Isabel Bohn Inducted into the Move United Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame

Isabel Bohn, a pioneer of adaptive rowing, was inducted into the Move United Adaptive Sports Hall of Fame this month. Bohn played a critical role in the creation of the first adaptive rowing program in the U.S. at Philadelphia Adaptive Rowing. Her efforts to promote adaptive rowing paved the way for the inclusion of Para rowing at the Paralympic Games and the World Championships.

The Isabel Bohn Award for Achievement in Adaptive Rowing is a USRowing Board Award named in her honor. It is given to a member of the U.S. rowing community who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in adaptive rowing. Bohn was the first recipient of the award when it was introduced in 2011.

Bohn created her own opportunities in sports after a streetcar accident led to the amputation of her left leg above the knee. She went on to become the first adaptive athlete to compete at the Dad Vail Regatta and the World Rowing Championships. In addition to rowing, Bohn has completed four New York City Marathons and became the first PSIA-certified disabled ski instructor in Pennsylvania.

She was instrumental in founding the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled, where she served as chairperson for multiple years. In 1996, she founded Team PCAS, a center that provides sports and recreation programs for people with disabilities, designed to maximize the health and exercise benefits of physical activity. She is also a founding member of Magee Rehabilitation Amp-Peers, a peer counseling program for people with amputations.

A former member of the FISA Adaptive Commission, Bohn also served on the USRowing Adaptive Committee from 2000 to 2007.