Rolling his wheelchair onto a basketball court gives Bailey Whitton an opportunity to burn off some energy, compete on a level playing field and, most importantly, a sense of belonging.
"It's just the whole physical activity aspect of it and the team building," Bailey, 16, said.
"They are all pretty good dudes on and off the court."
Bailey, who requires assistance to walk, lives in the small town of Junee in southern NSW.
He took up the sport when he was seven.
His mother, Tracy Whitton, said it changed her son's life.
"Being a kid with a disability in a small town with not many other kids with physical disabilities, he felt pretty isolated," she said.
"He came along here … that was brilliant for his confidence and everyone treats him like one of the team.
"He's never going to play for Australia but he certainly gives it his best shot."
Finding a place
Ms Whitton said it was the first time her son had been able to fully participate in sport and he was not daunted by the rough and tumble of wheelchair basketball.
"He was told just because you've got a disability doesn't mean people are going to treat you special," she said.
"The first time he got a black eye he made the whole game stop so I could take a photo and he could show that he had a sporting injury."
Phil Pellow started wheelchair basketball in the Riverina almost 20 years ago to get his two daughters involved in a team sport.
He said having the opportunity to participate in the sport was important for people who lived with a disability but also for the wider community.
"It's about putting people out on a court where they can shine," Mr Pellow said.
"They can wheel out of here [the court] and there's curbs, trip hazards and people looking at them funny but … they'll wipe the court with able-bodied people."
Tennis builds mateship
Isobel Lambert and Adrian Bunting, who both have an intellectual disability, enjoy their regular tennis lesson with coach Tom Denahy.
Mr Bunting said playing tennis "gets him pumped".
"It acts as a bit of an extra work out after the gym this morning," he said.
"I need to work on my backhand."
Mr Denahy said he and Mr Bunting had become good mates during the past two years of coaching.
"He's got a lot of interests and he's into his cars, we talk about everything from tennis to Marvel Comic books," he said.
"I'm not training him up to win Wimbledon, it's just his chance to get out and whack some tennis balls, hopefully get a few in and perhaps play a few points."
