Redefining Disability

In July 2009, Kevin Mather was on a training ride in the foothills of Los Angeles with a group of friends when he was hit by a truck. A few years later, he would win the wheelchair division of the Los Angeles Marathon and finished second at the 2012 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. He was encouraged to get into para archery through a friend at Craig Hospital in Colorado and decided to get serious with the sport in 2017. That paid off for Kevin in 2020, when we won the gold medal at the Paralympic Games.

Eden Schroeder was a swimmer growing up and played other sports as well. At the age of 18, she became paralyzed after diving into shallow water. Shortly thereafter, Eden would return to the pool and started to compete at the elite level. Her goal is to represent Team USA at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles and she is also starting to work on her doctorate in psychology. Eden also uses social media to educate people about disability.

Mikinzie Adams-Davis is an active 15-year-old adaptive athlete involved in a number of sports and recreational activities. But para cheer caught her attention, so she tried out for the team. Now she has been part of the U.S. Para Cheer Team for the past five or six years. As a right leg amputee, she says that having one leg never stopped her from doing anything.

Lee Trudell has been involved in cheerleading for over 30 years, starting back in high school. He had a job working cheer camps for 15 years and then starting judging and coaching. He now serves as the adaptive director and coach of the para cheer team for USA Cheer.

After a snowmobile accident in 1995 that resulted in a spinal cord injury, Geoff Krill began skiing again and soon became a professional ski instructor. Since his injury, he has competed both nationally and internationally in downhill mountain biking and skiing events. Geoff has participated in numerous wheelchair first ascents focused on breaking boundaries. He also serves as President of Eastern Adaptive Sports and is the coach of the PSIA-AASI National Adaptive Team.

Keely Icardi had an accident shortly after graduating from high school. She started in adaptive archery and dabbled over time in different sports. But in 2017, she got introduced to a local CheerAbilities team and is a member of the U.S. Para Cheer Team.

Noah Bury had his ankle amputated when he was just 12 months old. He wasn't introduced to adaptive sports until he was 18 years old, when he connected with Ogden Valley Adaptive Sports, a Move United member organization in Utah. He was invited out to The Hartford Ski Spectacular and is now training with another member organization, NSCD, to compete in para alpine skiing.

Mia Emory is a high school student who started her adaptive sports journey in 2019 playing wheelchair basketball. She also competes in track, swimming, and other sports through the Navigators Adaptive Sports Club, a Move United member organization based in New Jersey. Emory, who was born with spina bifida, has committed to playing wheelchair basketball at the University of Arizona next year.

Sandy Dukat was born with a limb deficiency in her right leg, leading to an amputation above the knee at four years old. She started out competing in swimming, but switched to alpine skiing after finding her love for speed on the slopes. Sandy made the U.S. Disabled Ski Team in 2000 and would earn two bronze medals at the 2002 Paralympic Games in Salt Lake City and another bronze at the 2006 Paralympics. After that, she would go on to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, win the World Triathlon Championships, summit Cotopaxi, and more. Sandy was recently inducted into the Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame.

JJ O'Connor played ice hockey growing up. When he was 16 years old, he was injured during a game that left him paralyzed. In 2002, at the 23, he was elected the chair of the disabled section for USA Hockey, a position he held for nearly two decades. JJ was instrumental in the development of sled hockey and other disciplines. He continues to coach the Chicago Hornets sled hockey team in the Chicago area and plays power soccer with GLASA as well. JJ is also a successful small business owner.

Nina Cutro-Kelly joined the Move United staff in 2023 as a Competition Manager, directly supporting Move United sanctioned competitions and Nationals. She represented Team USA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. The nine-time World Team member continued her competitive success in 2022 when she reached the podium at the Pan American Championships, winning her fifth career medal at the event. Cutro-Kelly, who has 50% hearing loss in both ears, also made history in 2022 as the first U.S. judo athlete ever to win gold at the Deaflympics.

Adam Popp is a 12-year combat veteran of the Air Force with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2007, while working to disarm a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, Adam was injured by a secondary IED resulting in the amputation of his right leg above the knee. In the years following his injury, Adam endeavored to find meaning and purpose. Ultimately, he found that running, sports, and advocacy work was his path to fulfillment and self-actualization. Adam is an eight-time Guinness World Record holder, has five 100-mile finishes, and won the 2024 Boston Marathon's Para Elite division and set a world best at the London Marathon just six days later.

Trevon Jennifer was born with a congenital amputation. He was a successful track athlete in his early years and a top wrestler in high school, finishing third in his weight class at the Maryland state tournament his senior year. Trey started playing wheelchair basketball in 1992 and was a three-year captain and two-time All-American for Edinboro University's men's wheelchair basketball team. He is now a 4X Paralympian, with three gold medals and one bronze and plays locally with MedStar NRH, a Move United member organization in Washington DC. Trey also works for the federal government and published a book when he was just 17.

Troy Davis was born with a brittle bone disease and would be introduced to wheelchair sports in 1989. He would earn numerous national records in the sprints, would compete at the World Championships in 1994, and would be a member of Team USA for the 2000 Paralympic Games in Australia. Troy was recruited to be part of the University of Arizona first Wheelchair Athletics Team. He went on to coach the Arizona Heat and has started a track team in Portland. In addition he works at Nike and was inducted into the Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.

U.S. Marine Corps Master Sergeant Todd Smalenberg has suffered a number of injuries throughout his military career. But while on a combat patrol in Afghanistan in 2013, he severely reinjured his left ankle which led to a below-the-knee amputation. He originally got involved in adaptive sports to regain confidence and normalcy after the amputation and to play tag with his grandson.

Sarah Bettencourt graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2005 and earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University while serving with the 23rd Marine Regiment. The Marine Corps Captain was forced to retire in 2012 due to a neurological disorder just one month before earning her wings as a Cobra helicopter pilot. Since then, Sarah founded the San Diego Ducks Sled Hockey Club and has competed at the World Para Surfing Championships.

At the age of 14, Todd Huston's legs got caught in the propeller of a boat and would eventually lead to one of them being amputated. Todd became a psychotherapist and clinical director of the Amputee Resource Center in California. He used his professional skills and personal experiences to help patients achieve more in their lives. To prove that anyone can overcome challenges he completed a world-record-setting Summit America expedition by climbing to the highest elevations of all 50 states in only 66 days 22 hours and 47 minutes, shattering the original record by 35 days. He is featured in the new documentary, “The Power of Sports for Amputees.”

Zach Miller was born with cerebral palsy. He was introduced to para snowboarding at Winter Park through the Children's Hospital in Denver. He started racing through NSCD, a Move United member organization then attended Ski Spectacular and met some of the U.S. Team at a race camp there. He also connected with Daniel Gale and Amy Purdy at Adaptive Action Sports, another member organization at Copper Mountain and went on to compete at the 2022 Paralympic Games in Beijing. But he's not done yet.

Eddy Hutchens has bowled out of a wheelchair since 1990. In 2003-04, he started subbing in a league and then was hooked. Eddy won his first national championship with the American Wheelchair Bowling Association in 2004, his my first year out. Now, he is president of the AWBA.

Cecile Brown had her foot amputated around the age of four or five and started skiing around the same time with Central Maine Adaptive Sports, a Move United member organization. She got into race skiing with Maine Adaptive Sports, another member organization, and has also started racing with her high school ski team. Just last week, she also attended race camp at The Hartford Ski Spectacular in Colorado.

Keith Gabel was introduced to snowboarding in 2000 and he quickly developed a love for the sport. In June 2005, he was involved in an industrial accident that crushed his left foot, ultimately leading to amputation. Three months later, he was back on the board. Now he is a 3X Paralympian and 2X Paralympic medalist.

As a first generation American, Alex Godowksk's family were all into skiing, but he wanted to snowboard. While in high school, Alex was involved in a motorcycle accident, which caused him to lose his right foot. Getting back on the mountain with BOEC in Breckenridge helped get Alex out of the hole he felt he was in. Right then, Alex decided that his life had to evolve around para snowboarding somehow. Now he is focused on competing in the sport at the elite level.

Debra Freed enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at age 23. She became a jet engine mechanic with assignments in Maine and Japan. She saw a promo for wheelchair bowling at the 2004 National Veterans Wheelchair Games. Though she had never bowled in her life, she was like why not? She has now been selected for Para Team USA's International Bowling Federation's World Cup to be held in Hong Kong in January 2025.

rank Goebel II is a military veteran who served 11 years in a National Guard infantry unit. He's been a bowler all of his life, becoming fascinated with the sport by age 5. He competed in high school, college, and as a league bowler. When he was 30, a neurological condition got worse and he uses a wheelchair most of the time to assist with everyday mobility. But the day he got his wheelchair, he went back to the bowling enter that night. He is currently secretary of the American Wheelchair Bowling Association.

Sam Schaefer injured his foot during an Air Force training exercise. After 9 years of pain, he opted for amputation to get his quality of life back. He is now a personal trainer, fitness coach, and small business owner who enjoys kickboxing, disc golf, and many other activities. He recently completed a climb of one of Ecuador's highest peaks with ROMP and is currently featured in the documentary, “The Power of Sports for Amputees.”

Emily Oberst was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was in eighth grade, which required surgery on her left leg. Sports was her life and basketball was her favorite sport. Eventually, she started playing wheelchair basketball for a local NWBA program in Milwaukee. She was recruited to play at the collegiate level for the University of Alabama but would transfer to the University of Illinois and studied sports management. Emily started playing for the women's national team in 2017, but took a few years off to focus on her career. She tried out again in 2021 and was able to win a silver medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Tracy Danzey competed in track and swimming in high school. While attending Shepherd University and upon graduating, she kept an active lifestyle with activities like kayaking and hiking. At the age of 25, the intensive care nurse was diagnosed with cancer and would ultimately have her right leg amputated. In recent years, she has started to play with the U.S. women's amputee soccer team, which will be competing at the inaugural Women's Amputee Soccer World Cup in Columbia, November 4-11.

Emi Perry grew up in Japan, but moved back to the United States in 2011 to attend college, where she studied exercise science. She was a runner before sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2017. She started competing in wheelchair racing and then para triathlon in 2022. Emi joined the resident team in Colorado Springs the following year and just represented the United States at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

After a life-changing car accident as a teenager, Judge Patricia Broderick had two choices: remain in the safe haven of her parents or reinvent herself and find a new path through life as a woman in a wheelchair. She chose the latter. Graduating from law school, her career spans from being a volunteer social worker in Ecuador to a senior judge in the District of Columbia. Judge Broderick also advocates for diversity and women's advancement in the legal profession. Her memoir, Reinventing the Wheel, is a testimony to overcoming pain, fear, and prejudice and tempered by a resolve to carry on traveling and having fun in her own way, including alpine skiing.

Jason Tabansky grew up in South Texas. He spent over 15 years in the U.S. Army as a helicopter crewmember and instructor and had deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. He incurred a spinal cord injury due to an epidural abscess, which compressed his spinal cord. Jason participated in a golf clinic with Move United in 2018, but then really got into archery. He has competed in the Texas Regional Games and helped out with the Kinetic Kids program. But just last month, he won a gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

Chris Hammer was born with one hand, the result of a congenital condition. He grew up playing multiple sports such as baseball and ice hockey, but ran cross country in high school. He would continue distance running at Grand Valley State University. In 2013, he would also get into paratriathlon. The 4X Paralympian earned his first gold medal last month at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. He's also been a coach, earned a master's degree in sports administration and a PhD in sports psychology.

Courtney Ryan was playing on the women's soccer team at Metropolitan State University in Denver when she suffered an injury that left her paralyzed. She would be recruited by and transferred to the University of Arizona to play wheelchair basketball and finish her degree, winning a national title there as well. At the 2020 and 2024 Paralympic Games, she has been an integral member of Team USA's medal efforts. In addition to being a player, she is also a coach. We talk about adaptive sports, mental health, and more.

Casey Orndorff was born with cerebral palsy. He got started in sports by joining his track team in high school and then the cross country team his senior year. This propelled him to earn a cross country scholarship to West Virginia Tech, where he competed all four years and served as the team captain. As an adult, he has continued to compete in a number of events, including the Little Rock Half Marathon, the UCO Endeavor Games, and The Hartford Nationals conducted by Move United. But in addition to being an athlete, he has also gone on to earn a master's degree in mathematics and a PhD in computational analysis and modeling.

On August 27, 2007, an IED destroyed the vehicle that U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Matthew Scholten was riding in near Bagdad, Iraq, causing a spinal fusion, traumatic brain injury, and more. During recovery, Matthew was introduced to adaptive sports. He tried out for the Army Warrior Games team in 2016 and made it to the final rounds of selection. But since its inception, Matthew has been a part of the Kansas City Wheelchair Football Team, playing in the Championship game every year to this point. Now he's gearing up for the 2024 season, so let's chat with him.

Kendra Herber had a birth deformity when she was born that resulted in becoming an amputee at the age of 2. It's a title that she has both struggled with and felt extreme pride in throughout the years. Kendra has been a world ranked para triathlete, model, speaker, disability advocate, and high school teacher. She is also the author of “Whole: A Leg Up on Life.” She has also taken up the sport of tennis and is currently leading an adaptive tennis program in Cincinnati, Ohio.

When Zion Walker was in fifth grade, he started attending the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in Staunton, Virginia. Around the age of 12, his older brother Sean was playing the sport of goalball and he wanted to follow in his footsteps. He also played basketball, ran cross country, and competed in track. As a blind athlete, goalball became his primary sport. He would move from his home in Winchester, VA to Washington DC and played there for a couple of years, before moving to Fort Wayne, Indiana to join the men's national goalball team headquartered at Turnstone, a Move United member organization. He is now in Paris preparing for his first Paralympic Games.

Samantha Heyison was born with constricted band syndrome impacting the formation of some of her limbs. She started playing sports early on, including soccer, softball, and basketball but eventually focused on track and field. Samantha is a three-time high school state champion in Maryland and currently is a red shirt freshman at Wake Forest University. In 2021, she attended her first para track and field development camp and went on to compete at the Desert Challenge Games in 2022 and was part of the Move United delegation to IWAS in Portugal later that year. Now, she is heading to Paris to compete in her first Paralympic Games this summer.

Eric Newby was injured in a car accident on the night of his high school graduation, Eric found independence and freedom when he was introduced to wheelchair rugby 5 weeks afterwards. He credits the sport for rebuilding his confidence and independence, for pulling him out of depression and realizing his full potential. Now he is a 10 year veteran of the national team, a 2X Paralympic silver medalist, and captain of the team going into Paris. He also works for DASA, a Move United member organization in St. Louis and coaches the local team. And, wheelchair rugby also led him to meet his wife Megan and two kids.

John Register is a combat veteran and Paralympic Silver Medalist in long jump. He founded the United States Olympic Committee's Paralympic Military Sports Program and served as the Acting CEO of the Amputee Coalition. He is an advocate, author, life coach, and sought out TEDx speaker. You can learn more about his book and work at johnregister.com.

Cortney Truitt has paralysis in the left side of her body due to cerebral palsy. In 1998, at the age of seven, she would take up the sport of swimming. Ten years later, she would compete in the first of three Paralympic Games, winning 12 medals, including one gold. Cortney was also named a team captain in 2012, 2014 and 2015. Since then, she has also completed her master's degree in education.

Josie Fouts is a congenital amputee, which means she was born without her left hand. In December 2018, Josie won two national championships and set a national record at her first par cycling competition. But has since switched her attention to mountain biking. Josie was recently featured in Tread Setters, a film about four para-cyclists and adaptive athletes who tackle a grueling 100-mile mountain bike trail through Canyonlands National Park in under 24 hours. So let's chat with her.

John D. Kemp is President and CEO of the Lakeshore Foundation, a Move United member organization in Birmingham, Alabama. He is an accomplished executive widely respected for his many achievements in the corporate and nonprofit worlds and has decades of experience in the disability movement as a disabled leader, co-founding the American Association of People with Disabilities. His latest book, Disability Friendly: How to Move from Clueless to Inclusive, focuses on realizing the opportunities presented by employing people with disabilities and how to create a culture of inclusion.

Sam Bosco was six years old when she first got on a bike, riding to and from school with her dad. When she was 11, she had a limb lengthening surgery go awry that left her with a stunted left leg. She lettered in swimming and bowling in high school and earned a crew scholarship to the University of Central Florida where she rowed for two years. But she came back to her first love of cycling and the 2X Paralympic Bronze medalist is aiming for more this summer in Paris.

Jessica Heims was born with amniotic band syndrome that can compromise an unborn babies' limbs. As a result, at the age of one, she would have her right leg amputated below the knee. She started in track and field at age 10 and met Paralympian Scout Bassett a year later, who helped her get involved in Para track and field. The 2X Paralympian competed as a member of the University of Northern Iowa Track and Field Team and is aiming to make her third games this summer in Paris.

Brandon Lyons, from Mechanicsburg, PA, graduated from Penn State University in 2012 and started his career with Ernst & Young in the Washington, D.C. region. Things changed on May 24, 2014, when he dove into shallow water, breaking his T5/T6 vertebrae and leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. Lyons quickly took on this new challenge and completed a marathon just five months after the date of his injury. He found his passion for handcycling and would relocate to the USPOC training center in Colorado Springs exactly three years after the date of his injury. Lyons made his first national team in 2019 and is aiming for the Paris Paralympics later this summer.

fter September 11, Shianti Lee enlisted in the Army Reserves after graduating from college. She would deploy to Iraq almost immediately. She sustained multiple injuries as the result of an IED blast during a mission. She has tried multiple adaptive sports, but particularly likes yoga and snowboarding. As a Move United Warfighters Ambassador, she is working to get more wounded veterans active through sports and recreation.

In 2005 Harsh Thakkar had just started classes at the University of Maryland, Baltimore when he was robbed and shot, leaving him paralyzed at T12-L1. A strong athlete in high school he rediscovered his athletic identity through adaptive sports. He would finish his degree at Edinboro University, where he got a scholarship to play wheelchair basketball. He currently plays for the NRH Punishers and also leads programs through his role at the National Rehabilitation Hospital.

As an Adaptive PE teacher in the 1980's, Gregg Baumgarten saw there were no competitive opportunities for many of his students who had physical disabilities. So he founded what is now Arizona Disabled Sports with his good friend Mark Grant. As pioneers in adaptive sports, the two would also create Desert Challenge Games and the first ever National Power Soccer Tournament in the USA. Gregg would direct a number of regional and national competitions and assisted with the formation of many other organizations and competitions. He would serve on the board of directors of Disabled Sports USA and as board chair of Adaptive Sports USA, the two predecessor organizations of Move United.

Dan Castillo served for six years in the Armed Forces and was medically retired as a quadriplegic with a C4 spinal cord injury. He plays power soccer and was named to the U.S Boccia National Team back in October. Students from Virginia Western Community College students are creating a handstick for him to play the sport through a partnership with Quality of Life Plus.

Brian Bell lost his leg at the age of 10 due to a train accident. After rehabilitation, he wanted to get back to playing basketball and football, his two favorite sports. He played middle school football on his prosthetic and discovered wheelchair basketball through the Lakeshore Foundation, a Move United member organization in Birmingham, Alabama. Now the 2x Paralympic Gold Medalist is hoping to win his third one this summer in Paris.

Rev. Julius Lee is the Founder and President of SMCL Foundation & Associates. After serving in the US Army from 1974 to 1980 and in the Air Force from 1980 to 1997, Julius suffered a spinal cord injury. For over 21 years, as a disabled veteran, he has been advocating for those with disabilities and hardships. His passion for aiding others has led him to serve and educate the community on adaptive sports for veterans and others with disabilities.