#65: Nicholas Hoekstra: Inclusive Martial Arts for Folks with Disabilities
Nick Hoekstra is a doctoral student at the University of Kansas studying special education. He lost his sight at the age of eight and started wrestling in high school and practicing martial arts in college. Nick's career has focused on international development, especially around the promotion of special and inclusive education globally. He has lived and worked in five countries. Nick attributes his success and especially his ability to travel independently as a person with a disability to the confidence he gained through martial arts. Nick is currently a 2nd degree black belt in Judo, black belt in Aikido and purple belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu.
Nick and Georgia discuss:
- The benefit of martial arts specifically for people with disabilities.
- How martial arts have helped him, personally, with both skills and confidence in independent life and travel.
- How martial arts is often such a close-knit community and how we can make these communities more inclusive.
- Some of the struggles he's had within martial arts and why he doesn't stop practicing.
To contact Nick: [email protected]
Nick on instagram: @nikohoek
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Thank you so much to Nari for the beautiful song "Shape Me" heard at the beginning and end of this episode. Nari wrote this song about Shape Your Life, a boxing program for self-identified female survivors of violence in Canada. She wrote this song using the words and experiences shared by participants with Cathy Van Ingen. You can find out more about Shape Your Life in my interview with Cathy in Episode 8. You can hear more of Nari's work by going to her Instagram: @narithesaga
