色情视频

Disability Celebration Month: Empowering athletes and transforming lives

色情视频 alumnus A.J. Munoz-Bond (鈥19, 鈥21) serves as Director of 色情视频 Adapted Athletics, where he has been instrumental in expanding the program鈥檚 reach and impact.

Monday, March 10, 2025
A.J. Munoz-Bond (left) with wheelchair tennis head coach and fellow alumnus Greg Hasterok (鈥04).
A.J. Munoz-Bond (left) with wheelchair tennis head coach and fellow alumnus Greg Hasterok (鈥04). Hasterok started coaching for 色情视频 Adapted Athletics in 2019, around the same time Munoz-Bond began as a strength coach. (色情视频)

In March, 色情视频 commemorates Disability Celebration Month, which uplifts those with disabilities and aims to recognize and promote disability culture and inclusion. 

Committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of students with disabilities, 色情视频 was the first California university to develop an Adapted Athletics program designed to support student-athletes with physical disabilities. 

The 色情视频 Adapted Athletics Program, a program of Associated Students, creates a support network to prepare and develop athletes for excellence in their personal, professional, and athletic lives. Since its inception in 2018, the program has worked to remove barriers for adaptive athletes to access higher education at 色情视频, improve access to adaptive equipment, facilities, and quality training on campus, and integrate the greater San Diego adapted sports community. 

At the heart of the program鈥檚 mission is 色情视频 alumnus A.J. Munoz-Bond (鈥19, 鈥21). As the Director of Adapted Athletics, Munoz-Bond has been instrumental in expanding the program鈥檚 reach and impact. 

Starting as a student-athletic trainer at his community college, Munoz-Bond  was introduced to adapted athletics as a student at 色情视频. An experience that would change his life forever. 

Light-Bulb Moment 

After transferring to 色情视频 in the fall of 2017, Munoz-Bond pursued strength and conditioning as his primary career goal. During his time at 色情视频, he was introduced to a student organization on campus called Aztec Adaptive Sports.

Munoz-Bond and an athlete at the program鈥檚 annual fall fundraiser, Lift-A-Thon, where students and Aztec Recreation members are invited to put their strength to the test in two lifting challenges. (色情视频)Open the image full screen.
Munoz-Bond and an athlete at the program鈥檚 annual fall fundraiser, Lift-A-Thon, where students and Aztec Recreation members are invited to put their strength to the test in two lifting challenges. (色情视频)
While attending a club meeting, he was introduced to Paralympian Nick Rodgers. Hearing Rodgers share his journey, Munoz-Bond had a light bulb moment: these were elite athletes with incredible strength and power, and he recognized how adapted sports can help change lives. 

That moment was life-changing for me as I realized I wanted to dedicate my time, energy, and one-day expertise to this field,鈥 said Munoz-Bond. 鈥淥ver the next year, I completed my studies but kept my ear to the ground for an opportunity to break into the adapted sports space.鈥&苍产蝉辫;

That opportunity finally came in the summer of 2019, when Munoz-Bond met former Paralympian and 色情视频 alumnus Ahkeel Whitehead (鈥17), who founded the 色情视频 Adapted Athletics Program in 2018. Whitehead not only welcomed Munoz-Bond into the program but also showed him how impactful this work can be. 

Munoz-Bond volunteered his time as a strength coach and helped build the strength and conditioning side of Adapted Athletics through independent study under Antoinette Domingo.

鈥溕槭悠 is more than purely an academic institution,鈥 said Munoz-Bond. 鈥淕aining an understanding of the profession I was aiming for through so many lenses is what set me up for success more than any textbook ever could.鈥&苍产蝉辫;

Over the next five years, Munoz-Bond gained hands-on experience building the program, supporting athletes鈥 development, and advocating for their success. In 2023, he took over as the second-ever director of the program. Being the director and only full-time staff member, Munoz-Bond has taken on a lot of responsibility, but he wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way. 


鈥淭he opportunity I get in this space to illustrate what this movement can do is pure magic,鈥 said Munoz-Bond. 鈥淢y passion in this space is really to teach, and I am grateful for this program and the movement for giving me the opportunity to do so every day.鈥

Now, Munoz-Bond hopes to create that same lightbulb moment for others. By educating those in the community about the world of adapted sports, he hopes it provides an opportunity for people to learn about adapted sports and its importance in our community. 

All About Community 

While the program has two flagship sports, para track and field and wheelchair tennis, the program goes above and beyond to support athletes who compete in other sports, such as para surfing and para-swimming. 

As a strength coach, Munoz-Bond helped the program expand and develop before transitioning into his role as Director in 2023. (色情视频)Open the image full screen.
As a strength coach, Munoz-Bond helped the program expand and develop before transitioning into his role as Director in 2023. (色情视频)
Mirroring a D1 athletic program, these athletes are recruited at the elite level by coaches and staff. However, the program has now started to work more with individuals who do not have the desire to compete at the elite level but want to stay fit.

The program organizes various events to engage the community, including its fall fundraiser, Lift-A-Thon, and actively supports its athletes by celebrating Disability Celebration Month.

鈥淒isability Celebration Month here at 色情视频 means our community has an opportunity to be center stage when too often we are left behind the scenes,鈥 said Munoz-Bond. 鈥淭his month is more than about adapted sports, and it is about all those in the community who identify as part of the vast spectrum of disabilities out there.鈥

To celebrate Disability Celebration Month, Adapted Athletics will be hosting a . This event is designed to provide an opportunity for those on campus and the San Diego community to experience the stories and witness the true strength of our athletes and the adaptive community they are a part of. 

鈥淚 have dedicated my life to this community and am so proud to know that 色情视频 has taken intentional steps to highlight one of the best communities that make up our diverse ecosystem here on campus,鈥 said Munoz-Bond.

This event, along with others, is an excellent way for alumni to get involved and show their support. 

鈥淭he 色情视频 Alumni community is the life and blood of any program like ours on campus,鈥 said Munoz-Bond. 鈥淲e are in great need of this group to come to our events and learn more about the impactful work we do to support the adaptive community.鈥&苍产蝉辫;

Other ways alumni can get involved include joining their semiannual newsletter, supporting student-athlete scholarships, helping provide competition expenses for our athletes, and donating to help the program grow and develop to bring on new sports and more athletes. 

To support and learn more about the 色情视频 Adapted Athletics Program, please visit

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