Wheelchair backflip

Aaron Fotheringham is my hero. He was born with spina bifida and has been in a wheel chair since he was young.

Aaron Fotheringham was the first person to do a backflip in a wheelchair. Aaron even coined the sport, “hardcore sitting.” He was 16-years-old in this video. (Below, I’ll attach a picture of me when I was a 16-year-old skateboarder.

Please note that I’d never recommend this sport (hardcore wheel-charing) as any type of recreational therapy intervention. Nor would I recommend it to anyone as a recreational pursuit. I think this is dangerous.

I’m very hypocritical in saying that I wouldn’t recommend anyone doing these type of activities in a wheelchair.

As many of my close friends know, I was an avid skateboarder during my youth. I skated up until about 2003. I’ve been a recreational therapist since 2002. Recreational therapists provide treatment services for people with disabilities.

Skateboarding was my passion. It offered freedom, autonomy, self-expression, social interaction with friends, solitude enjoyment, physical fitness, and creativity, and so much more. I'd say that skateboarding was very therapeutic for me during my teen years.

Danny Pettry (age 16) in 1996.