Tagged with: advocate athletes awareness disability inclusion life Physical Activity recreation sport With our nation’s quest to fight obesity and health issues, there is one of group of Athlete’s that are setting a standard of excellence that everyone should reach for. These are athletes that are visually impaired. They are on the move and taking this country with them. These Athletes may have vision impairments but they are trendsetters in regards to athletic inclusion.
Tagged with: athletes awareness disability inclusion Physical Activity sport wheelchair The 12th Disabled Water Ski World Championships was held in Elk Grove, California (near Sacramento) September 24-27, 2015. The event was held on Shortline Lake (my second favorite lake to ski on in the world) with the support and hospitality of the lake owners (including the Bush and Detirck Families). On its slow, blue water 48 skiers from 11 countries slalomed, tricked, and jumped their hearts out to try to win the gold for their team and country. Ultimately, the United States came away with the team gold, Australia took silver, and Italy took the bronze medal. Lakeshore’s own athletes Joe Ray took 8th overall in the men’s seated division and the team gold with the USA and Derek Vanderbom took 3rd overall in the men’s seated division and the silver medal with team Australia.
Tagged with: athletes awareness Cerebral Palsy disability exercise fitness health inclusion life Physical Activity sport wheelchair Wheelchair rugby has been a competitive sport in the US for almost 30 years and it has been an inter-national competitive sport over the last 20 years. There have been many changes to the sport of wheelchair rugby, within the game, the rules, and the equipment. However, there has also been a change that has very much impacted the sport from an athlete point of view. The inclusion of athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) have shaped or impacted the many teams in the world of wheelchair.
Tagged with: assistive technology awareness disability disability rights Healthcare Professionals inclusion kids life Physical Activity recreation research spinal cord injury wheelchair On May 2 2005, when my husband woke up from surgery after his motorcycle accident and heard the words “spinal cord injury” and “paralyzed” one of his first thoughts was, I am going to walk again and that remained a theme throughout his rehab. He thought if I just work hard enough, if I just keep trying, I will walk again. If you walk through the halls of any rehab center today you would probably hear the same mantra from the majority of patients. No one wants to accept the reality that they will experience the rest of their life from a wheelchair, but that is the reality for millions of Americans.
Tagged with: accessibility ADA advocate awareness disability education employment exercise health inclusion life Physical Activity recreation sport wheelchair
I lost my limbs in 1979 due to rare blood disease, what that moment has done is made me a member of a very prestigious club. No, it’s not the 50/50 club in baseball or the AARP club, at least not yet. What it has done is made me a lifetime member of the ADA club. What does that mean?
Tagged with: accessibility ADA advocate athletes awareness disability disability rights education employment exercise inclusion life research sport wheelchair In honor of the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I have been reflecting on what the ADA has meant to me. I acknowledge that we still have work to do in order to have complete equal rights for people with disabilities but, looking back, it becomes more apparent how far we have come.
Tagged with: athletes awareness disability disability sports exercise fitness health inclusion life Physical Activity sport sports benefit for disabled tips to good health for disabled wheelchair Born without a right hand and forearm, Natalia Partyka won the Paralympic championship in 2004. Paola Fantato has been a wheelchair user since the age of eight, yet she was the first athlete to compete in the Olympics and the Paralympics in 1996. Silver-medal-winner Terence Parkin has been deaf since birth, but that didn’t stop him from winning medals in swimming competitions. There are many athletes with disabilities who inspire us with their competitive spirit. Whether it’s winning races, grappling on the wrestling mat, or riding the ocean waves, athletes with disabilities stand as the epitome of strength and success.
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In 2008, I achieved my greatest athletic goal. I became a Paralympian. Shortly after I joined Team USA, I like most elite athletes, attended a media training session. I nervously sat in a beige hotel conference room, staring at the abstractly-designed carpet beneath my feet. 20 Paralympians surrounded me, representing almost every Paralympic sport. Gold medalists, world-record holders, the poster-children of the Games – we breathed the same air. Suddenly, the leader of the session walked in and began to speak.
Tagged with: accessibility ADA awareness disability health inclusion life Nutrition sport wheelchair This month we celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) 25th anniversary! The ADA was created in 1990 to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as people without disabilities. This includes the opportunity to live a healthy life!
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“You have to watch this video.”
I heard that half a dozen times this week, and I said it half a dozen other times to other people. I posted it on my social media sites. It made me want to buy shoes. It made me want to buy Nike shoes … forever.
