Excerpt from UANews, Jan 24, 2013
After the death of their classmate, Jessica Stebbins, a group of UA public health students brought to life her dream of creating a yoga program designed for individuals with low mobility. A little more than one year after Stebbins' death, the same students have founded the Yoga for Any Body club and a class under the same name.
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Jessica Stebbins's eventual legacy would begin with a simple idea to establish a yoga class at the University of Arizona that would benefit individuals with disabilities and low mobility.
Stebbins, who used a wheelchair, was quite fond of yoga, but she found it was not always approachable or accommodating for those with limited mobility. She began speaking about the issue with her peers in the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, which eventually led to the creation of a club and yoga class that now is being offered at the University.
"She saw something in yoga that could be beneficial or helpful for people who used wheelchairs," said Sheila Parker, a lecturer in the Health Promotion Sciences Division at the College of Public Health who taught one of the last classes Stebbins would take.
"She wanted to increase the awareness of what yoga is and what health benefits exist," Parker said. "That goes beyond what one does in the classroom."
Stebbins died suddenly in December 2011. But driven by her memory and motivated by her infectious enthusiasm, a group of UA students continued working toward introducing an adaptive yoga class on campus.
And after her peers founded a club and spent more than one year learning about the practice, gaining professional training and conducting an assessment for need, they also completed protocols necessary to launch a course.
The class named after the club, Yoga for Any Body, will be offered beginning Feb. 1, 2013 through UA Campus Recreation.
"I didn't meet her, but I felt so motivated by her," said Karen Rios, a public health senior and the club's president.
For their work, the club's members earned the UA's Inclusive Excellence Award, which goes to individuals and organizations who make important contributions to creating and enhancing a diverse and inclusive community at the University.
