Written by: Madison O’Brien
In Year 1 of the EcoCAR EV Challenge, the University of Alabama DEI Manager Bethany Welty and Cristina Vasel had a vision. They wanted to find a way to integrate technology into DEI efforts to align with engineering interests while still upholding DEI’s central objectives and utilizing team resources to make a meaningful impact. Vasel led this initiative, reaching out to a professor who had contact for her: Dr. Margaret Stran the Associate Director of Adapted Athletics.
The University of Alabama Adapted Athletics (UAAA) program, established in 2003, has achieved remarkable success over the years. Since its inception, the UAAA program has earned 21 national championships and has had athletes compete in Paralympics since 2004. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, there were 18 UA athletes competing in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, and hand cycling. In addition to that, in 2018, UA opened the Stran-Hardin Facility, a $10 million facility designed for and dedicated to the Adapted Athletics program: the first of its kind on a college campus in the United States.
When Lena Barrido took over as the current Equity in Mobility lead in Year 2 of the competition, she and Cristina wanted to continue the partnership and work started with Alabama Adapted Athletics.
Building on this strong foundation, the EcoCAR team’s current efforts, under the guidance of Dr. Stran, are focused on deepening this partnership. This collaboration extends to Kensey McMahon, Director of Fan Engagement, who has been instrumental in setting up tabling events at various tournaments. A highlight of this semester is the planning of a special partnership event. This event will feature an arena tour, provide EcoCAR members the opportunity to engage with athletes from around the world, and offer them a unique chance to experience playing wheelchair basketball.
These tabling events have been pivotal in fostering a direct connection between the EcoCAR team and the athletes. During these events, EcoCAR members have interacted with athletes from Alabama and visiting teams at wheelchair basketball tournaments. One of the key activities has been conducting surveys to understand the athletes’ experiences with adapted vehicle controls. This direct feedback is invaluable in guiding the team’s future engineering endeavors.
Lena Barrido, reflecting on the partnership, has high praise for the UAAA program: “For me, I think they are one of the most elite athletic programs at our university.” She further emphasizes the significance of this collaboration, stating, “This is a program that needs to be celebrated for their impact and influential program, so it’s an honor we are so close with them and work with them.”
A major focus of these collaborative efforts is addressing the affordability and accessibility of adapted vehicle controls. Many controls available in the market are prohibitively expensive for college students. This is particularly challenging in Tuscaloosa, a suburban community where public transportation options are limited. These challenges highlight the importance of the team’s work in developing accessible mobility solutions.
At the heart of the EcoCAR team’s approach at these tabling events is raising awareness about the impact of electric vehicles and conducting thorough market research. Surveying the market is key to this partnership so that EcoCAR can develop a solution to solve mobility barriers based on feedback instead of approaching a community with a product.
Cristina Vasel had this to say about the work being done: “Partnering with Alabama Adapted Athletics has been an increasingly rewarding experience as Equity in Mobility continues to evolve on our team. Tailoring our team members’ interests to this new partnership not only encourages support for our upcoming projects, but also encourages us all to learn more about adapted living by exposing our team to new aspects of our community.”
Interested in being a part of this project? Visit uaecocar.com or email uaecocar@ua.edu to learn more.
