For the non-disabled community, the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home recommendations have been quite a culture shock, especially for those that enjoy fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Losing access to establishments like gyms and fitness centers has caused challenges to staying fit. For many in the disabled community, access to accessible and welcoming gyms and fitness centers […]
Think back to the last time you experienced a little adventure in your life. How did it make you feel? We know from numerous studies that participating in outdoor recreational activities can reduce stress and increase mental and physical well-being. However, due to the necessity of attending to everyday life, it’s easy to push fun-time […]
Editor’s Note: When Greg Milano started volunteering for an adaptive outdoor recreation group over 20 years ago, he quickly recognized the impact the activities had on people’s lives. That volunteer position evolved into a career path for Milano when he became a manager for an adaptive sea kayaking program in San Francisco. From there, he […]
About a year into my injury, I began speaking at churches and elementary schools. I would share my story and talk about what life was like for me as a wheelchair user. Even though it had only been a year since my injury, there was so much to cover yet never enough time. As a […]
Editor’s Note: Diagnosed with spina bifida before birth, nine-year-old Charlie Krouse uses a wheelchair for mobility but has full use of his upper body. Earlier this year, Freedom Concepts teamed up with the Tampa Bay Lightning NHL team, two Florida charities (Wheelchairs 4 Kids and Charlie’s Champs), and Pediatric Therapy Services to create a custom […]
Editor’s Note: In 2012, the Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University partnered with LightHouse for the Blind and took over Superfest, the longest-running disability film festival in the world. As the associate director at Longmore, Emily Smith Beitiks had the opportunity to take on the producer role for the 2013 festival and […]
Editor’s Note: Likely due to a prescription drug her mother used during pregnancy, Gianna Rojas was born with no fingers on her left hand. As a young girl in the 1970s, she became a March of Dimes poster child for the state of Florida helping raise funds for the nonprofit to support research on healthy […]
Editor’s Note: The summer after finishing his college football career and graduating from the University of San Diego, Damien Minna took a much-deserved vacation with his family. The gap between student life and the working world was quickly closing. While on a boat soaking up the sun, Minna decided to jump into the lake to […]
Editor’s Note: On an evening in 2003, Tim Taylor went on a pizza run with his girlfriend and her sister to pick up dinner for the family. When an oncoming vehicle came into their lane, the driver swerved to miss the other car but consequently, crashed into a tree. Tim awoke 12 days later from […]
Editor’s Note: When fitness enthusiast Richard Corbett fell 50 feet while out for a jog in 2010, he broke both his legs, shattered an elbow, and sustained an L2 incomplete spinal cord injury. The next few years were spent in and out of rehab, both to recover from his physical injuries as well as his […]
