Program Builds Resiliency in Veterans
May 20, 2015
Michael Hartley of the UA Disabilities Resource Center welcomes veterans to a treasure hunt session at the Student Union Memorial Center.
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Sports chairs and other equipment are stored and made ready at the UA Student Recreation Center for members of the camp.
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Standard and specially designed wheelchairs are used for athletics.
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Coach Mike Beardsley pumps air into wheelchair tires and basketballs for the camp.
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Fabrizio Shao, a UA freshman and basketball point guard, leads the veterans in warmup stretches.
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The camp attracted individuals such as Mary Esther Austin a pharmacy tech in Tampa, Florida. Austin said she took part in order to get her educational goals in place and pursue an undergraduate degree.
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Carl Morgan, from Atlanta, shows his mobility to the coaches during a discussion about positions on a wheelchair basketball team. Morgan is flanked by his friend Derrick McMillon and Robert Jones, both from Georgia.
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Derrick McMillon prepares to play basketball.
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Friends Derrick McMillon and Robert Jones are first-time participants at the UA. Both had just participated in a National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship game in Kentucky.
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Ebonee Sanders, from Virginia, takes a breather during drills.
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The camp offered the experience of education and recreation on a veteran-friendly campus.
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Participants meet at the VETS Center before a morning scavenger hunt.
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The University of Arizona recently hosted a sports and education camp for military veterans with spinal cord injury or disease.
Participants came from as far Florida for the camp, which integrated wheelchair basketball, rugby, cycling and scuba diving with reflection activities, a digital storytelling project and a scavenger hunt. They also engaged in resiliency training, drills, workshops, and scrimmages and one-on-one game play.
The UA College of Education hosted the camp in collaboration with Adaptive Athletics, one of the most comprehensive collegiate wheelchair sports programs in the nation, and the VETS Center.
Camp and travel-related costs for veterans were covered by a Paralyzed Veterans of America Education Foundation grant. Some of the veterans are planning to pursue degrees at the University in the fall.
Photos: John de Dios/UANews