This semester, the Adapted Physical Education program along with the Health and Physical Education Club under the direction of Dr. Monica Lepore and Dr. Kat Ellis hosted a disability awareness lecture series that consisted of three speakers, all athletes with a disability of some kind. The focus of the series was for students to hear and interact with successful disabled individuals so students could rethink stereotypes they may have about what a disabled person is like.
The first lecture, given in September featured Pam McGonigle, three-time Paralympian in track and field. McGonigle is visually impaired and also has albinism, a disorder that effects pigment in one’s hair, skin and eyes.
During the lecture, McGonigle gave students an introduction to her life and cleared up misconceptions people generally have regarding her disabilities. She told how her disabilities did and did not limit her throughout her life as well as other people’s opinions and perceptions of her as a disabled person.
McGonigle mentioned a lot about athletics, the role of running in her life, and her Paralympic trips as well as her home life and relationships. Also, she spoke of the advocacy she does for her son, who has the same conditions she does.
On Oct. 19 the series featured Chris Ridgway, a two-time Paralympian in wheelchair racing. Ridgway has cerebral palsy, a disorder caused by not getting enough oxygen at birth. Ridgway stopped breathing five times in his first year of life.
Despite hardships, Ridgway had a very typical childhood. He has been active in sports from a young age due to growing up in a family that was interested and excelled in sports.
“Sports were my life,” Ridgway said of his childhood.
As a child Ridgway was always included in his school’s sports and physical education classes. Ridgway spoke specifically about how he started a wrestling team in his elementary school.
Besides sports, Ridgway spoke about his learning disability, which he considerers much more disabling than his cerebral palsy. Like McGonigle, Ridgway spoke about people misunderstanding his disability.
Specifically, he told of a professor he had in college thought Ridgway would be able to walk without his crutches and continually took them away from him when it was clear that Ridgway needed them.
Ridgway learned from the experience and vowed to never use a wheelchair until he absolutely needed it. Ridgway’s road to the Paralympics began with a bicycle shop near his home sponsoring him with a racing wheelchair. His first trip to the Paralympics was in 1992 when he went to Japan. In 1996 he went again, this time to Barcelona, Spain where he won a bronze.
“Going from nobody to third best in the world changes you,” Ridgway said of his experience.
Currently Ridgway works as a manager at Eastern Mountain Sports, but in the past he has worked with children, coaching wheelchair racing. His motivation for doing so was that he wished people would have been done that for him as a child.
On November 9, the final speaker, Keith Newerla, was accompanied by his friend and rugby teammate AJ, who turned to wheelchair sports after a spinal cord injury.
Like Ridgway, Newerla acquired cerebral palsy from being born extremely premature. Also similar to Ridgway, Newerla had a fairly normal childhood growing up, despite frequent hospital stays and surgeries, and went on to be a Paralympic equestrian, winning fourth place in 2004, and also remained an active rugby player.
Unlike Ridgway, Newerla grew up in a handicapped world, and did not realize he was disabled until elementary school.
“Realization comes with progression,” Newerla said in regards to his difficulty coming to terms with his handicap. Ways of coping with having a disability was a main theme during this lecture.
Both Newerla and AJ experienced serious periods of depression that led them down dangerous paths. Thankfully, both recovered from this and have become successful in helping others with disabilities get involved in sports.
Sam Greenberg is a third-year student majoring in English. She can be reached at SG655862@wcupa.edu.