Fostering Inclusion Through Education, Story, and Sport

From the MTS Magazine, In Print, Summer 2024

On September 26, 2023, Dana Ross Rogers ‘91 returned to the MTS campus with her colleagues from the Bionic Project, Nico Calabria and Jovan Booker. Dana is the Executive Director of the Bionic Project, a non-profit organization that raises awareness about physical disability through education and sport. She has spent her career working in education, inclusive environments, and supporting adaptive athletes, beginning with working as an Adaptive Ski Instructor in Telluride in her 20’s. 

The Bionic Project was a natural segue for Dana, who spent 20 years teaching 4th grade and middle school, most recently at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, MA. The project began with the Bionic 5K & Mile Races in Boston to raise awareness about people with physical disabilities. Will Borden, founder of the Bionic Project and a teacher at Shady Hill School, was an athlete before he was in a car accident that led to the need for a prosthetic leg. He wanted both adaptive and able-bodied athletes in the running community to run together. 

Dana and Will piloted a new program last spring, offering schools a full day of interactive sessions, including assemblies, small group classroom work, and adaptive sports clinics. The program is designed to give students and educators the opportunity for interaction and conversation to gain familiarity with disability and adaptive technology. 

The Bionic Project school program has become enormously successful. Dana works with Nico and Jovan, both adaptive athletes, traveling to over 30 schools every year to highlight disability, inclusion, allyship, and accessibility. They have now expanded beyond Boston to the Bay Area and Denver/Boulder. 

“Running the Bionic Project is a perfect adventure for me after 20 years of classroom teaching.” says Dana. “I have always been focused on creating accessible, welcoming spaces for children, and getting to share Bionic's message of inclusion and connection at schools across the country – while highlighting adaptive sports – is a dream. It's also such a treat to be visiting Marin more often because of our work in schools out here. I'm having a blast.” 

It’s understandable that the program has grown as quickly as it has, given the charisma and enthusiasm of Nico and Jovan. They are members of the American Amputee Soccer Team and have played in multiple Amputee Soccer World Cups on the International stage. They talk with students about life with a disability and discuss the differences they share as amputees - Jovan wears a prosthetic leg and Nico uses crutches. They lead smaller grade-level sessions in the classroom and also get the kids out on the field, playing soccer and teaching them how to use crutches. The sessions are aimed at building empathy, dismantling disability bias, and understanding the importance of connecting with someone first before asking personal questions about their disability. 

The group partners with prosthetics labs at MIT, the Harvard Bio Design Lab, and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at UCSF. When the Bionic Project was headed to MTS, the administration connected the organization with Scott Summit, parent of 6th grader Dashiell. Scott is an expert on prosthetic design and the founder of Ethereal Matter, Inc. The Bionic Project invited Scott to participate as one of the speakers the day they came to MTS, and he presented his work to 4th-6th graders. 

Dana speaks fondly of her years at MTS. She loved the musicals and found the teachers so personable, remembering Nancy Tracy, Eric Kielich, and Cathy Angelou from her days here. Her advice for our current MTS students? “Try lots of things—anything intriguing, anything you’re curious about—just try it. You will meet interesting people, and you will become more interesting yourself.”

Dana attended Brown University for her undergraduate degree and received a Master’s in Education from Harvard. She currently lives in Boston with her partner, Will, a daughter, Caroline, who is a freshman in high school, and her son, Fletcher, who is currently a 6th grader.

We can’t wait for the next Bionic Project visit to MTS! And, stay tuned to participate in the 3rd Annual Bionic Race at Crissy Field in San Francisco in the Fall 2024. 

Watch this video from the day at MTS