by Tiff -

Developed by the American Association of Adapted Sports Programs in Atlanta, Georgia, wheelchair football, the American kind of football that is, has become a burgeoning adapted sport. Reason being – it’s fast and really fun. Players get to see a lot of action because there’s typically only six players from each team on the field at the same time.

The sport is definitely modified too. Tackling has been removed and players only play on a standard basketball court, not a full size football field, to make it easier for the players to wheel up and down without getting exhausted by the second quarter.

If you’ve never seen wheelchair football in action before, here’s your chance.  Check out three wheelchair football videos we love below. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Josh Cassidy

No, you’re not looking at Paul Walker in a wheelchair. You’re looking at one of the fastest wheelchair racers in the world, Josh Cassidy, winner of over 75 marathons and  breaker of the world record in wheelchair racing at the Boston Marathon last year.  Faster than a speeding bullet?  Almost. He can get up to 45 miles an hour going downhill.

And this fascinating athlete has quite the back story, learning how to push himself at a young age after overcoming a childhood illness. To learn more about the man who makes wheelchair racing cooler than school, check out our love fest on Josh Cassidy below. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Finally Learning Wheelchair Dance

We’ve seen videos of awesome wheelchair dancers before, but up until now there have never really been that many videos showing quite how it’s done. You can guess, maybe put two and two together if you took dance classes as an able-bodied person, but learning how to look really good while you dance in a wheelchair is no small feat.

That’s why we here at SPINALpedia love the internet. There are always new videos being published online, and a few recent ones finally show the world how to wheelchair dance.  If you’ve always wanted to learn, but don’t have classes anywhere near you, you will love the wheelchair dance videos below. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Victoria Arlen

“Rock your disability,” a famous quote by Victoria Arlen pretty much sums up the personality of this hardcore adaptive athlete, who was paralyzed by transverse myelitis when she was 11.

She made a giant splash in the Paralympic world last year when she won four medals in swimming at the London games breaking all kinds of records, and she also does modeling and motivational speaking on the side.

While some unfortunate drama has put Victoria Arlen back in the news disputing the permanency of her paralysis, Victoria Arlen has no plans to abandon her love of athletics. Read on to learn more about this 19 year old beauty from Exeter, New Hampshire who’s forged an amazing life since becoming paralyzed. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Traveling Like a Rockstar: Accessible RVs

Traveling for extended amount of time with a disability can be one of the most challenging things.  Finding everything you need – a roll-in shower with a Hoyer lift, an automatic bed, a kitchen with all of the appliances you need to cook, let’s be honest, that’s almost impossible.

And that’s exactly why accessible RVs have become one of the smartest ways for people with disabilities to travel. You get to bring everything with you, even if it does cost a pretty penny.   But let’s not talk about that small detail right now.

If you have the money and are traveling where it’s possible to take an RV, they are awesome, and we have four accessible RV videos to prove it. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Dave Jacka

You often see plenty of paraplegics taking to the skies, but quadriplegics…not so much. That is why Dave Jacka is so special. He is the first quadriplegic to fly around the entire continent of Australia solo. But flying around Australia wasn’t the first big feat he managed to pull off.

Read on to learn about this adventure loving Aussie descended from kick butt blood whose refused to let his injury stop him from enjoying the skies. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Doing the Amazing: Wheelchair Crowd Surfing

For a lot of people who use wheelchairs, one of their favorite pastimes is going to concerts.  It’s something you can still do whether you’re standing or sitting.  As long as your ears work, heck even if they don’t, concerts can be one of those universally accessible things that is fun for everybody.

What I love most about concerts is that as a wheelchair-user, you’re not getting a pared down version of the experience or anything like that, which is so often the case. It’s a harsh fact of life we kind of get used to, but not with concerts.

We’ve uncovered three sweet videos of wheelchair-users enjoying concerts to the hilt.  Check out some wheelchair crowd surfing, and another musical gem you’ll never forget below. Read this entry

by Tiff -

SCI Superstar: Samanta Bullock

Brazil is home to some of the world’s most beautiful women, and you can count Samanta Bullock as one of them. Born Samanta Almeida 34 years ago, Samanta Bullock grew up modeling and playing tennis. Being taller than girls her age, she was invited to try all kinds of awesome things.

But her world of youth and perfection got an abrupt wake-up call when at the age of 14, she became a T12-L1 paraplegic in an accidental shooting. Determined to not let her injury cast a shadow on her hopes and dreams, and definitely not put a damper on her bubbly fun Brazilian personality, Samanta Bullock has gone on to prove everyone wrong, returning to both of her life passions, and smiling every minute of it. Read this entry

by Tiff -

Wheelchair Dog Walking Done Right

Taking your pooch anywhere – I don’t care if it’s out on the town, deep into the woods, for a ride in your car or van, heck – just taking them outside to go to the bathroom – doing any of these tasks takes some serious logistics when you use a wheelchair. And not every solution has been figured out yet.

From showing how to take your dog at a brisk speed in a powerchair to maneuvering unstable curb-cuts with a pooch tied to your wheelchair frame, we’ve found some awesome videos showing wheelchair dog walking no matter your limitations. Check out our four favorites below! Read this entry