Tagged with: awareness disability exercise Physical Activity sport wheelchair It is that time of the year! It is my favorite time of the year. It’s the time of year when I get to meet up with my rugby teammates and start training. Competitive athletic season is upon us. Ready or not, here it comes? Or in some people’s cases, it is already here.
Tagged with: advocate awareness disability education employment health inclusive life Physical Activity programs recreation sport study wheelchair For years I have always heard that unemployment for people with disabilities has been at or around 70%. This number has always been the same in my 10 plus years of public speaking, 20 years in the workforce of serving people with disabilities and the 30 plus years that I have been a person with a disability. At times it seems as if this would never change. How can it? How would we know for sure? Something has got to change. What can be done to make a dent in this number?
Tagged with: awareness disability exercise fitness health life Physical Activity programs recreation sport wheelchair When faced with disability, it may have a profound impact on you, but it can transform your life in unexpected ways. Adjusting to your new reality can be a struggle but it can be overcome. You can battle and continue to live life successfully by keeping certain things in mind.
Tagged with: disability exercise fitness health Physical Activity research sport According to the US Census Bureau 2012, swimming is among the top five popular sports activities in the United States and a great way for people to have an aerobic activity. Individuals with disabilities can get more health benefits by being physically active.
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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In this month of July in which we celebrate the 25th year of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there have been many small events that are instrumental in reflecting the benefits of ADA. One of those events was the Academy Award nominated documentary film called “Murderball.” It was on July 8, 2005 that it was released nation-wide to mainstream audiences. The impact of this documentary is still being felt today.
