Wheelchair basketball unites people with disabilities in (mostly inaccessible) Panama City

Produced by Desmond LaFave

 PANAMA CITY, Panama —Panama City’s inaccessible infrastructure makes getting around a difficult task for wheelchair users. Despite the existence of legislation ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities, such as Panamanian Law 42 of 1999, local disability leaders feel that the government has not met these standards. 

“The government must comply with the law,” said Alberto Mazillo, leader of Inclusión Somos Todos, a disability activist group. “We still live in places where there are no sidewalks, and if there are sidewalks, they are inaccessible. And it’s really hard to live like that in the city.”

Arkangels de San Miguelito, a wheelchair basketball team in Panama City, meets twice a week at a gym in the San Miguel neighborhood to practice basketball and offer support to the disability community. The team inspires wheelchair users to continue being active despite the limited accessibility, players say. 

“Coming to play basketball allows you to integrate and be physically active without realizing it,” said Jhonathan Linares, who joined the Arkangels this year. “When a new person comes [to play], they realize that when they return home they have energy. They want to do many other things.”