Anjali Forber-Pratt

{{Infobox sportsperson|

| name = Anjali Forber-Pratt, Ph.D.

| image = Anjali Forber-Pratt at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.png

| image_size =

| caption = Forber-Pratt at the 2012 Paralympics in London

| full_name =

| nickname =

| nationality = {{USA}}

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| birth_date ={{birth date and age|1984|06|22|mf=yes}}

| birth_place = Kolkata, India

| residence = Natick, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_date =

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| disability_class = T53

| coach = Adam Bleakney

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{{MedalCountry|{{USA}}}}

}}

Anjali Forber-Pratt (born June 22, 1984) is an American wheelchair racer who competes in sprint events at the Paralympic level. She is currently the Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-06-01|title=Education alumna appointed by White House as Director of the NIDILRR|url=https://uiaa.org/2021/06/01/education-alumna-appointed-by-white-house-as-director-of-the-nidilrr/|access-date=2021-07-16|website=University of Illinois Alumni Association|language=en-US}} Before that, she was an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Human & Organizational Development.{{cite web|url=http://peabody.vanderbilt.edu/bio/anjali-forber-pratt|title=Anjali Forber-Pratt|year=2015|publisher=Vanderbilt University|accessdate=2015-09-06}}

Life

Born in Kolkata, India and after her mother left her, Forber-Pratt was adopted by Lawrence Pratt and Rosalind Forber when she was two and a half months old. Raised in Natick, Massachusetts, Forber-Pratt was diagnosed with transverse myelitis when she was four-and-a-half months old; the disorder left her paralyzed from the waist, down.{{cite news |last=Breitrose |first=Charlie |title=She is among the elite |work=Natick Bulletin and Tab |date=July 3, 2008 |url=http://www.wickedlocal.com/natick/archive/x415952841/She-is-among-the-elite |accessdate=2008-10-16}} Forber-Pratt began racing at the national level in 1993 with an appearance at the Junior National Wheelchair Games, and went on to compete at the games three more times—in 1996, 1998, and 2003—winning a total of four gold, six silver, and two bronze medals.{{cite web|title=Anjali Forber-Pratt |year=2008 |publisher=United States Olympic Committee |url=https://www.teamusa.org/para-track-and-field/athletes/Anjali-ForberPratt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150908002316/http://www.teamusa.org/para-track-and-field/athletes/Anjali-ForberPratt |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 8, 2015 |accessdate=2008-10-16 }} She previously held the World Record {{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/4572335/Three-world-records-at-IPC-athletics-worlds|title=Three world records at IPC athletics worlds|website=Stuff|date=23 January 2011|language=en|access-date=2019-04-27}} and American Record holder in the 200-meter.{{cite web |title=Records fall on day two |year=2010|publisher=United States Olympic Committee |url=http://usparalympics.org/news/2010/06/20/records-fall-on-day-two-of-2010-u-s-paralympics-track-field-national-championships/36673 |accessdate=2010-07-20}} As a student at Natick High School, Forber-Pratt also competed in downhill skiing before graduating in 2002.

Forber-Pratt is a three-time graduate from the University of Illinois and is an alumni member of the school's wheelchair track and field team. She has received a bachelor's and master's degree in Speech Language Pathology from Illinois and earned her Ph.D. in Human Resource Education in May 2012.{{cite news|title=Amazing Anjali Forber-Pratt Continues to Amaze ... That's Doctor Anjali|url=http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=249084|accessdate=2012-03-15|date=2012-03-13}}

Her first major international competition was the 2007 Parapan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, where she won two gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter races and a bronze in the 400-meter. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, she won a bronze medal in the 400-meter T53 event with a personal best time of 56.79 seconds{{cite web |last=Bourgeois |first=Beth |title=Three Medals for U.S. Track & Field Team; Jamison and Galli Win Gold, Forber-Pratt Comes Away with Bronze |date=September 10, 2008 |publisher=United States Olympic Committee |url=http://paralympics.teamusa.org/news/article/6672 |accessdate=2008-10-16| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081003050800/http://paralympics.teamusa.org/news/article/6672| archivedate= 3 October 2008 | url-status= dead}} and another bronze in the 4×100-meter relay T53–T54. She also competed in the 100-meter and 200-meter in Beijing, finishing sixth and fourth, respectively. She competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London on Team USA in the 100m, 200m and 400m T53 events, getting sixth,{{Cite web|url=https://www.paralympic.org/london-2012/results/athletics/womens-100-m-t53|title = London 2012 - athletics - womens-100-m-t53}} fifth,{{Cite web|url=https://www.paralympic.org/london-2012/results/athletics/womens-200-m-t53|title = London 2012 - athletics - womens-200-m-t53}} and seventh{{Cite web|url=https://www.paralympic.org/london-2012/results/athletics/womens-400-m-t53|title = London 2012 - athletics - womens-400-m-t53}} place respectively.

Forber-Pratt is a former Board member of the Transverse Myelitis Association (now Siegel Rare Neuroimmune Association).[https://myelitis.org/american-paralympic-medalist-dr-anjali-forber-pratt-joins-transverse-myelitis-associations-board-directors/ TMA website] The Transverse Myelitis Association is a not-for-profit international foundation dedicated to the support of children, adolescents, and adults with a spectrum of rare neuro-immune disorders including: Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD), Optic Neuritis (ON) and Transverse Myelitis (TM), including Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM). It was founded in 1994 by family members and individuals with these diagnoses and provides education, outreach and access to a clinical care network for these rare conditions. Forber-Pratt was a Board Member of Disabled Sports USA for many years (now Move United). Founded in 1967, Disabled Sports USA is an organization that provides opportunities for more than 60,000 youth, wounded warriors, and adults with disabilities each year to develop independence, confidence, and fitness through participation in disabled sports.[http://www.dsusa.org/about-boardmembers.html Disabled Sports USA website = Board Members] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127010936/http://www.dsusa.org/about-boardmembers.html |date=January 27, 2012 }}

Forber-Pratt is also a disability advocate, and in 2002 was involved in a legal battle with her high school, fighting for equal access to education for students with disabilities.{{Cite web|url=http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/showthread.php?29882-A-disabled-student-s-battle-could-aid-others-struggles|title=A disabled student's battle could aid others' struggles|website=sci.rutgers.edu|access-date=2019-04-27}} Forber-Pratt was honored by the White House as a Champion of Change {{Cite web|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2013/08/15/challenges-competitions-champions|title=Challenges + Competitions = Champions|date=2013-08-15|website=whitehouse.gov|language=en|access-date=2019-04-27}} by President Barack Obama in 2013 and participated in a roundtable discussion about disability policy issues with several key disability leaders.{{Cite web|url=https://anjaliforberpratt.com/photo/roundtable-discussion-president-barack-obama|title=Roundtable Discussion with President Barack Obama {{!}} Anjali Forber-Pratt|website=anjaliforberpratt.com|access-date=2019-04-27}} In August 2017, Forber-Pratt received the Athletes in Excellence Award from The Foundation for Global Sports Development in recognition of her community service efforts and work with youth.{{Cite web|url=http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__61179/Title__Ten-Athletes-Selected-to-Receive-The-Foundation-for-Global-Sports--Developments-2017-Athletes-in-Excellence-Award/292/Articles|title=Ten Athletes Selected to Receive The Foundation for Global Sports Development's 2017 Athletes in Excellence Award|website=aroundtherings.com|language=en|access-date=2017-08-09|archive-date=2017-08-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809213611/http://aroundtherings.com/site/A__61179/Title__Ten-Athletes-Selected-to-Receive-The-Foundation-for-Global-Sports--Developments-2017-Athletes-in-Excellence-Award/292/Articles|url-status=dead}} In 2019, she was featured by the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change as part of the #SheInnovates campaign{{Cite web|url=https://www.sheinnovatesstories.com/|title=#sheinnovates stories|website=#sheinnovates stories|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-27}} In 2021, she was appointed by the Biden administration as the Director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

References

External links

{{official website|http://www.anjaliforberpratt.com/}}
{{IPC athlete|anjali-forber-pratt|Anjali Forber Pratt}}
[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anjali_Forber-Pratt Academic publications]

Category:1984 births

Category:Living people

Category:American female wheelchair racers

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

Category:Illinois Fighting Illini Paralympic athletes

Category:Paralympic track and field athletes for the United States

Category:Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States

Category:Sportspeople from Natick, Massachusetts

Category:People with paraplegia

Category:Paralympic wheelchair racers

Category:Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics