Ben Addonizio's profile

Learning To Move Along

Photography
Taking time outside of the Move Along gatherings, Eric Komar regularly takes private lessons from students studying motor skills and physical education at Syracuse University. Here, Komar does heats back and forth across the university's Women's Building gymnasium.
One of the benefits Move Along Inc. provides for those who attend practices is the inclusion of research professionals in handicapped sports education. Delynn Orton, a visiting instructor at Syracuse University's School of Education, leads the tennis practices for Move Along participants. Focusing on reshaping the mind-body connection during sports activity is one of the key aspects that is worked on during these gatherings.
As members pack up and begin to leave after practice has ended, Eric Komar pauses as he glances over at the Syracuse University volleyball team holds their practice.
With wheelchairs in the picture, a whole new array of issues comes into play for Move Along members during their practices. Straps coming loose, chairs tipping over, and other hardware failures are just a few of the problems people run into. Here, Move Along Inc. founder Greg Callen helps a participant get back into his chair as the strap had loosened during play.
Greg Callen waits as the organizations "Pit Crew" gets out the proper tools to fix the loosened bolts on his chair's seat.
Even the seemingly simplest tasks, such as getting in and out of his truck, have now changed for Callen after his paralyzing fall.
After he pulls himself out of his chair and into the driver's seat, Callen uses a handheld remote to control the crane in the bed of his truck. With this crane, he can lift his chair in and out of his pickup.
"When people hear that your a paraplegic, they think 'Oh, your leg don't work.' Well it's not that simple... with T12 (Thorasic 12) Complete Paraplegia, the damage is much more extensive than that," says Callen. 
Learning To Move Along
Published:

Learning To Move Along

In 2005 Greg Callen had a fall from a 13 foot balcony, resulting in complete paraplegia. After a few years of learning about who he was as a pers Read More

Published: