Goal!

 

In the blink of an eye, Jovan zig-zagged up and down the indoor pitch eluding his stunned, gawking young defenders. And he did it all while deftly dribbling a soccer ball. Then, before anyone could say, Lionel Messi, he stuck that ball strategically into an indefensible corner of the net. 

Goal! 

Even in my prime years, I couldn’t come close to matching such a feat of athletic agility, grace, and speed.

And he did it on one leg, the only one he had. 

Jovan and his buddy Nico, an equally adept monoped athlete, are professional soccer players representing the Bionic Project Inc, an organization on a mission to create a more inclusive world for everyone, regardless of physical ability. * 

Jovan and Nico

For these young men it makes no difference how they acquired their stand on one leg distinction. What matters is teaching that their stance does not cap an ability to successfully navigate the world and make a difference in peoples’ lives. 

That goal was a perfect fit for one Boston area school’s MLK Day lesson plan. This year the plan explored the theme of Disability Awareness and Inclusion. At the school, annual recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s wisdom and messages is always considered a day on for learning and action, not a day off as in other schools.

 

So it was a natural to invite Jovan and Nico to offer a taste of Bionic Project’s programming on MLK Day. The men led several sessions including assemblies which engaged students on issues of assistive technology and the importance of getting to know kids with limb differences before probing how they acquired their different ability. 

Then it was time for action! 

Students, and some brave faculty, experienced an adaptive soccer match. First all players were fit with crutches for game play requiring one leg remaining continuously bent and off the floor. 

Two teams were then formed, each captained by either Nico or Jovan who followed up with a few warm up drills.  

When the starting whistle blew, it was Game On! 

Players left nothing on the pitch as they labored peg-legging after the ball, exhausting themselves in the process. When time was finally, and mercifully called, there were clear winners and losers.

  Winners - all students who experienced a full ‘day on’ of learning and action. 

Losers - disability bias and absence of empathy for those not often seen and recognized in society.

All in all, it was truly Mission Accomplished for this MLK Day lesson of Disability Awareness and Inclusion. I’m not a betting man, but I’ll wager that now students at the school will never underestimate the prowess of those who appear differently abled. That’s a Goal which should stick for a long time.

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*Nico and Jovan are athletes with impressive, and lengthy CVs both in athletics and education. Here are the details.

Nico was captain of the US Amputee Soccer Team at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Amputee Soccer World Cups. He’s the all-time leading goal scorer for Team USA and board member and Director of Development for the American Amputee Soccer Association, Nico is a passionate advocate for disability justice and adaptive sports. As a licensed secondary social studies teacher with five years experience teaching in middle and high schools, he is also a passionate educator. Outside of the classroom, he shares his expertise with students as a high school soccer and wrestling coach. Nico earned his B.A. from Colorado College, his M.Ed from Lesley University, and holds a Master level certification from the National Alliance for Environmental Education.

Jovan Booker is a native of Long Island, New York.  He received his B.S. from Stony Brook University and his M.S. from Hofstra University and is a former Health and Physical Education teacher for grades K-12.  Jovan is Captain of the New York Metro Amputee Soccer Club and is also a national team player for US Amputee Soccer Team. He has scored multiple goals over 30+ international caps, and is a leader in advocating for disability sport access, equity, and inclusion on and off the pitch.