Luis Columna, from our Department of Kinesiology, is one of our newest faculty members. Yet he was not about to have his Fit Families research project stymied by COVID-19. Fit Families is a physical activity program that brings together children with disabilities, their parents, college students, and in-service professionals in the fields of adapted physical education, special education, orientation and mobility, psychology, physical education, and exercise science, among others. Support from the School of Education Annual Fund allowed Columna to revamp the entire program for online delivery and mail the required equipment to participating families.
“Parents are telling us how much this program has benefited their families during these times,” Columna says. “In fact, they indicated that they don’t know what they would’ve done without it. We are not only providing an opportunity for their children with autism spectrum disorder, but we are creating opportunities for the entire family, including other children.”