Ensuring equitable access to outdoor spaces and medical care for persons with disabilities

Kiley Adams ’17

Medical Student, University of Michigan Medical School

MAJOR: BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Since her time at Notre Dame, Kiley Adams ’17 has been making a difference in the world. Though kept busy as a Sorin Scholar, varsity soccer athlete, volunteer, World Taekwondo Federation fourth-degree master black belt, and undergraduate researcher, Adams has always made time to pursue her true passion for working with individuals with disabilities. Now a University of Michigan medical student, her work has followed her from her hometown of Puyallup, Washington, to Chennai, India, Southeast Alaska and plenty of places in between.

As an undergraduate, Adams spent the summers of 2015 and 2016 in Chennai at the Vidya Sagar School for the Disabled working with children with cerebral palsy and other movement disorders. She began her post-collegiate endeavors by pursuing a Fulbright research fellowship, which allowed her to return to India to research community-based healthcare for individuals with disabilities living in rural communities. Her work there ultimately increased participation in rural disability programming and gained attention from, and was ultimately published by, the World Health Organization. 

Adams’ work with adaptive sports in India has also had significant impact. Noticing a lack of diversity in outdoor spaces, Adams partnered with local NGO Adventures Beyond Barriers and organized inclusive outdoor activities for people with disabilities that continue today. Her work garnered community attention and gave her the opportunity to deliver a TED Talk at India’s largest venue.

When she moved from India to Alaska to serve with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Adams became an adaptive outdoor sports instructor. Simultaneously, she helped run and research Youth Employment in Parks (YEP) — a vocational program that employs teens with disabilities in Juneau as local trail crew workers. Her research on YEP’s success has been presented at multiple medical conferences. 

Following her community service experience, Adams enrolled in medical school to pursue her interests in better serving patients with disabilities. While tackling school, she further embraced her commitment to service by securing multiple grants to purchase off-terrain trail wheelchairs for use on unpaved nature trails for people with mobility needs. Partnering with multiple local and state parks, Adams single-handedly started the first free, community-rental trail chair system in Ann Arbor.

Now working with both government and private donors, Adams is poised to begin a state-wide program of trail wheelchairs being housed at every Michigan park. Her commitment to building a more inclusive and accessible world even extends to the South Bend community: she recently traveled four hours to attend the high school graduation of a community member with autism she tutored during her time at ND.