The Rocket

Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Focus

SRU volunteers help a veteran from the Butler County Veterans Administration Hospital. The Disabled Veterans program has been offered at Slippery Rock for six years.

A SRU student volunteer helps disabled veterans in the Adapted Physical Activity Disabled Veterans program. Slippery Rock University was the first University in the nation to offer an Adapted Physical Activity major, which has not been offered at Slippery Rock University for two years.

After talking to volunteers who help with the adapted physical activity with disabled veterans' recreational program at SRU, it becomes apparent that people with disabilities encounter more limits due to the lack of adapted equipment and environment than lack of actual ability.

The program focuses on ability, not disability, while working with in-house patients from the Butler County Veterans Administration Hospital. All participants share the same passion, motivation and goals as they learn and grow throughout the program.

Every Friday from 1-2 p.m., 10 to 15 regular volunteers show up at the ARC to greet an eager bus load of veterans who can't wait to see what the volunteers have planned for them.

Jennifer Weaver, 23, an adapted physical activity (APA) graduate student, is the disabled veterans program coordinator.

"The purpose of the disabled veterans program here at SRU is to raise awareness to the public-to get the word out there that the veterans and anyone who is disabled can do more than you would think, as long as they are given the chance and the right equipment…much like any athlete," Weaver said.

Weaver said the APA's disabled veterans program is designed to allow the veterans to adjust to the adapted equipment and simulated games so that they can get the same experience and enjoyment out of the activities as those who are not disabled.

Activities for disabled veterans are well planned in order to utilize adapted equipment with the intent to maximize a person's abilities and minimize any special challenges they may face, according to Weaver. Adjusting to a new game or activity increases the opportunity for fun, skill development and self-confidence. Learning how to adapt to a new sport or recreational activity improves the quality of a person's life that has any sort of impairment and creates a general sense of well being and competence.

Sheree Horvath, 21, a senior Exercise Science major and Adapted Physical Activity minor helps with the veterans on a regular basis.

The group first breaks down into three stations to adapt to the activity planned for that day. Horvath said sometimes veterans are taught different skills before beginning a simulated game. Volunteers and veterans then break into teams and play a variety of sports, including volleyball, basketball, hockey, corn hole, ladder golf, football and frisbee to name a few, Horvath said.

"It's so rewarding to see their faces light up every week when they get off the bus," Horvath said. "You can just tell how much they enjoy the program, because it gives [the vets] a chance to get out of the hospital where they see the same people and go through the same routine every day.

"It just gives them a change of pace in their days to be able to get on a bus and travel to SRU to meet new people," Horvath said. "A lot of times, it's the veterans' only chance during the week to get out and travel, and we can tell they really enjoy seeing us."

Horvath said there are usually 10 to 15 veterans who come to SRU for APA. Some are wheelchair users, some are ambulatory and some are amputees. The ages of the veterans range from 40 to 90 years old.

Amanda Budzowski, 24, an adapted physical activity master's student said the APA department serves over 350 adults and children ranging in age from two to 92 per week. The Adapted Physical Activity department also holds an APA program in conjunction with Allegheny Valley School (AVS), a community residential environment and therapeutic center for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Friday morning programs with AVS are land and aquatic programs for individuals living in the Allegheny Valley School Houses in Slippery Rock.

On Wednesday nights, there are programs for the severely and profoundly disabled, which are also land and aquatic-based. The APA department also manages the Kids in Action group, an inclusive after-school physical activity and recreation program for children with autism and related disorders ages five to 12, along with their siblings.

Another large program run by the APA department is the 'I Can Do It, You Can Do It' program, which pairs 150 mentors and mentees for eight weeks to work on physical activity and nutrition. The mentors are SRU students in the masters, minor, and outside programs and the mentees are community members.

Budzowski said adapted physical activity is important because physical activity is essential for a healthy lifestyle.

Many people think that, because someone has a disability, they are unable to participate in sport and recreational activities-but this is wrong, she said.

Dr. Robert Arnhold, full professor of adapted physical activity for 23 years, said that adapting equipment, materials, rules and boundaries makes the playing field level for everyone, especially those with disabilities.

"[The APA with Veterans program] provides an outlet for veterans who have disabilities," Arnhold said. "This opportunity allows them to leave the hospital and socialize, participate in recreation activities and develop new friends. The program also provides our students with hands-on experiences with adults with neurological disorders, amputations, orthopedic disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder. Physical activity and health promotion is important for everyone-especially for people with disabilities as they are at a higher risk for secondary conditions due to inactivity and sedentary habits, such as diabetes, obesity and cancers. "

Students of all majors are invited to participate in any of the APA programs. Sign-up sheets and information is available through the APA office in the basement of West Gym, or through any student who is involved with the Adapted Physical Activity program.

"The great thing about the APA program at SRU is that we are multidisciplinary, and we have students from all majors that are able to share information with each other to make us all well-rounded professionals who promote inclusion," Budsowski said. "The program at SRU is the first Adapted Physical Activity Masters program in the country-this is huge."

There is an upside for Budsowski.

"I love working with adults and children and seeing the joy and excitement in their faces when they do things that they never dreamed were possible," Budsowski said.

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