Redefining Disability

Caitlin Conner has taken up a number of sports, including cycling, boxing, triathlon, and cross-fit. As an amputee, she is now interested in building up para speed skating as a new winter sport. Outside of sport, she is a single mom, a model, and founder of a nonprofit called Be More Adaptive. And if that wasn’t enough, she is planning to head to Ecuador later this year to climb Cotopaxi.

Tim Brown is a retired U.S. Marine, who suffered a significant injury after stepping on an IED during his third deployment to Afghanistan. Sports played a major role in his recovery while at Walter Reed and became a serious and avid cyclist. After earning a degree in marketing and management from Georgetown University, Tim started interning at Move United and has a goal of working with member organization where he can continue to show others the power of sport.

Chuck Aoki is regarded as one of the best wheelchair rugby players in the world and has played on the U.S. team in 3 Paralympic Games, even being named one of two flag bearers for Team USA at the Summer Paralympics last year.

Chuck was born with a rare genetic disorder and was advised by his doctor to regularly use a wheelchair from the age of 12. Just a few years later is when he discovered the sport and started playing at Courage Kenny, a Move United member organization in Minnesota. But Chuck doesn’t only excel in sport. He has completed a master’s degree in public policy and is currently working on his PhD in international relations.

Mohamed Lahna was born in Casablanca, Morocco with Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency, leaving him without a femur in his right leg. As a young child, his mobility was limited by crutches or foam inserts made by a shoe cobbler. Despite his situation, Mo would seek inspiration from the world of professional sports and Olympic competition. At the age of 20, Mo was fitted with a real prosthetic. Within 5 years, he rode his first bike. Two months later, he crossed the Atlas Mountains – 1,550 miles of diverse terrain across northwestern Africa - on that same bike. He has swam across the Gibraltar, finished the Kona Ironman, and earned a bronze medal in paratriathlon at the Paralympics.

In 2004, Noah Grove developed bone cancer in his left leg that resulted in an amputation. He was only five years old. Fast forward eight years later and he finds himself at the adaptive sports program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Move United member organization based in Baltimore where he discovered the sport of sled hockey. In 2016, after two years on the development team, Noah was named to the national team, which of course won the Gold Medal against Canada in an epic game at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. Noah and the team hope to repeat that performance at the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing in March. Outside the national team, Noah has played with the USA Warriors and is completing his bachelor’s degree at Towson University.

BethAnn Chamberlain grew up in northern Minnesota and was introduced to cross country skiing when she joined her high school team. She would continue competing in the sport and biathlon through college. She would be introduced to para Nordic skiing as a volunteer and started coaching. She serves as a Paralympic Development Coach at the US Biathlon Association.

Marc DePerno is an occupational therapist and serves as an outreach coordinator for Sitrin Health Care Center. He was instrumental in establishing the STARS (Success Through Adaptive Recreation and Sports) program for individuals with physical disabilities. In addition, he serves as the manager for the US Wheelchair Curling Team and has been instrumental in growing the sport all across the country.

Darlene Hunter is a 3x Paralympian and Gold Medalist for the US Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. At 4 years old, she would suffer a spinal cord injury as a part of a tragic accident but would discover adaptive sports just a few short years later through para track & field. At the University of Arizona, she switched to the sport of wheelchair basketball. In addition to being a player, she has also mentored and coached other athletes by heading the Lady Mavericks Wheelchair Basketball Team in Dallas and hosting an annual women's wheelchair development camp out of the University of Texas-Arlington. The impact she has had on the court is huge, but the impact she is making off the court is even bigger.

Blake Eaton started bi-skiing with Courage Kenny, a Move United member organization based in Duluth, Minnesota, when he was three years old. When he was 8, he was encouraged to give monoskiing a try. Now a senior in high school, his goal is to one day be a member of Team USA and compete at international alpine races. But in addition to skiing, he has also played other sports, including sled hockey with the Minnesota Wild and is on his high school track team. We chat about sports, college, and more.

Dan Cnossen graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and became a Navy SEAL. He would deploy multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan and served as a platoon commander for Seal Team One. In 2009, on a night mission in the Afghanistan mountains, Dan stepped on an IED, losing both legs in the blast. He would later be awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor.

Never one to shy from a challenge, Dan eventually earned a spot on the 2014 U.S. Paralympic Biathlon Team. The Harvard University graduate would return to the Paralympic Games in 2018, winning one gold, four silver and one bronze medal. He is now training to compete for Team USA once again, at the 2022 Paralympic Games. We talk with Dan about the sport of Nordic skiing, about getting outside, and the benefits of being in nature.