Samford University’s School of Health Professions has launched a new Disability, Health and Physical Activity minor designed to prepare students to support people with disabilities and expand access to health and physical activity across communities.
Co-created by Allison Jackson, PhD, and Susan Wilbanks, PhD, in the Department of Kinesiology, the minor is open to students from all academic backgrounds. “We wanted to create a program that helps students see disability through a lens as a social and human experience,” Jackson said. “This program enables students to apply their knowledge in ways that make movement and health accessible to all.”
Designed to complement programs across Samford, the minor prepares students to recognize disability as a vital part of the human experience and to promote equity in health and physical activity. Through coursework and applied learning, students examine how disability intersects with health, culture and law to shape access and opportunity.
Through partnerships with local schools, recreation programs and health organizations, students engage directly with individuals with disabilities in community settings. These experiences help them better understand inclusive physical activity and the role it plays in promoting access and participation.
“There is a growing need for professionals equipped to support people with disabilities,” Jackson said. “As students work alongside community partners, they will help create spaces where everyone can participate with dignity.”
The program explores disability as a social, cultural, historical and biblical concept while teaching evidence-based strategies that support movement and participation across health care, education and community settings. Coursework also addresses legal protections and universal design principles that influence accessibility.
Graduates of the program are expected to carry forward a commitment to inclusion and health equity into their professions. The knowledge and experience gained through the minor support graduate study and careers in health care, education, business, communication and the arts.
The minor reflects the department’s guiding verse, Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Jackson said promoting inclusion and health equity offers students a way to live out that calling with excellence, compassion and respect for every individual they serve.
Students interested in the Disability, Health and Physical Activity minor can speak with their academic adviser or contact program coordinators Allison Jackson at ajjackso@samford.edu or Susan Wilbanks at swilbank@samford.edu.
