NO BARRIERS FESTIVAL 2007
EVENING PROGRAMS

John Hockenberry, winner of three Peabody Awards, four Emmys, an Edward R. Murrow award and a Casey Medal award, has had broad experience as a journalist and commentator for more than two decades. He has reported from all over the world, in virtually every medium, having anchored programs for network, cable and public radio and television. His programs have illuminated issues and events from corporate downsizing to the new face of homelessness to the mysterious world of Saudi Arabia post 9/11. Among his shows are NPR’s Talk of the Nation, ABC News, Dateline NBC, and The Infinite Mind.

Hockenberry is author of Moving Violations: War Zones, Wheelchairs and Declarations of Independence and an off-Broadway show, in which he performed. He has been a correspondent for prominent newspapers and currently writes his own blog, “The Blogenberry.” John Hockenberry is a paraplegic. He was born in Dayton , Ohio and lost the use of his legs in an automobile accident at the age of 19. He attended the University of Chicago and the University of Oregon . He currently lives in New York and Massachusetts with his wife and four children – two sets of twins.

Luanne Burke, for the past 30 plus years, has been creating art. She started painting and drawing in college. In her 20's, she expanded her media to include ceramic sculpture. Since that time, the majority of her work has been devoted to figurative sculpture.  A unique aspect of Luanne Burke's work is that much of what she creates, she cannot really see. She suffers from retinitis Pigmentosa. From her teenage years to the present, she has experienced degeneration of her vision.  This has not stopped her drive to create art and live life.

In addition to being an accomplished artist, Luanne Burke also is an accomplished athlete. She was a member of the US Disabled Ski Team and is currently planning on competing in the 2007 US Water-ski Nationals for people with disabilities.  Currently, Ms. Burke resides in Boulder, CO, with her friend and trusted companion, Mike.

Major David Rozelle was leading a convoy in Hit , Iraq , west of Baghdad on 21 June 2003 , when his vehicle struck a landmine, which resulted in the loss of his right foot. He was the first troop commander to redeploy to the same battlefield as an amputee in recent military history. Major Rozelle is currently assigned to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

In addition to his work at Walter Reed as a Peer Visitor and as a mentor for all the severely injured, Rozelle is active in a number of charitable and not-for-profit organizations. Initially, his rehabilitation focused on skiing and snowboarding. He then expanded his athletic training to include triathlons, completing eleven Sprint and Olympic distance triathlons to date. David Rozelle and his family live in Alexandria, Virginia.

COL Barbara A. Springer, PT, PhD, OCS, SCS has spent the past twenty years in the field of physical therapy and with the Armed Forces. She is currently Chief of Physical Therapy Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As a board certified Orthopedic and a Sports PT Specialist, COL Springer is an active member of the American Physical Therapy Association. Her research interests lie in sports physical therapy, core stabilization, amputee rehab and outcome measures, and psychosomatic medicine. COL Springer has been designated as the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command PT Consultant, a member of the Military Amputee Research Program Executive Committee, and the White House Medical Unit PT Consultant. She is Graduate Faculty in the Doctoral Program in Sports Medicine-Physical Therapy, Baylor University, Waco, TX, and is an Item Writer for Specialization Academy of Content Experts I and II, American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists.

Since her graduation from Northeastern University in 1986, she received her Masters of Science in exercise physiology from the University of Hawaii and Ph.D. from The University of Texas, Austin, in Health Education. She has served at Ft. Sill, OK; Camp Casey, Korea; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; West Point; and, now, Walter Reed Medical Center.  She is married and has two children. 

Karen Darke was paralyzed in a rock-climbing accident in the sea cliffs near Aberdeen , Scotland . Determined not to let being wheelchair-bound restrict her, she has repeatedly challenged the confines of her disability. She is the lead speaker, coach and facilitator at Inspire + Impact, using her powerful and inspiring personal experiences to create positive impact in the lives, health and work of others .

“…I was compelled to continue escaping the world of concrete for the inspiration of the natural environment. Along the way I have been fortunate enough to hand-cycle across the Central Asian and Himalayan mountain ranges [and] the length of the Japanese archipelago, kayak from Canada to Alaska and ski across Greenland . Becoming paralyzed radically changed my life and was a 'wake-up' call for me, catalyzing my interest in human development. … I am passionate about people, and the learning opportunities which life offers to us. I enjoy supporting people in achieving their goals - unlocking the energy and potential that lies within us all."