Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss

As a high school student, Noah secured funding from the Billy Mills Dreamstarter program to launch Tribal Adaptive Organization, which uses adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball camps and mono-skiing to address the needs and promote the strengths of Native Americans with disabilities. Noah is an accomplished athlete himself, holding national titles in downhill ski racing, and becoming the first paraplegic to complete the grueling seven-day mountain bike ride from Telluride, CO to Moab, UT with the famous blind climber Eric Weihenmayer. Most recently, Noah was recruited to play Division I wheelchair basketball at the University of Illinois.

Noah sees sports as a tool to build independence and responsibility. He’s working with individuals, tribes, and government to create a more disability-friendly future in Indian Country.