inMotion Magazine

September | October 2019 30 Living With Limb Loss (continued) relationship to triathlons has impacted her life, she explains, “I think that being involved with [sports] just gives you more confidence, and I also feel really fortunate because I have a visible disability and it’s really given me a platform to share a message of inclusion on a larger platform. It’s given me such a great way to connect with people.” Her exploration of athletics doesn’t end with her own personal growth. She also spends her time trying to facilitate inclusion and growth for other athletes who are in the process of adapting to their lives. Running Start In addition to working full-time as an attorney and organizing events for LIM359, Harvey is on the board of Running Start, a nonprofit organization that assists women with barriers to “change their lives through running.” Running Start pairs inexperienced runners with seasoned athletes to help them explore their athletic limits. Normalizing Limb Loss On top of continuously challenging herself and others to step outside of their comfort zones, Harvey hopes to play a role in normalizing limb loss. Noting that the mass media does a poor job of facilitating inclusion, she observes: “Most books are about limb loss and overcoming it. But what’s missing is a book that includes a character with a disability where the disability isn’t the central element. We’re making progress in certain areas but there’s still room to grow and normalize it for the younger kids. I’m actually working on a children’s book and I just talked to an illustrator.” Harvey’s observations as both an amputee and a disabled rights activist shed light on the path to normalization. Regardless of the outward or inward adaptations that we face, there’s room for empowerment. Challenged Athletes  Foundation challengedathletes.org Emily-Harvey.com Instagram @emharvadaptive Ironman eu.ironman.com Living in Motion 359 (LIM359) lim359.org Running Start running-start.org Related Resources