Redefining Disability

Shawn Cheshire served in the US Army for eight years as a helicopter systems mechanic and was honorably discharged in 2002. Shawn lost her vision in 2012 as a result of traumatic brain injury she suffered while working on an ambulance after becoming a paramedic. After competing in the 2016 Paralympic Games, she has gone on to complete some amazing adventures but is now focused on summiting Mount E...

Mackenzie Soldan has had an amazing sports career, representing Team USA at two Paralympic Games in two different sports: wheelchair tennis and wheelchair basketball. At one point, she was the #1 wheelchair tennis player in the U.S. in the women’s division and also won a gold medal with the US Women’s Wheelchair National Basketball Team. After earning a masters degree at the University of Alabama,...

Marine Corps veteran Jataya Taylor was injured during training, ultimately ending her military career and eventually leading to the amputation of her left leg. She has explored a variety of adaptive sports, but the one that has caught her attention is wheelchair fencing and she is now pursuing a different dream... to represent the U.S. at the Paralympic Games.

Lia Coryell is a two-time Paralympian for Team USA and 2022 World Archery Para Champion. She became a first-time Paralympian at the age of 51 and is a veteran of the U.S. Army. Now officially retired from the sport, we sit down and chat about her journey and her career.

Casey Ratzlaff is the #1 Male in U.S. wheelchair tennis and recently had a career high ranking of 15 in Singles, which is unheard of for the US wheelchair tennis program. He's young, talented, smart, and hungry to win. He made his Paralympic Debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo and has competed in two US Opens as well as other international competitions.

Born without her left hand and forearm, Anna Johannes began to fight for disability rights and social justice from a young age. After several years competing in para swimming as an elite athlete, including winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Paralympic Games, Anna has taken her skills from the pool to the realm of business to continue that work as a strategist for Interbrand’s Inclusive Design Prac...

As an adaptive athlete, Patrick Sweeney has competed in three half Ironmans in Atlantic City about 50 or more triathlons. He also played with the national team in the sport of 7 v 7 Soccer. He is active with the I'm ABLE Foundation and PA Center for Adaptive Sports, both are Move United member organizations located in the greater Philadelphia area.

Kaitlyn Verfeurth played wheelchair tennis professionally and represented Team USA in that sport at the 2004, 2008 and 2016 Paralympic Games. Kaitlyn would become a dual sport athlete and competed in paracanoe at the 2020 Paralympics. She now serves as the wheelchair tennis coach at Ability 360.

Liz Willis was a distance runner in high school. When doctors were forced to amputate her leg below the knee in 2010, she pursued her passion for running and set her sights on becoming a U.S. Paralympian, transforming into a sprinter in the process. The 2016 Paralympic athlete is now a coach with Wichita Adaptive Sports and busier than ever.

Kaitlyn Verfeurth was involved in a car accident when she was just 7 years old, sustaining an L2 incomplete spinal cord injury. She found adaptive sports through a summer camp and would go on to play wheelchair tennis professionally and represented Team USA in that sport at the 2004, 2008 and 2016 Paralympic Games. Kaitlyn would become a dual sport athlete and competed in paracanoe at the 2020 Par...

Conner Lundius has been a dancer since the age of 5. She danced competitively for almost a decade, and continued to dance through college. At the age of 22, she was injured in a car crash, and sustained a L2 spinal cord injury. It was then that she found the Rollettes dance team and decided to keep dancing! Since 2019, Conner has been dancing and choreographing for the Rollettes, where she also se...

Navy Corpsman Max Rohn was serving in Iraq as part of a U.S. Marine Corps convoy and was injured when his Humvee was hit by a rocket propelled grenade. He suffered injuries to his arm, legs, along with a traumatic brain injury. Max was sent to Walter Reed Military Medical Center and over 4 years underwent 15 operations on his right leg. Doctors were eventually forced to amputate the limb below the...

In 2010, U.S. Army Specialist Richard Dyer was injured as a result of an Airborne operation where he impacted a tree at nearly 30 miles per hour. Adaptive sports became an important part of his recovery. Since then, it has become a driving passion and he is an avid and excellent snowboarder on the slopes. Now, he is now completing his bachelor’s degree in business and wants to use his skills to he...

Garrison Redd became paralyzed in 2005 after being struck by a stray bullet outside his home. He has participated in and excelled in several adaptive sports, including climbing, CrossFit, and has been a member of the US Paralympic Powerlifting team. Outside of sport, Garrison has been a TEDX speaker, model, author, entrepreneur, and disability advocate. He currently works as the Spinal Cord Injury...

Amy Purdy lost her legs below the knees when she was 19 years old. Throughout her recovery, she vowed to ride again. At that time, two decades ago, adaptive snowboarding was essentially non-existent. If she wanted to ride again, she would have to figure it out. And that she did. Amy and her husband founded Adaptive Action Sports and would make history by winning the inaugural bronze medal in para...

Keith Gabel was introduced to snowboarding in 2000 and he quickly developed a love for the sport. In June 2005, Gabel was involved in an industrial accident that crushed his left foot. After multiple medical procedures, he made the decision to amputate his leg just below the knee. Gabel returned to his snowboard three months later…But it wasn’t until the 2010-11 season, his sixth season riding wit...

Cheryl Angelelli sustained a spinal cord injury from a diving accident in 1983. 15 years later, she took up swimming again and would become a 3x Paralympian and 4X Paralympic medalist in the sport. After retiring from swimming, Cheryl turned to wheelchair ballroom dancing. In addition to her work with Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, a Move United member organization, she travels the country...

Rebecca Johnston was just beginning her freshman year at Whitman College, where she was planning to play volleyball at the Division III school. But bone cancer would impact that plan. After an attempt to salvage her limb she would decide to have her leg amputated above the knee. She is now focusing her attention on para snowboarding and hopes to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Gam...

Marine Staff Sergeant John Edward Heath was struck by a vehicle on New Year's Day in 2016. After 12 limb salvage surgeries he decided to amputate his left leg. Good luck keeping up with him, as he is an elite athlete in weightlifting, crossfit, track and field, and too many other things to even mention here. He has earned a Master's Degree in Nonprofit Management, is training for the 2024 Paralymp...

Jonathon Stone was a three sport athlete in high school. After being severely injured in the Marine Corps, he thought his days as an athlete were over. Then he discovered adaptive sports through Team River Runner, a Move United member organization. Now Jon is enjoying the sport he loves as a member of the Cleveland Browns Wheelchair Football Team.

Steph “The Hammer” Roach has been motivating herself and others her entire life. Born with cerebral palsy, she started into sports when she was three years old. She now operates Staying Driven Fitness, a live, interactive, online fitness program for the adaptive population. She has recently written a book, “Driven,” about her journey.

By day, Jason Sfire is president of The Fidelity Group, a family owned commercial real estate development company in Illinois. When he is not running a business, he is playing wheelchair tennis with the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association, or GLASA, which is a Move United member organization based in the Chicago Area. He also happens to serve as the organization’s board president and coaches t...

A retired military veteran, Ty Campbell used golf as a form of physical therapy after suffering an injury while deployed with the United States Coast Guard. Ty uses his passion for golf to create a fun learning environment while concentrating on the fundamentals to increase confidence. As a Move United Warfighters Ambassador and PGA professional, Ty has dedicated himself to showing that no matter...

Jacob Tyree serves as a training coordinator for Move United, overseeing the management of VA Adaptive Sports Training Grant funded programs. He brings with him a vast amount of experience in the adaptive sport space as an athlete, coach, and sport professional. Jacob played collegiate wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has international coaching experience...

Retired Army Staff Sergeant Rico Roman had his left leg amputated above the knee after being wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) while serving his third tour in Iraq in February 2007. A Purple Heart recipient, Rico was introduced to sled hockey in 2008 by Operation Comfort, a Move United member organization in San Antonio, TX. He has represented Team USA and played for the National Sle...