Transitioning from active military service to the classroom is never easy. Kinesiology student Richard Erfuth, 34, knows firsthand, and his adaptability and dedication has paid off. After his graduation from the CPHHS next month, he will continue his education and journey toward becoming a physician assistant.
The college’s renowned Adapted Physical Activity Program continues to be a national stand-out, receiving consistent funding for the past 25 years. The only program in the United States to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Education training future leaders in adapted physical activity for both master’s and PhD students. The program attracts students from around the country who want to be leaders in helping individuals with disabilities. Thanks to Kinesiology faculty JK Yun, Megan MacDonald and Sam Logan, the program recently received another $1.2 million grant to fund five PhD students over the next five years.
Physical activity has important physiological benefits for children, but it also is a vehicle through which children can engage with their peers and interact with their surroundings, Logan said. One way researchers are now encouraging children with mobility disabilities to move more is through the use of modified toy ride-on cars.
Nearly 80 graduates of the former College of Home Economics met in Portland on Sept. 29. Dean Tammy Bray led the group on a journey from the college’s early beginnings to accreditation and where the college is headed in the future.
More than half a dozen Oregon children have a shiny new set of wheels – and new freedom – thanks to a program aimed at improving motor, physical, social and cognitive skills in children with disabilities.
The modified toy cars give children with mobility disabilities a chance to play and socialize with their peers more easily, said Sam Logan, an assistant professor in the CPHHS and leader of the Go Baby Go project at OSU.