Move United, a provider of community-based sports and recreation for individuals with disabilities, hosted its annual Education Conference April 22-24 in Phoenix.
The conference was locally hosted by Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center, a Move United member organization. The Ability360 Sport & Fitness Center is a 62,000-square-foot universally designed, accessible, and transit-oriented nonprofit resources center serving the disability community in the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan area.
With the theme of “Expanding Access to Sport,” the conference brought together adaptive athletes, sport professionals, and sport providers focusing on relevant education, awareness, and skills to instill change.
Over 350 attendees came together for educational sessions, hands-on, skills-based learning workshops, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Attendees represented Move United member organizations, general sport organizations, city parks and recreation departments, Olympic and Paralympic sport national governing bodies, Veterans Administration hospital staff, wounded warfighters, occupational and recreation therapists, academic professionals and college students, disability resource groups, and more.
The conference included preconference trainings, workshops and roundtable discussions, poster sessions, and an exhibitor hall. Topics centered around the themes of sport-specific instruction, inclusion in schools and universities, and nonprofit management.
Keynote speakers included five-time Paralympic swimmer and four-time Paralympic medalist Rudy Garcia-Tolson; Annijke Wade, an adaptive mountain biker and para off-road cyclist who founded DirtBound, a para off-road cycling initiative; and Joe Stone, an outdoor adventurer, adaptive sports leader, and co-owner of Dovetail Trail Consulting.
