Adaptive Sports Program Gains Momentum

The MoveU! Community Adaptive Sports and Dance program at Shenandoah University has received a $7,600 boost through a Newton B. Shingleton Trust grant. 

Activities offered through MoveU! accommodate the unique needs of individuals with chronic physical disabilities resulting from neuromuscular or musculoskeletal conditions that impair movement. 

With Shingleton grant funds, MoveU! (led by Melissa Wolff-Burke, PT, Ed.D., a Shenandoah professor emeritus and physical therapist and Lisa Startsman, a dance instructor) will expand its current programming and create future programs, including one in adaptive pickleball, as well as a half-mile wheelchair road race for people of all ages. “Also, by purchasing and providing specialized equipment, we will reach those who may face socioeconomic barriers to accessing these activities which are very limited in Winchester, Virginia,” the grant application states. 

“Additionally, undergraduate and graduate students in dance and health sciences at SU will benefit from volunteering as support personnel for these adaptive activities,” according to the grant application. “Students will gain valuable hands-on experience while working with individuals with disabilities, by applying their academic knowledge in a real-world setting. Faculty and health care providers in the Winchester region will also be invited to participate, ensuring they are aware of these opportunities to share with their students and patients. The program will serve people of all ages and diverse backgrounds in the region.”

MoveU! has already offered classes through its “Adaptive Dance for All” program, which has received grant support from the Virginia chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association and aims to provide the benefits of dance, social connection, and support to individuals in the community with Parkinson’s Disease or other mobility challenges. The adaptive dance program was featured in The Winchester Star in October 2024. Move U! has also hosted adaptive soccer for the past 3 years, which helps young players improve muscle strength, motor skills, and overall endurance, promoting teamwork, discipline, strategic thinking, and mental well-being, as well as adaptive golf.

A future pickleball program and the proposed the wheelchair road race offer similar benefits, ultimately enhancing physical health and mental well-being, providing social inclusion and improving participants’ quality of life.