About Me
The story behind Inclusive Sports LA
My Journey
Hi, I'm Jacob Sperling! I'm a high school baseball player with a passion for making sports accessible to everyone. When I'm not on the field with my team, you can find me volunteering with West Hills Champions, where I help kids with physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities experience the joy of baseball.
How It All Started
My journey with adaptive sports began two years ago when my baseball coach encouraged our team to volunteer with West Hills Champions. I was paired as a "buddy" with Johnathan, a non-verbal adult with autism who had a genuine love for being on the baseball field.
It made my day to watch Johnathan play baseball and see how happy he was just to be out there. Even though he couldn't express it in words, his joy was infectious and reminded me of the pure love of the game that sometimes gets lost in the competitive side of sports. Week after week, I watched as Johnathan and the other players found their place on the field, each bringing their own unique energy and enthusiasm to the game.
"The biggest thing I've learned is that baseball—and all sports—should be for everyone. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity and the right resources to make that happen."
The Inspiration
As I continued volunteering, I noticed that many families struggled to find appropriate sports programs for their children with disabilities. Parents would often ask me if I knew of other adaptive sports in the area, and I realized there wasn't a central place where this information was easily accessible.
Building the Platform
In 2024, I started by creating a simple spreadsheet of all the adaptive sports programs I could find in our area. As the list grew, I realized that this information needed to be more accessible and user-friendly. With the learning from my AP Computer Science Principles class and a strong desire to help families, Inclusive Sports LA was born in 2025.
My goal was simple: create a platform where families could easily find inclusive sports opportunities based on their location, specific needs, and interests. I wanted to make sure that no child or young adult with a disability would miss out on the transformative power of sports because they couldn't find the right program.
Looking Forward
What started as a small project has grown into something I'm incredibly proud of. As I continue to develop Inclusive Sports LA, I hope to expand our database to include programs beyond LA County, add features that allow program providers to update their own listings, and create a community where families can share experiences and resources.
I still volunteer with West Hills Champions every season, and now I get to see firsthand how Inclusive Sports LA is helping more kids find their place in sports. There's nothing more rewarding than hearing that a family found the perfect program through our platform.
Get Involved
Whether you're an athlete looking for a program, a family member searching for opportunities, or someone interested in volunteering, there are many ways to be part of the inclusive sports community.