St Louis Woman on U.S. Paralympic Team in China
Kerri Morgan, an Occupational Therapist instructor from Washington University, is a member of the U.S. Paralympic team, currently in China for the 2008 games. I was first introduced to Kerri Morgan the same way many of you were, through a January 2007 cover story in the Riverfront Times (link). I met Morgan for the first time in person later in 2007 when I tagged along with a Washington University Architecture class as they visited Paraquad’s facility on Oakland Ave. Morgan was one of our guides. We spent the evening in various types of wheelchairs navigating their course which is used to train new wheelchair users how to deal with various surfaces and obstacles. Morgan was very impressive. Watching her maneuver her chair showed her pure athletic strength.
In November 2007 when I bought my downtown loft I ran into her again — in the hallway, she lives two doors down the hall from me! When I was in the hospital earlier this year (Feb 2-April 30, 2008) following my stroke she was an inspiration for me. When I came home knowing she was down the hall was a comfort. After I got a car and started driving again in July 2008 I’d see her in the parking garage too.
She’s much faster in her manual chair than I am in my power chair!
Paralyzed since one, Morgan is proof that the physically disabled can and should be as integrated into society as much as possible. Half a century ago paralyzed infants likely would have been placed in an institution. Instead she grew up with the support she needed to have a normal life – if you can call getting to go to China to compete with athletes from around the world “normal.”
More on Kerri Morgan over at the RFT Blog.
Go Kerri!
I have a problem calling athletes disabled. Now a middle-age, overweight business man who can hardly climb a few flights of stairs—now that’s disabled! Kerri has done the most with what she’s been given. Something few of us can say.