Adaptive Tennis Spotlight: Claire McFerran

Adaptive programming has become one of the most popular and largest growth areas of tennis all over the country. Adaptive Tennis includes such programs as Aceing Autism, Blind Tennis, Tennis for the Deaf, and many other organized programs serving adults and children of all ages with all sorts of disabilities -- physical, intellectual/developmental and many more disabilities.  They are offered at private and public facilities--schools, churches, clubs, medical facilities of all sizes, indoors and out. 

Today we are spotlighting the program that was awarded the 2025 USTA National Award for the Adaptive Program in the country that has demonstrated continued excellence, dedication and service in tennis for individuals with disabilities -- and the amazing woman who runs it. 

The Waco Tennis Association’s Adaption Tennis Program in Waco, Texas is under the leadership of Claire McFerran of the small town of Eddy, TX who says she played tennis for Texas Tech “a million years ago.” Anyone who needs an adaptation to play tennis is welcome to join the program. Claire got involved when USTA Texas staff member Cindy Benzon was running a training session for coaches of Special Olympics, and Kevin Foster, a Waco area resident who is known for his contributions to all things tennis, called and asked if she could help. That was 12 years ago and she’s still at it, running the program on four courts at University High School in Waco a phenomenal 52 weeks a year. She has 50 adults of ages 19-55 enrolled and usually at least 20 happily show up for each session.

They serve adults with a myriad list of disabilities – Non-verbal, Down Syndrome, Autism, Traumatic Brain injuries, Williams Syndrome and one blind gentleman who also has limited mobility. They do drills outside with red, orange, green and yellow balls in all kinds of weather as they don’t have access to any indoor courts. Each player can choose where they are most comfortable, and it might be with a different colored ball than they used the previous week. Claire says if one has had a hard day and doesn’t feel like playing a match with the yellow ball, that’s OK. Go to the Red Ball Court where you don’t have to run as much. The program also hosts two unified tournaments. Players with intellectual or developmental disabilities are called athletes, while the players without disabilities are called the Unified Partners.