Claudia Alick held an empowering talk about disability identity with the BACKBONES Youth Summer Program June 21 2023. BACKBONES connects people with spinal cord injuries and their families with events and one on one meet-ups. The ten youth participants shared their stories about how they entered the disability community. Claudia shared history of disability movement, disability justice concepts, and accessibility vocabulary that allowed the group to talk about disability identity and their world. We closed with a conversation inspired by The Justice Producers Collaborative about how our disabled identities inform our work in the world and make us uniquely qualified. It was awesome to end reflecting on disabled innovation, resialance, perseverance, creativity, and advocacy. It’s a cool accessible program and we were honored to participate.

The goal of this program is to create a community for teenagers with spinal cord injuries and disease (SCI/D) to build self-advocacy skills and learn about topics important to youth with disabilities. Over the course of this ten week program we will focus on a different topic every week and invite guest speakers with knowledge and experience to give their insight. Participants will engage in interactive activities and team projects to incorporate these values into our everyday lives. The group will network and create meaningful relationships that continue beyond this program.

Program Leaders

Reveca Torres (Executive Director) – Reveca Torres was paralyzed in a car accident as a teenager. After completing degrees in Fashion Design and Theatre Arts, Reveca worked as a costume designer and simultaneously with organizations doing disability work in health, advocacy, recreation, and peer support. She started a nonprofit called BACKBONES after realizing that years of interaction and friendship with others living with spinal injuries (SCI) made a significant impact in her own life. Reveca wanted to ensure that others, especially those newly injured, had access to resources, information, and the same type of support she has had. In 2020 she was awarded the Craig Neilsen Visionary Award for her art and advocacy work.

Amanda Russel (Program Coordinator) – Amanda Russel has worn many hats over the years, including painter/illustrator, LGBTQ+ youth-focused nonprofit board member and fundraiser, art teacher for people in acute rehab, satire writer, storyteller, and personal essayist. She carries years of experience with, and appreciation, for youth/adult partnership-focused programming, both as a former youth and an adult. She also brings the lived experience of living from spinal cord damage (roughly T6-T8 complete) that was caused by Transverse Myelitis in 2012. BACKBONES has been a part of her journey in the past and now she is excited to contribute to its programming. Amanda lives in Portland, Oregon with her partner, Deirdre, and their two cats, Basia and Abby. She cooks and bakes bread for fun and has spent the pandemic growing many vining plants that are slowly taking over her apartment. She graduated with a BFA in General Fine Arts from Pacific NW College of Art in 2012, with a focus on painting and illustration.

2023 Youth Program Participants

Jacob Pagel

Jacob is from Murfreesboro, TN and is the oldest of three boys. Jacob is a recent homeschool graduate with plans to attend Motlow State in the fall. He plans to pursue a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences before transferring to MTSU to complete his Bachelor’s degree in Child Development And Family Studies with plans of becoming a Child Life Specialist. He enjoys wheelchair basketball, where he spent four years playing for UAH and most recently Music City Thunder. He also enjoys playing video games with his brothers, fishing and going to the beach.

Marie Surprenant

Marie is a determined, funny 17-yr-old girl with a spinal cord injury. This self-proclaimed night owl loves to dance, cuddle with her orange eyed cat and plays on many wheelchair sports teams. Marie has been active in the Atlanta disability community since the young age of 2. Marie has served as a mentor to other disabled children at Georgia disability camps, volunteers at the local children’s hospital and works in a pediatrician’s office part-time. This rising high school senior excels in math, language arts and science. Her future plans include getting a service dog in 2024 and continuing her education.

Anthony Guzman

Anthony is fifteen years old. Anthony was born in Lawrence general hospital in Lawrence, Massachusetts on June 12, 2007. He is the type of person who would rather look at the positive than the negative. His favorite quote is “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” This quote is by Thomas Edison. Anthony lives by this every day, he would rather fail trying than not try at all. He goes to Central Catholic High School where he is pushed to do his best everyday. One of his biggest achievements is going rock climbing and horseback riding for the first time. One of Anthony’s hobbies is learning to play piano. He is never scared to take on a challenge and tries new things everyday.

Malik Childers

Malik is very hard working he believes that he can do the impossible. The doctors told Malik he would never walk again but that didn’t stop him from trying day and night even though some days may be good but other days bad – just kept going the way you supposed to do. Malik met a lot of people with similar injuries going through it also so he stayed in contact any time they wanted to talk or needed help. Malik answered the phone and helped them and they even helped Malik when he needed it. Long story short, Malik just a young man trying beat the odds for his family.

Davis Taylor

My name is Davis Taylor, and I am a sixteen-year-old male. I live in Columbia, Missouri, with my parents, my older brother, and my younger sister. I suffered a T-3 complete spinal cord injury on September 4th, 2021, when I was fourteen years old. I was just a few weeks into my freshman year of high school. Shortly after my injury, I was admitted into Shirley Ryan rehabilitation facility in Chicago, and I would later move on to Frazier rehab in Louisville, Kentucky. Both places helped me tremendously in making progress in my rehab. I was an athletic kid who played sports my entire life, so naturally I picked up wheelchair basketball to stay competitive and try to once again be the athlete I once was. I have come to love wheelchair basketball and look forward to playing in the future, hopefully for a college program.

Magali Vargas

My name is Magali Vargas. I was in a car accident in 2019 that led me to be paralyzed from my shoulders down. I am 18 years old and have a dog named Teddy he is around four or five years old. I have five nephews. I also have a duck

My’Kael Byrd

Mykael Byrd is an excelled student from Kansas City Missouri. His personal goals are to be able to graduate with the class of 2024 and work towards his career with real estate, through hard times My’Kael has pushed himself to be the best scholar and brother he can be for his fellow peers and family. Some of his best hobbies are basketball and physical therapy. He has great problem solving skills and is always a helping hand with anything.

Lathan Robinson

My name is Lathan Robinson and I am a 15-year-old freshman in highschool at Hansberry College Prep. I was born in Chicago. I have been playing wheelchair basketball for 8 years, and I enjoy listening to music, watching movies/tv shows, working out and making beats.

Arthur Gatica

Hi I’m Arthur and I enjoy making new friends and taking pictures of nature and going to the fair with my best friend. She helped me be more out there and being involved and I love hanging out with my friends.