Local:

I am currently a 5th year medical student at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. I plan to graduate in June, 2009 and to pursue a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabiliation. med.stanford.edu

I am on the Board of Directors and am #1 fan of the Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program, endearingly known to us as BORP. BORP provides adaptive sport programs to youth and adults with disabilities in the San Francisco Bay Area. Please check out our site for information on how to donate or volunteer, and, come Ride the Revolution in October of each year! www.borp.org

Women with disabilities are often subject to "double discrimination" – that is – stigmatization and stereotyping due to being a part of two minority groups. We are in a constant struggle globally to support women with disabilities in feeling empowered and having opportunities to be physically active. Here in California, the Bay Area Women's Sports Initiative (BAWSI) has risen up to the challenge of providing after school physical activity programs to girls. BAWSI Rollers serves girls with a physical disability. www.bawsi.org

National:

Our National Governing Body for Paralympic Sport is the United States Olympic Committee, providing programs and services for athletes at the elite international level. www.usparalympics.org

The Women's Sports Foundation's mission is to advance the lives of girls and women through sport and physical activity. As an organization, they have been key in the promotion and implementation of Title IX, the landmark legislation that created equal opportunity for women in sport on a national level. www.womenssportsfoundation.org

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is the largest national nonprofit cross-disability member organization in the United States, dedicated to ensuring economic self-sufficiency and political empowerment for the more than 50 million Americans with disabilities. Please see current campaigns and action items, or sign up for their great listserv, at www.aapd.com

International:

Internationally, we have far to go in educating the public that mobility impairment and disability is not to be looked down upon or pitied, but rather, simply another way of living. Many of these organizations do outstanding work on this front, assisting individuals in all corners of the world in understanding their rights, demanding them, and achieving self-determination. Here are just a few:

Rehabilitation International: http://www.rehab-international.org/
Mobility International: http://www.miusa.org/
World Institute on Disability: http://www.wid.org
World Health Organization, Disability and Rehabilitation Team: http://www.who.int/disabilities/en/

Our International Governing Body for Paralympic Sport is the International Paralympic Committee. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports. I currently serve as an IPC Ambassador. www.paralympic.org

I have recently joined Team Darfur as a means of expressing my strong belief and support for the respect of human rights in Sudan. I encourage all Paralympic athletes to join and to use their platform as an athlete to take action. If not you, then who? If not now, then when? http://teamdarfur.org/