Inclusive Fitness and Adaptive Design Programs
Collaborative partners in local initiatives that focus on ability and wellness for children with disabilities.
AT Village makes it easier for families and care teams to work together to get kids with disabilities the Assistive Technology (AT) they need in order to do the things they like to do! The AT village web resource was launched in 2021 by the Golisano Center for Special Needs at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York in collaboration with the TRAID loan closet program at Access-CNY.
Our mission is to help the kids and families we serve get Durable Medical Equipment (DME) and other Assistive Technologies (AT).
Our vision is to make the AT process a positive experience and to build community.
Fitness Inclusion Network (Fit-IN) promotes adapted sports and inclusive recreation in Central New York. Fit-IN was launched in 2013 with support from the Upstate Foundation/Golisano Children’s Hospital, the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, and SUNY Cortland Department of Adapted Physical Education. We are an interdisciplinary group of athletes, students, families, and professionals in adapted physical education, medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, engineering, therapeutic recreation, special education, social work, and disability policy and law.
Fit-In on Facebook | Fit-In on Instagram
Our Mission
To develop innovative ways to promote and support inclusive fitness for children, adolescents and adults with disabilities in Central New York.
Upstate Growth and Development (UGraD) Program
The Upstate Neonatal Growth and Development program (UGraD) monitors infants and young children through age 6 years who are at risk for cerebral palsy due to premature birth, genetic diagnosis, surgery, or other medical conditions that require a NICU stay.
Staffed by a multidisciplinary team led by physical therapist and developmental pediatrician, the program offers:
- Medical diagnostic evaluation including imaging studies and genetic testing, if indicated. Care coordination and referrals to medical and surgical specialists.
- Tone management for spasticity and dystonia, including Botox/Dysport injections.
- Help with getting durable medical equipment, assistive technologies, and orthotics. Developmental Program planning in collaboration with Early Intervention teams.
- Family/Caregiver Support
Advocacy and Community Initiatives:
Spina Bifida Center of CNY
The Spina Bifida Center of Central New York provides coordinated medical and surgical care for infants, children and adolescents with spina bifida. The Center’s multidisciplinary team includes a developmental pediatrician, specialty nurses, physical therapists, a social worker, and physicians with expertise in neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, colorectal surgery, and urologic surgery.
The Spina Bifida Center of CNY is recognized as a Clinical Care Partner of the Spina Bifida Association of America. It offers:
- Prenatal consultation
- Coordination of care with prenatal surgery centers
- Neurosurgical management of postnatal closure
- Urologic care
- Comprehensive bowel management
- Orthopedic care, bracing, and durable medical equipment
- Educational advocacy
- Independence and self-management training
- Coordinated transition to Upstate’s Adult Spina Bifida Program
- Family caregiver support
What We Do
Annual Fit-IN Conference
| Year | Name | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Fit-IN10 | Fit-In 10 Building Mobility in Syracuse & Beyond! SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse NY October 12-15, 2022 Fit-In 10 Program |
| 2021 | Fit-IN9 | Fit-In 9 Blind Sport EXPO |
| 2020 | Fit-IN8 | Facebook Live Family Fun Series: DIY Sensory Movement Projects |
| 2019 | Fit-IN7 | Inclusive Recreation on the Erie Canal |
| 2018 | Fit-IN6 | BREKY Scavenger Hunt to Promote Inclusive Outdoor Winter Recreation |
| 2017 | Fit-IN5 | Sensational Inspiration Movement Seminar! |
| 2016 | Fit-IN4 | Collective Access: Walks & Talks Along Onondaga Creek |
| 2015 | Fit-IN3 | Collaborative Design for Recreation, Dance, Sport |
| 2014 | Fit-IN2 | Activating Communities: Grassroots Inclusive Fitness in CNY |
| 2013 | Fit-IN1 | New Paradigms for Assistive Technology and Inclusive Fitness |
Videos
Virtual Mile Challenge
Building Mobility in Syracuse and Beyond
Fit-IN Guidebooks
2023 Go Baby Go! Building Mobility in Syracuse and Beyond!
2022 Adaptive Cycling on the Erie Canal: TRAID on the TRAILS
2021 Creating Virtual Park Tours for Inclusion and Community (coming soon)
2021 Family Fun Series: Sensory Backpacks & the Inclusive Recreation Resource Center
2021 Family Fun Series: Create Your Own Battery Interrupter
2021 Family Fun Series: Make Your Own Dynamic Rocker Perch with Cardboard
2021 Family Fun Series: Design a Sensory Pathway at Home
2021 Family Fun Series: Make an Adapted Taboggan
2018 English and Spanish Resources: Create Solutions, Share Information, Build Community
2018 Construyendo Comunidades Locales/Globales de Espina Bifida con Diseño Adaptado
2018 Building Local/Global Spina Bifida Communities with Adaptive Design
2017 Commit to Inclusion Posters
2017 Inclusive Fitness Opportunities in CNY for Young Adults with ID/DD
2016 Accessible GeoCaching: The Treasure is in the Journey
2015 How to Create an Inclusive Walking Club
2013 Ballet for All Guidebook for Dance Assistants
2012 Fit Families Group Visits: Promoting Physical Activity for Kids with Spina Bifida
2006-10 Healthy Transitions Curriculum and Toolkit
Partnerships
| Partner | Offerings |
|---|---|
| Access-CNY | TRAID on the Trails, AT Village |
| Arise | Arise Adaptive Design |
| David's Refuge | Facebook Life Family Fun Series |
| Jowonio Preschool | Ballet for All |
| LaCasita Center | Building Local-Global Spina Bifida Communities with Adaptive Design Unified Drumming |
| Syracuse Parks | Annual Adaptive Winter Sports Day at Sunnycrest Park Accessible Geocaching Virtual Park Tours |
| SW Community Ctr | Unified Yoga in the Parks, Inclusive Field Games |
| Syracuse University | Burton Blatt Institute Lerner School for Public Health Promotion (Monday Mile) School of Visual and Performing Arts (Collaborative Design) |
| SUNY ESF | Landscape Design |
| SUNY Cortland | Department of Adapted Physical Education Inclusive Recreation Resource Center/Recreation and Leisure Studies Sensory Integration Motor Sensory Lab (SIMS Lab) |
| SUNY Brockport | Camp Abilities |
| YMCA (Fayetteville) | Unified Drumming |
Providers
Professor of Pediatrics, Medical Director of Spina Bifida Clinic,
Upstate Foundation Pediatric Health Policy Professorship Endowment,
Upstate Foundation Professor of Child Health Policy
Education:
- B.A. Yale University
- M.D. SUNY Upstate Medical University
- MPH University of Rochester
Services provided:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Inclusive Fitness and Adaptive Design Program
Clinical Background and My Approach to Care:
I enjoy working as a team to help kids, support families, and build a community that is welcoming to all.
Licensed Physical Therapist, Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist
Education:
- B.S. In Biology and Minor in Psychology, LeMoyne College
- Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Utica College
- Physical Therapy for Upstate Growth and Development Program.
- Physical Therapy for Child Development.
- Physical Therapy for Spina Bifida.
Clinical Background and My Approach to Care:
I enjoy working with a wide variety of patients here at Upstate! I am passionate about empowering families through education and advocacy to help my patients achieve their highest level of independence through various forms of mobility.