Forearm crutches used by Vasu Sojitra during the US Amputee Soccer Team World Cup, 2022
name: label: user
content: Sojitra, Vasu
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: These forearm crutches or ninjasticks, as Vasu Sojitra refers to them, were used while he was a member of the US National Amputee Soccer team at the World Championship in 2022. Missing one leg since contracting septicemia at 9 months old, Vasu had tried prosthetics, but they were never comfortable and hampered his ability to move. By the time he was 10 he gave up on the prosthetics and tried the forearm crutches and never looked back. This piece of equipment, normally used for walking and basic mobility, has turned into a sports device by so many athletes in a variety of sports. Vasu not only uses the ninjasticks for playing competitive soccer but uses them to ski, mountain climb, skateboard and for basic mobility. As a disabled person of color, Vasu’s success as a professional athlete has enabled Vasu to advocate for the disabled community and ‘historically marginalized groups’ as the co-founder of the Inclusive Outdoors Project, a founding member of the Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E. Initiative, the lead producer of Lotus Productions and he also sits on many advisory councils and boards for the adaptive sports community.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: Soccer
label: web subject
content: Adaptive Sports
label: web subject
content: Disabilities
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2023.0118.01
label: accession number
content: 2023.0118
label: catalog number
content: 2023.0118.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: forearm crutches, adaptive sports
label: Object Name
content: forearm crutches
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 42 in x 4 1/4 in x 5 1/2 in; 106.68 cm x 10.795 cm x 13.97 cm