根据美国.S. 人口普查，大约42人.5 million Americans — about 13 percent of the 人口-在2021年有残疾. Like many of them, 贝琪哈伯德 has non-apparent 残疾的人. 一名学生 北科罗拉多大学's Sport and Exercise Science Ph.D. -体育行政 浓度 program, Hubbard is researching adaptive sports and recreation. 

Adaptive sport is recreation or physical activity 那 can be modified depending on 个人的需要.

"我的长期希望是 那 more recreation centers on college campuses and in city parks and recreation departments will see the value in making sure 那 anyone can 参加他们的项目."

——贝琪·哈伯德

"The root of my research is anyone can be an athlete. 22岁还在上大学，你 也许可以. But when you're age 72 and you've lived a full life, your ability won't 看起来一样. Improved accessibility could make the lives of everyone in our society better, not just people with 残疾的人," Hubbard said. 

Hubbard has participated in graduate research evenings and symposiums every semester, each time tackling a different subject related to adaptive sports. 2023年秋天，她 garnered second place in the Hutchinson-Lahman 研究 Award for her poster presentation "Competitive Spirit: A Case Study on the Intersection of Disability, Gender, and Adaptive 体育."

The events have grown her confidence in speaking about her research and its importance 还有她自己的故事. 

"At age 16 I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. 我开始脱臼 of my joints on a regular basis," said Hubbard. “我从3岁起就开始踢足球了 or 4-years-old and got into cross-country running in middle school. 我进入了高中 school thinking I might play soccer in college but was told I shouldn’t play anymore." 

Her health journey included open-heart surgery at age 4 and progressive vision difficulties. Eventually, Hubbard discovered modifications and adaptions 那 allowed her to resume 体育活动. 今天, she enjoys road racing and ultramarathons. 她说她 experiences have made her a better teacher. 

"I had a long road back, but now I can see where my students who love sports but aren't sure how to stay with them are coming from," she said." 

She remained passionate about sports, even when she couldn't participate. 她是 such a "sports nerd" 那 she earned a bachelor's degree in Sport Management and a master's in Parks, Recreation and Tourism from 北 Carolina State University. At UNC, she is adding teaching experience to her repertoire. 

"Last week in class we were talking about the 1968 Olympics, and the protest 那 John Carlos and Tommie Smith did, where they raised their fists during their medal Ceremony[支持人权]. I realized sports are so impactful, not just on athletes, but the entire society around them," she said. 

In addition to teaching at UNC as a graduate assistant, she works for the City of Greeley as a youth sports department supervisor. 她协助足球、篮球 and volleyball events and coaches for the track and field and cross-country teams. 

艾伦•莫尔斯他是大学的教授 自然与健康科学学院' Department of Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Dietetics他支持哈伯德的研究. 

"Dr. 莫尔斯知道我经历过这些. His recognition 那 what I'm doing is important “一直非常鼓舞人心，”她说. 

Morse believes Hubbard will bring awareness to adaptive and unified sports. 

"She's self-motivated, and she has personal experience with her line of research. When a student is passionate about their investigation, it makes them a better researcher because they truly want to discover answers to their questions," Morse said. 

He views Hubbard's research as instructive. 

"In one study, she looked at the attitudes of undergraduate students toward disability to understand how engaging in an adaptive sport affects perceptions. 她有学生 play sitting volleyball, and the students struggled with the effort and skill required 玩. The findings indicated a change in attitude and perceptions after experiencing 那. I think her research is going to have an impact in the community, and hopefully 对社会也是如此。.