Noah Blue Elk Hotchkiss (Southern Ute, Caddo) and the Running Strong Dreamstarter Program have made a historic impact on health, inclusion, and disability awareness across Indian Country, transforming the lives of hundreds of Native youth with disabilities through sport, mentorship, and empowerment.
Noah’s Story and Dream
In 2009, at just 11 years old, Noah survived a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Though his life changed overnight, Noah refused to let his disability define his future. After discovering wheelchair basketball, he found not only a new passion but a powerful tool for healing and growth.
At 16, Noah was selected as one of Running Strong’s first Dreamstarters under the theme of Wellness. His dream was simple but bold: to give Native Americans with disabilities the same opportunities to thrive in sports and life that he had found. With his $10,000 Dreamstarter grant, Noah founded the Tribal Adaptive Organization, a nonprofit that uses adaptive sports as a path to wellness, independence, and community building.
Transforming Disability Awareness in Indian Country
When Noah began Tribal Adaptive in 2015, Native Americans had the highest disability rate per capita in the U.S., yet almost no access to adaptive sports programs. His first Dreamstarter project held four wheelchair basketball camps across New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona for 64 Native youth with disabilities. The camps built both skill and confidence while fostering friendships and self-determination.
One participant, Dree, entered the camp unable to transfer independently from his wheelchair to a basketball chair. By the end, he was managing his own equipment with renewed independence and strength. This story, and many others like it, became the heart of Tribal Adaptive’s mission: to help Native youth “adapt and overcome”.
The camps also began breaking cultural and social stigmas about disability in tribal communities. By showcasing athleticism, leadership, and resilience, Noah and his team helped shift the narrative from limitation to empowerment, showing Native youth, parents, and elders alike that disability does not mean inability.
Growth Through Dreamstarter GOLD
Noah’s success as a Dreamstarter led to his being awarded the Dreamstarter GOLD Grant in 2020, a $50,000 award designed to help former Dreamstarters expand their impact. Through it, Noah strengthened the Tribal Adaptive Organization’s infrastructure, developed a mentorship curriculum, and built partnerships with schools, nonprofits, and tribal governments.
Under his leadership:
- 1,369 Native youth with disabilities have participated in adaptive sports programs, including wheelchair basketball, hand cycling, and mono skiing.
- Tribal Adaptive has raised over $50,000 in outside funding and gained national recognition from organizations like the National Congress of American Indians and the National Indian Gaming Association.
- The organization created Indian Country’s first wheelchair basketball team, the Tribal Adaptive Thunderbirds, who now practice weekly in Farmington, New Mexico, a hub serving six tribal nations.
One Thunderbirds player, Derek, who had been paralyzed after a car accident, used a poor-quality wheelchair and struggled with independence before meeting Noah. With new adaptive equipment and the support of the Tribal Adaptive community, he regained mobility, won two marathon titles, and became a coach and role model for other Native athletes with disabilities.
Creating Lasting Change
Today, Noah serves as the Director of Adaptive Sport Programming for the City of Chicago and continues to lead Tribal Adaptive as its President. His organization operates year-round, running camps, clinics, and competitions, while also mentoring new leaders.
In 2024, Tribal Adaptive became the mentor organization for a new Dreamstarter, Devyn Kazhe (Pueblo of Laguna), a young woman who was paralyzed in 2021 and inspired by Noah’s work. Through her Dreamstarter project and Noah’s guidance, she’s helping other Native youth with spinal cord injuries discover adaptive sports and self-empowerment, continuing his legacy of community wellness.
Legacy
Over the past decade, Noah and the Dreamstarter Program have proven that one person’s vision, when paired with community, mentorship, and opportunity, can reshape lives and systems.
What began as one young man’s dream to “help others play basketball” has evolved into a national movement for disability equity and Native health empowerment.
Today, thanks to Noah’s leadership and Running Strong’s Dreamstarter Program, hundreds of Native youth with disabilities are not just playing sports, they’re thriving, leading, and showing the world that strength, culture, and resilience are boundless.
“Our dream is growing and becoming a reality because of all your love and support.” – Noah Hotchkiss
Applications for the 2026 Dreamstarter Program are now open. Learn more and apply at
