A group of third year USF DPT students; Hannah Ruckner, Jonathan O, Yostina Khalil, Erin Esposito, Malaisia Stallworth, Jordan Roneree, and Alex Turnock, recently teamed up with Stay in Step to organize and implement the “Ability Games” at the Pride Strength Training Center in Tampa. Stay in Step is a veteran founded and run, non-profit organization providing long term rehabilitation and fitness to individuals with neurologic disorders, including spinal cord injury and brain injury. The Ability Games is a yearly event that brings together wheelchair users and able-bodied individuals to participate in a wheelchair competition that challenges and equalizes all participants. The competition consists of timed weight-lifting activities and relay races; all challenging upper extremity and aerobic physical ability.

There were over 100 people in attendance at the games this fall including the athletes, organizers, Stay in Step leadership and staff, DPT students, USF students from all three DPT classes and three USF faculty members, Jeannie Stephenson, PT, PhD, NCS, Wendy Herbert, PT, PhD, and Stephanie Hart-Hughes, PT, MSMS. The Ability Games competition brings awareness to the community of the capabilities of disabled athletes. It also helps the athletes to realize how great the impact of their rehabilitation effort on their journey to recovery and on their journey toward greater health, wellness and fitness. Many thanks to all third year DPT students in the Health Promotion and Wellness course who contributed to numerous community service events this fall.