the first
person without arms in the American Tae Kwon-Do Association to get a black belt and the first woman pilot in aviation
history to fly with her feet. Convinced that the way we think has a greater impact on our lives than our physical
constraints, she chose to pursue a degree in psychology while in college at the University of Arizona.
ELFEDAYNI ABDENNOUR (known as Abdul)
HOMETOWN: Meknes, Morocco
TYPE OF DISABILITY: Born without arms or hands. AGE: 24
OCCUPATION: IT Administrator in a Cultural Centre
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Taekwondo
SCHOOL AFFILIATION: Association Ismaili 2 of Taekwondo
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CURRENT RANK: Black belt
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: ?
VIDEO LINK: self defense demonstration in Meknes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDgG5jhIzsM
BILL AUVENSHINE
HOMETOWN: Auburn, IL
TYPE OF DISABILITY: paraplegic from a car accident.
AGE: 53
OCCUPATION: Martial Arts School Owner
PERSONAL: Married
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Tae Kwon Do SCHOOL AFFILIATION: Auvenshire's School of Taekwondo
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: 25 WEBSITE: http://www.auvtkd.com/
CONTACT: [email protected]
Auvenshine is a bit of an oddity in martial arts. In December of 1995, Bill had an encounter with an unseen patch of ice
and a power line pole that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Even that did not dissuade him from following
through with his plans to open a Dojang. Though Mr. Auvenshine teaches from a wheelchair, his students are of a high
caliber. In keeping with the idea of "giving back", Mr. Auvenshine teaches his art to those with serious disabilities at no
charge.
YVES SOUTY BONNOT
HOMETOWN: France TYPE OF DISABILITY Paraplegic from a motorcycle accident at age 18.
AGE: 35
OCCUPATION: Business
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Tae Kwon Do
SCHOOL AFFILIATION: academie de taekwondo claude perdigon
CURRENT RANK: 1st degree black belt / National arbitrator
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: 17 years
WEBSITE: http://www.taekwondo-brie.com
VIDEO LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nI607s7gyY
OTHER ACTIVITIES: self-defense, stick fighting, nunchaku, hapkido
CONTACT: [email protected]
DAVID LEE
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HOMETOWN: Enfield Middlesex (UK)
TYPE OF DISABILITY: Paraplegic from a car accident.
AGE: 52
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Taekwondo
SCHOOL AFFILIATION: Ultimate Strike & Disability Martial Arts Budo
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: 17
WEBSITE: http://www.disabilitymartialartsassociation.co.uk/
David now 52 has been involved in martial arts since he was 9 years old. David also runs the Disability Martial Arts
Association, the first martial arts charity. They have set up a data base of Martial Arts Academy’s School’s and Club’s in
the U.K. that will teach people with all types of disabilities and their families. When people phone them they will then be
able to give them a telephone number of the said organization. David said they are trying to help people with all types of
disabilities into martial arts to help them get fit, and lead a better way of life.
SHEILA RADZIEWICZ
HOMETOWN: Peabody, Massachusetts TYPE OF DISABILITY: Thrombocytopenia-absent radius (TAR) syndrome
AGE: 32
OCCUPATION: Legal Advocate for victims of domestic violence PERSONAL: Single
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Taekwondo
SCHOOL AFFILIATION: Bruce McCorry's Martial Arts
CURRENT RANK: Black belt
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: 6.5 years
WEBSITE: www.sheilaradziewicz.net
As a child Sheila learned about martial arts through her cousin. She would make him show me kicks and she would
practice with him. Years later she saw a flyer in a coffee shop advertising martial arts and she thought it would be fun.
She never realized the journey that she would have with this one decision.
In April 2010 the Salem News wrote a story on Sheila as a student at Bruce McCorry's Martial Arts. Sheila had inspired
many at the school over the last 3 years. During that time, she had gone to class two or three times a week. Sheila
challenged herself as often as possible while maintaining enduring knee pain. As much as she gave to Tae Kwon Do, the
same was given to her through teaching, support, respect and understanding.
In June 2010 Sheila became the first woman with TARs to receive a Black Belt in the World Federation of Tae Kwon Do.
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MARTY KATZ
HOME TOWN: San Diego (originally from New York City) TYPE OF DISABILITY: Polio at age two – paralysis of the right leg
AGE: 62 years young! OCCUPATION: Accountant
PERSONAL: Widow. Two daughters.
MAIN STYLE OF MARTIAL ART: Tae Kwon Do, adapted for my personal abilities. (My brace has special design features
which makes it a formidable weapon.)
SCHOOL AFFILIATION: Family Karate
CURRENT RANK: 1st Degree Black Belt / Certified Instructor (Special Needs & Physically Challenged Classes and all levels)
TIME INVOLVED IN THE MARTIAL ARTS WITH A DISABILITY: 18 years of formal training. A lifetime of interest in the
Martial Arts. WEBSITE: www.familykarateusa.com and www.familykarate.usa.com
OTHER ACTIVITIES: Musician (Singer and rhythm guitar for The Jack Fate Band) CONTACT: [email protected]
Marty has been involved with Martial Arts thru the Physically Challenged class of Family Karate in San Diego for 18+
years. She lost the use of her right leg from Polio at the age of two and have used a brace from the age of five. It took
her eleven years and two tests to achieve the rank of Blackbelt. She qualified to become an Instructor several years ago
and teach the Challenged class, and on occasion the regular classes as well. The Physically Challenged class is offered
free of charge and is very popular. Please check out her websites at: www.familykarateusa.com and
www.familykaratepq.com.
To see Other Martial Artists with Disabilities Review: http://martialartistwithdisabilities.blogspot.com/
For more information on How to Participate & Compete in RIOT’s
Para Taekwondo Please Visit or Contact us and Set an Appointment.
Call 650-992-3939
All training & coaching is in compliance with the World Taekwondo Federation Requirements
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