One Dreamstarter’s Impact: Thousands of Disabled Native Athletes Now Dream and Compete Because of Noah

Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss’ dream has always been to see every differently abled Native American given the opportunity to become an adaptive athlete.

About Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss.  Noah, a member of the Southern Ute and Caddo tribes, was born and raised in Colorado on the Southern Ute reservation. In 2009, at the age of 11, Noah was critically injured in a car accident, which resulted in him being paralyzed from the waist down and using a wheelchair. Despite these challenges, Noah persevered and focused on his athleticism. He excelled in adaptive sports, becoming an elite wheelchair basketball player and mono skier. He was also chosen as Disabled Sports USA’s first Paralympic ambassador to Native America. Noah has committed to using his talents to inspire others and promote wellness within his community.

The Dream of Tribal Adaptive was born.  In 2015, at the age of 16, Noah received funding from Running Strong Dreamstarter to create a program called Tribal Adaptive. The program’s aim is to promote independent living, academic success, and athletic development among Native Americans with disabilities through wheelchair basketball camps. Despite being a young high school student at the time, Noah envisioned partnering with non-profits, community organizations, and governments to improve access to adaptive sports for disabled Native Americans and to raise awareness about the issue.

Native Americans have the highest per capita disability rate in the US and have access to the fewest programs for recreational or competitive adaptive sports. There are approximately 500,000 Native Americans with physical disabilities, and Noah’s dream was to reach each one of them.

During the first year of his grant, Noah held four wheelchair basketball camps for 64 Native youth with disabilities.  The camps helped the participants increase their physical activity level, develop basketball skills, and foster their independence off the court. He started the process to establish this grant-funded program as a registered entity under Disabled Sports USA.   Noah also attracted the attention from the media and the Native community, and used his $10,000 Dreamstarter grant to secure an additional $50,000 in funds and in-kind donations. Additionally, he built connections with tribal leaders and businesses interested in supporting Tribal Adaptive, and improved his program management, public speaking, and mentoring skills.

Noah Inspires Dree, a wheelchair basketball participant.  One of the participants was a young man named Dree, who was 19 years old at the time and hailed from Farmington, NM. He had sustained a spinal cord injury several years before and relied on a wheelchair for mobility. Although his injury was similar to Noah’s, Dree’s level of independence was significantly lower. Attending the wheelchair basketball camp proved to be a transformative experience for Dree. The camp introduced him to the sport of wheelchair basketball, but more importantly, it demonstrated to him that he was not alone in facing the challenges of adapting to life with a spinal cord injury.

Initially, Dree struggled to transfer from his wheelchair to a basketball sports chair. However, by the end of the camp, he was able to handle all his needs with the support of his new teammates. As a result, he now regularly engages in basketball and spends time with the young people he met at the camps..

“The program has seen many successes geared toward participation and now most of Navajo country has heard about what we do. Through the outreach of my Dreamstarter program, we have been able to raise awareness of the benefits of adaptive sports. Local physical therapy offices have started to refer new participants. We are also changing the perception of people with disabilities. By showcasing all the things that people with disabilities can do, we are changing the way they are viewed by members of their community.”

Introducing Adaptive Athletes to a College Environment.  In 2017, Noah received a $5,000 grant from Running Strong to continue the work he is doing. He brought 4 Native youth with disabilities and a coach to the University of Illinois Wheelchair Basketball Camp and Coaches Clinic, to introduce adaptive athletes to the college environment, meet coaches from around the world, and see the different levels of high-school-age competitive athletes just like them.

“This was a truly life-changing experience for the participants and their families. It also led to a lot of awareness raising in the disability community about the additional challenges our disabled Native Youth face.”

Noah went on to achieve many awards during his high school years, including winning a National Title in downhill skiing and becoming a top recruit for the Collegiate Wheelchair Basketball program.

Running Strong’s Dreamstarter GOLD Grant.  In 2020, when Noah was a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and playing Division 1 Wheelchair Basketball, Noah was awarded Running Strong’s Dreamstarter GOLD grant, a $50,000 grant to help the now 501c3 registered Tribal Adaptive Organization develop a strategic organizational plan and expand the variety of sports they offer Native youth with disabilities.

As a registered non-profit with the support and respect of many tribal nations and organizations like the National Congress of American Indians and National Indian Gaming Association, Tribal Adaptive Organization is well positioned to help create a more fair and equitable future for many Native American Youth with disabilities. Noah’s Dreamstarter GOLD grant has enabled him and  Tribal Adaptive to expand their capacity and make an even larger impact in supporting Native athletes with disabilities and developing a strong mentorship system. They have created an educational curriculum for tribal organizations and schools and have continued their outreach to Native youth with disabilities through Sportchair Basketball camps. In addition to partnering with Running Strong, they have also built a network of support with organizations such as AmeriCorps, Fort Lewis College, University of Illinois, University of Arizona, and N7.

Helping to make Wheelchair Basketball Coaching a Reality.  Derek was the victim of a vehicle assault and was paralyzed from the waist down. 5 years before meeting Noah and getting involved with Tribal Adaptive, Derek used a poor-quality wheelchair, was receiving bad aftercare from the hospital, and was struggling to reclaim his independence. Since, Tribal Adaptive has helped him get a better everyday chair, a sportchair for basketball, and a hand-cycle. He won the Shiprock Marathon two years in a row and started changing his entire community’s perception of people with disabilities. He received his license, lives on his own, and is the assistant wheelchair basketball coach for the Tribal Adaptive Thunderbirds, Indian Country’s first SportChair basketball team that was born out of Noah’s program.

The Thunderbirds practice weekly in Farmington, NM, a reservation border town that serves 6 tribal nations. The closest competitive adaptive sports program is 6 hours away, and the Thunderbirds are filling a large accessibility needs gap in the region. More than just a formal basketball team, being part of the Thunderbirds means getting support in navigating obstacles such as adequate medical supplies and athletic equipment, developing and implementing Individualized Education Plans, and working with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.

“I have remained committed to building the Tribal Adaptive Organization since 2015. We have had so many small victories along the way, made so many influential connections, and build so many relationships that those things always inspire me to continue moving forward. There is no way we could have come as far as we have as quickly as we have without the support of Running Strong. Our dream is growing and becoming a reality because of all your love and support.”

In 2022, in addition to continuing the work of Tribal Adaptive, Noah graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Management where he played Division I wheelchair basketball.

Devyn, with mentorship from Noah, forging forward in adaptive sports.  In early 2024, Tribal Adaptive Organization became the mentor organization for Devyn Kazhe’s (Pueblo of Laguna) Dreamstarter project. Devyn received a Dreamstarter grant, similar to Noah’s in 2015, with Noah as her mentor. In 2021, Devyn sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury, which resulted in paralysis from the chest down. Devyn had been an active softball player and runner and spent the year after her accident recovering and forging her new path forward. In 2022, she met Jason Hotchkiss, Noah’s dad, who introduced her to Noah, Tribal Adaptive, and the world of competitive adaptive sports. Devyn began participating in Tribal Adaptive’s sports programs – wheelchair basketball, mono skiing, and mountain biking – and discovered that her athletic journey is still very much alive and well. She also developed a passion for helping others in their journeys to “adapt and overcome.”

Tribal Adaptive Positively Impacts Youth … and it started from a Running Strong Grant nearly ten years ago.  With Running Strong’s support, Devyn, Noah, and Tribal Adaptive will continue positively impacting Native youth with disabilities and showing the world that, with perseverance, chasing dreams and overcoming any obstacle is possible.

Today, at 26, Noah is the Director of Adaptive Sport Programming for the City of Chicago Parks and Recreation, as well as the Founder and President of Tribal Adaptive. Tribal Adaptive continues to thrive, grow, and realize Noah’s dream of using sport as a tool to improve the health, wellness, and independence of Native Americans with disabilities.