As a woman with a disability myself, I left my conversation with Natalie Barnhard-Castrogiovanni feeling inspired and empowered.
Natalie is a physical therapist assistant, licensed massage therapist, and the Founder and President of Motion Project Foundation. She had just graduated as a licensed massage therapist and was working for a few years as a physical therapy assistant when she suffered a spinal cord injury in 2004. She was injured at work when a 600-pound workout machine fell on top of her, shattering vertebrae in her neck.
After the accident, she began rehabilitation in her hometown of Buffalo, NY. Wanting more specialized care, she relocated to Atlanta, Georgia for around a decade to receive rehabilitation at the Shepherd Center, an esteemed spinal cord injury rehabilitation hospital. She eventually returned home to Buffalo to continue outpatient physical and occupational therapy. It was then that she started to see the cracks in medical care. Natalie explains “I was seeing all the gaps in what people were fighting for to get through insurance and what insurance was paying for. People were getting denied for things like shower chairs, with insurance saying shower chairs are a luxury. I don’t think it’s a luxury to have a shower. So, I started an organization, a nonprofit.”
At first, the nonprofit was called Wheels with Wings, which fundraised and provided grants for things insurance didn’t cover. But Natalie had plans for more. She says “It was always my vision to have a center. I wanted to bring those services that I had in Atlanta to Buffalo.” Natalie explains that at one point, her rehabilitation was suspended by insurance. This caused her functionality to deteriorate to the extent that she couldn’t eat or even move her hair from her face. When referring to rehabilitation, she explains “This is something that needs to be a lot longer—more lifelong. It’s just that insurance won’t pay for lifelong rehab for people. A lot of people struggle to get as much recovery as they can and the cost.”
Eventually, Natalie got to the point where she could start Motion Project Foundation, changing the name from Wheels with Wings. When explaining the name change, she says “It encapsulates everything. It’s like the motion of our journey, the motion of our life.” Through the Motion Project Foundation, Natalie opened the Natalie Barnhard Center for Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation and Recovery—a space with state-of-the-art equipment that serves people with disabilities. The center is located in Buffalo, NY, but has had clients as far as Brooklyn, Binghamton, Rochester, and Syracuse, NY. Natalie explains, “Once people are in that spot where they are stuck and done with insurance, they still can recover, stay active, and move and exercise. It’s awesome that we can provide that and fill that gap.” The center also provides support groups, caregiver groups, and a social community. Natalie adds “I just want people to be able to find connection and, after a devastating injury, not feel isolated, like they don’t have anybody that truly understands what they’re going through.” Natalie proudly emphasizes the center’s ability to understand what people are going through firsthand and to help them in a multitude of ways, not just physically. She says, “It doesn’t matter how long you’ve had an injury or disability; your life doesn’t all of a sudden change and get easier. Whether it’s one year or twenty years, you still face the same challenges. What changes is maybe mentally or emotionally learning to adapt, but the physical challenges are always there every day, and that doesn’t go away.” Natalie pointed out that as an able-bodied person ages, exercise is needed, and even more so for a person with a disability.
Once people have exhausted therapy and services through insurance, Motion Project Foundation’s Natalie Barnhard Center provides a place where clients can go to receive continued exercise with equipment specialized for those with disabilities and spinal cord injuries. The center staffs licensed exercise physiologists and trainers qualified in activity-based therapy and working with people with paralysis. The Motion Project Foundation offers supplemental grants to offset the cost of the rehab program and quality of life grant applications for up to 5,000 dollars. Motion Project also became an affiliate of the United Spinal Association when Natalie started a Buffalo chapter of United Spinal. Motion Project collaborates with Greater Buffalo Adaptive Sports and helps clients participate in activities like wheelchair football, lacrosse, skiing, kayaking, biking, and more. Natalie says one of Motion Project’s biggest objectives is finding ways to help people work towards their goals, whether it be therapy, work, driving, sports, and more.
With its fourth anniversary coming up, Motion Project has already accomplished so much, providing critical services to clients who otherwise would not have received them. For the future of Motion Project, Natalie hopes to expand the center and implement physical and occupational therapy, a pool, massage, and chiropractic services.
Natalie has not only inspired me, but she is inspiring everyone she touches through Motion Project, graciously and meticulously giving them the tools to excel in their everyday life. To conclude, Natalie says “For me, I don’t feel like a prisoner of my wheelchair anymore. I think I did for a very, very long time and when I finally came to acceptance with it, it was very freeing.” She explains, “If you didn’t know me that well, you’d probably think, ‘She’s smiling; she’s fine,’ but deep down, I was angry and mad. But when I finally accepted it, that freedom I felt—that’s what I want for people. Where they no longer feel like their injury or their disability, or what they’re going through is holding them hostage, and they can live a free life, a fulfilled life, and have an amazing purpose in life, no matter what has happened to them.” She adds, “I know that the journey is going to be very different for every single person, but with my organization, I just want them to know we get that, and we want to be here to help them through all of it.” Natalie is giving that freedom she found to others every day through the work she has achieved. Natalie Barnhard-Castrogiovanni’s Motion Project Foundation is paving the way for healthy living, exercise, and quality services for people with disabilities and spinal cord injuries.
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