take action
Sign our petition, purchase a race entry, and spread the word to help us make this campaign a success!
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Mission
VIRTUAL RACE FOR DISABILITY RIGHTS
OCTOBER 3, 2020
You can purchase a race entry for $10, pledge your # of miles, and then complete them on race day: Saturday, October 3rd, 2020.
This campaign is inclusive. All types of miles will count towards our goal. You can choose to walk, run, bike, pushrim, handcycle, swim, skate, hike, or paddle your way to the finish line. Cumulatively, our miles will add up to crossing the United States.
JOIN US IN 3 EASY STEPS
STEP 1: PURCHASE TICKETS
Register for our virtual race on Eventbrite with a small $10 race fee to support our advocacy campaign. Pledge your miles when you register and snag some cool merchandise.
STEP 2: SIGN OUR PETITION
After you’ve registered, sign our petition on Change.org! Then share it with your friends, family, and colleagues. We need everyone’s support.
STEP 3: RACE DAY
On Saturday, October 3rd, track your miles on Forrest Stump’s Strava club, wear your race bib, and listen to our community-curated Spotify playlist. Post to social media with #WeJustFeltLikeRunning!
LACK OF INSURANCE COVERAGE
Prosthetics and wheelchairs designed for physical activity are considered “not medically necessary” and are denied coverage by insurance. However, this medical equipment is essential to individuals with disabilities leading active and healthy lives. Why is it that insurance companies will sponsor marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks for the able-bodied community, yet their policies restrict access to running for the disability population?
1 IN 2
50% of adults with disabilities get absolutely no aerobic physical activity.
Forrest Stump knows inactivity is an early death sentence. Physical activity benefits all adults, whether or not they have a disability, by reducing their risk of serious chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. Unfortunately, the disability population faces unnecessary barriers to being active. We can change this.
COST OF MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
No one prosthetic or wheelchair can fully replace what the human body can do. So why do we limit individuals with disabilities to just one option? Activity-specific prosthetics and wheelchairs allow the disability community to be active, but the cost is out of reach when not covered by insurance. A running prosthesis costs $15,000-$25,000 per limb, and sports-specific wheelchairs are $2,000-$6,000. Each is customized to the individual’s unique body.
21 MILLION
21 million people live with a physical disability in the United States.
These individuals deserve a fair opportunity to live a long and healthy life. Restricting access to physical activity is not fair. Physical activity improves cognition and brain health, reduces your risk of depression and anxiety, helps you sleep better, and manages your weight. Everyone deserves the opportunity to experience these benefits.
“The disability community just wants equal rights to exercise.”
The disability community just wants equal rights to exercise. Yet, it’s 2020 and this is far from reality.
Our community faces unnecessary barriers and limited access to what we need to be physically active. Lack of insurance coverage and the high cost of medical equipment prevents access to fitness prosthetics, orthotics, wheelchairs, and sighted guides that we need to enable our freedom of movement. Our healthcare system promotes physical activity for able-bodied individuals, yet withholds these same benefits from individuals with disabilities.
This is discrimination. It’s time we change the system to provide equitable access for all.
Launching on Monday, July 20th, the week of the 30th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), and continuing until race day, set for Saturday, October 3rd, #WeJustFeltLikeRunning is campaigning for a 2.0 on the ADA and an expansion of rights for the disability community.
Our online petition will call for “The Rights of Americans With Disabilities To Exercise.” We are inviting you to help us deliver this petition in a really unique way: a virtual race across America.
On October 3rd, 2020, we will virtually race 2,758 miles in one day – from Seattle, WA to Washington, D.C. – to deliver a signed petition to the doorsteps of Congress. Racers will sign up, pledge their miles, and then complete them on race day. Cumulatively, our miles will add up to crossing the United States. No one person can do this alone; only together can we complete this mission.
Now it’s your turn: sign our petition, purchase a race entry, and spread the word to help us make this campaign a success!
With gratitude,