Redefining Disability

Justin Phongsavanh made his international debut for the United States at the 2019 Parapan American Games, where he won a gold medal in javelin. He represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, winning a bronze medal. In June 2021, during the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials for Track and Field, Justin set the javelin throw world record with a distance of 33.29 meters and is aiming for gold in Paris 2024.

3X Paralympian Patty Cisneros Prevo, who won two gold medals as part of the national women’s wheelchair basketball team and is a disability advocate focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion, has published a new children’s book called “Tenacious: Fifteen Adventures Alongside Disabled Athletes.” She is on a book tour now and will be signing copies at The Hartford Nationals on Sunday, July 9th.

Michael Rosenkrantz is the Executive Director of So Cal Adaptive Sports, a Move United member organization. He has coached wheelchair basketball at the collegiate level, serving as an Assistant Coach with the University of Arizona women’s team and is a Level II Certified Archery instructor. We are here today to talk about adaptive pickleball, another sport he coaches.

Born with spina bifida, Hannah Dederick was abandoned at the steps of a hospital in China and adopted from an orphanage by a family in the United States. Through Shriners Children’s Hospital, she learned about wheelchair track in 2015 and connected with ParaSport Spokane, a Move United member organization in Washington. Having already competed at one Paralympics, Hannah is looking for more in the future.

Dr. Mary Hums is a professor of Sport Administration at the University of Louisville. She has been active in the Olympic and Paralympic movement since the 1996 Summer Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia. She has co-authored the textbook for sports management and co-edited Women as Leaders in Sport: Impact and Influence. Her other scholarly work includes contributions to The Journal of Sport and Social Issues, Adaptive Physical Activity Quarterly and more. Her main research interest is policy development in sport organizations, especially in regards to inclusion of people with disabilities and also sport and human rights. She was a co-contributor to Article 30.5 of the 2006 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and helped to establish the ESPYs for Best Male and Female Athletes with a Disability.

When Bailey Moody was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma and underwent an amputation of her leg. Within just two months of completing chemotherapy, she was back on the basketball court. In 2014, Bailey started playing wheelchair basketball with BlazeSports, a Move United member organization based in Georgia. She has been a member of the women’s national team since 2018, winning a bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics. Bailey also plays on the University of Alabama women’s wheelchair basketball team, which has happened to win three straight collegiate championships.

Earlier this year, Jonathan Clemins was appointed to the position of the USA Archery Paralympic Head Coach. Clemins served as an Assistant Coach for the 2022 World Archery Para Championships and as the Head Coach for the 2022 World Games para team and the Para Pan Am Championships. He is also the assistant coach at the University of Pikeville and a USA Archery Level 4 Coach.

Alycia Anderson is an international TEDx motivational speaker, CEO, inclusion champion, and advocate. She received a master’s degree in adapted physical activity and has been an avid wheelchair tennis player and cyclist. Let’s chat with her.

Dr. Oluwaferanmi Okanlami is an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan, where he also serves as the Director of Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services, Division of Student Life and oversees the Adaptive Sports & Fitness program. He was recently appointed to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Dr. O is also presenting at the Move United Education Conference this week in Louisville, Kentucky.

Dayne Law is a Coast Guard veteran, social worker, queer/transgender man, kayaker, and a member of Move United’s DEI task force. In 2002, Dayne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and found that his passion for paddling could help him on his journey to healing and wellness. He is also an instructor and volunteer with Team River Runner, a Move United member organization, and will be presenting a session at the Move United Education Conference May 17 in Louisville, Kentucky.