HUNTER Darlene

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (Athlete, 08 May 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2010)

Impairment Details
She was involved in an accident on a road grader at age four, leaving her paralysed from the waist down. (teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2010; keranews.org, 31 Aug 2016)

General
ADAPTING TO IMPAIRMENT
After her accident she was told she would never walk again but soon adapted to life in a wheelchair. "I figured out mobility quickly. My mum pointed to the wheelchair in the corner of the room and was like, 'That's what you're going to use now'. And that was the end of the discussion. Everybody around me made it so normal. Like, 'Darlene's in a wheelchair, no big deal'. We figured out how to adapt everything. I'm sure my mum was devastated after the accident, but she never let me see it. She told me I'm going to do the same thing every other kid my age is doing. I just have to figure out how to do it." (espn.com, 15 Oct 2019; utsouthwestern.edu, 18 Dec 2017)

SUMMER CAMPS
She is the founder and coach of the Dallas-based Lady Mavericks wheelchair basketball team. The team hosts an annual women's wheelchair development camp at the University of Texas at Arlington. She set it up to give girls the opportunity to get into the sport and become independent. "I want to bring more awareness and opportunity to people with disabilities. I founded it [around 2012] and at that time, we had no opportunities for women to play in a camp just by themselves. We noticed there was a drop-off at high school and college where women didn't continue to play. Our pipeline for USA Basketball was dwindling because all of the women were leaving to play coed basketball, [where] the boys usually get most of the attention. But it's not just about wheelchair basketball. It also teaches the [attendees] how to be away from their parents and how to have roommates. It got them on a college campus, so they were able to see what their future could be if they wanted it. They're more independent after." (espn.com, 15 Oct 2019; fwddfw.com, 13 Jun 2019)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has also studied for graduate degrees in social work and public health at the University of Texas at Arlington and for a PhD in family studies at Texas Women's University. (teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2010; Adventures With Aggie podcast, 21 May 2021)

OCCUPATION
She works as an assistant professor in practice in social work at the University of Texas at Arlington in the United States of America. (Adventures With Aggie podcast, 21 May 2021; Instagram profile, 20 May 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as an athlete representative for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee. (insidethegames.biz, 17 Dec 2020)