Redefining Disability

Kenley Teller was five years old when she started with adaptive sports, after going on a ski trip with Outdoors For All, a Move United member organization in Washington State. There, she was told about a swimming program and she has been swimming at the club level ever since. Kenley also started swimming at several of the para swim meets, including the Jimi Flowers Classic, The Hartford Nationals, and some international competitions. Kenley and her dad Aaron joins us in conversation.

In 2017, Kate Brim sustained a spinal cord injury when she went in for a routine surgery for a herniated disc. She was introduced to adaptive sports through Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, a Move United member organization based in Grand Rapids. She particularly fell in love with handcycling because of the freedom and peace that it brought her. She now is an elite competitor, having won one gold and one bronze at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Dominic Norris started playing ice hockey at three years old, having his jersey retired in Maryland after having the most points scored in state history (244 points in 58 games). He continued to play in college at Franklin Pierce University and Stevenson University, where he is finishing a master’s degree, as well as in Europe. While diving into the deep end a pool, Dominic would sustain a burst fracture in his C7. At MedStar, a Move United member organization in DC, he would be introduced to a variety of adaptive sports. This year, he competed in seating field events at a number of Move United Sanctioned Competitions, including The Hartford Nationals and is aiming to compete at the Paralympic Games in 2028.

JD Drinkard enlisted in the Alabama National Guard as the result of September 11th and would be deployed to Iraq with his unit. As the result of injuries sustained in country, he would be medically retired. He would be introduced to adaptive sports through the Warrior Transition Battalion, starting with wheelchair basketball. He now plays in the USA Wheelchair Football League with the Birmingham Hammers, including the Tampa tournament this month. JD is also working on his MBA and continues to hear the call to serve through nonprofit work.

As a teenager, Tyler Merren was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease which causes gradual deterioration in sight. He was introduced to goalball in 1999 at a sports education camp hosted by U.S. Association of Blind Athletes at Western Michigan University. He is now a 5X Paralympian, with one silver and one bronze medal, in the sport. Tyler recently retired from Team USA, but still plays in Grand Rapids for a team sponsored by Mary Free Bed, a Move United member organization. Tyler also works as a personal trainer, motivational speaker and founder of ReVision Training LLC.

In 2009, Mason Symons was on his way to the Armory to report to duty with the PA Army National Guard when he had a motorcycle accident and broke his neck. After that, he would discover the sport of wheelchair rugby. He loves the team aspect and camaraderie that comes with playing the game. He played for Team USA at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, earning a silver medal. He also plays locally with the Oscar Mike team and like to keep other veterans on the move.

At 10 months old, Rob Rodriguez had his right leg amputated below-the-knee. A gifted athlete, Rob has been a member of the para-elite triathlon team and the amputee soccer team for Team USA. He is a Para Spartan competitor, appeared on TV shows such as “American Ninja Warrior,” “Ink Masters,” “Fosse,” and others. In 2019, his life documentary titled “Able,” was nominated for an Emmy. Rob currently works as a Community Care Coordinator at Hanger Clinic in the NY Metro area and also travels across the country as a motivational speaker.

Roderick Sewell is a swimmer who represented Team USA on three national teams. In 2019, he became the first bilateral above-the-knee amputee to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. The YMCA was critical to his early development and now Roderick is a mentor and swim coach. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Alabama and is the author of a new book entitled Iron Will.

Maggie Baumer is an attorney licensed to practice in both New York and Massachusetts. She currently serves as Area Clinic Business Manager for Hanger Clinic. Maggie is a Certified Peer Visitor for the AMPOWER program, a peer-to-peer network designed to empower and strengthen those affected by amputation or limb difference through peer mentorship, educational resources, and community events and is involved in the So Every BODY Can Move campaign.

Brendan Downes was born with spina bifida and started playing sports early in life. He now plays wheelchair softball for the Minnesota Twins and has been involved with adaptive sports through the Courage Kenny Center, a Move United member organization. Brendan is also a former president of the National Wheelchair Softball Association, has played with Team USA multiple times and is a Hall of Famer.

After surviving a traumatic boating accident that resulted in the amputation of his right leg, Parker Byrd became the first NCAA baseball player to attempt to play with a prosthetic. But his story doesn’t stop at physical recovery — he’s now a sought-after speaker and advocate for resilience, mental health, and purpose-driven living. Whether he’s stepping back onto the field as a Division I baseball player at East Carolina University or sharing his faith and mindset with thousands, Parker is redefining what it means to persevere.

Tatyana McFadden is the most winning American track and field athlete of all time, Olympian or Paralympian! Some of Tatyana’s remarkable accomplishments include 22 Paralympic medals (including eight gold medals), 24 World Major Marathon wins, 7 Paralympic Games, 5 World Records, and 4 Grand Slams. She was named the Best Female Athlete of the 2016 Paralympic Games by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), received the ESPY Award as the Best Female Athlete with a Disability, and was named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list. She was also a producer and star in “Rising Phoenix”, the Netflix drama that tells the story of the Paralympic Movement.

Genevieve Rohner initially began riding horses for therapy at age four and fell in love with the sport the moment she sat on Sadie, the first horse she rode. The connection between horse and rider provides a sense of calmness and freedom for her and feeds her system in a way nothing else does. Genevieve discovered not only a love of horses, but a love of competing in para dressage. She got classified at age 9 and was named to her first Team USA show team in 2022. We talk with her and her mom Lexi.

In June 2017, Garrett Schoonover was involved in a severe motorcycle accident. After four months and 13 limb-salvage surgeries, he decided to have his left leg amputated above the knee. At the time, he was a Sergeant with the California National Guard’s 225th Expeditionary Intelligence Unit. He would discover para fencing and represented Team USA at the 2024 Paralympic Games. Garrett is also a professional singer and works with Hanger Clinic.

Sarah Adam first discovered wheelchair rugby as a volunteer while in school studying occupational therapy with the program at DASA, a Move United Member organization in Missouri. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she would get classified into the sport in 2019 and earned a spot on the national team in 2022. Sarah became the first-ever woman to win a Paralympic medal with Team USA last year in Paris. She is also a professor of occupational therapy at St. Louis University.

U.S. Air Force Colonel Jacqui Marty was in a motor vehicle accident in October 2015, while on temporary duty assignment in Abilene, TX. Through the encouragement of her recovery care coordinator, Jacqui tried adaptive sports in 2018 and she would make the Air Force Wounded Warrior team for the DoD Warrior Games in Colorado Springs later that year. Earlier this year, she represented the United States at the first-ever Winter Invictus Games.

U.S. Navy Petty Officer Third Class Gabriella Zamora, or Gabby, was diagnosed with compartment syndrome and has a spinal stimulator to manage her injuries. After being introduced to adaptive sports, she regained her confidence and purpose, helping her overcome depression following her injury. Gabby earned six medals representing Team Navy at the Warrior Games at Disney World last year. Adaptive sports reignited her passion, allowing her to mentor others and continue making her branch proud.

Kari Treat is an assistant swim coach at Reach Aquatics and has been involved with GLASA, a Move United member organization in the Chicago area. She received her Level 1 Para Swimming Coaching Certification and is passionate about celebrating incremental improvements and emphasizing the journey of learning and growth. As the mother of a child with a limb difference, she co-founded the Limb Difference Collective and is co-host of the Parenting Children with Limb Differences Podcast.

Bryce Ewing played a lot of sports growing up. She then enlisted in the U.S. Army and had the opportunity to be assigned to work with Blackhawk helicopters. A year and a half into her enlistment, she was diagnosed with cancer at 23 years old. Bryce is now 10 years out and in full remission. She got back into sports through the Warrior Transition Unit and would compete at the Valor Games. But this past February, she also represented the United States at the first-ever Winter Invictus Games.

Marc Mast started as a supervisor of Achieve Tahoe’s adaptive ski school in 1986 and earned his level 2 adaptive instructor certification in 1990. As one of the early pioneers in alpine adaptive winter skiing, he has decades of experience as a national and international clinician. He also was the founder of the adaptive program at Sun Valley, currently known as Higher Ground). Marc also decided to add Nordic skiing into the mix. We chat about the history and evolution of adaptive skiing.