Friday, Dec 20, 2024
• Jaelon Jackson :
By Jaelon Jackson
School of Social Work
The University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work’s director of undergraduate programs and associate professor of practice was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame Class of 2024 during a ceremony held earlier this year at the War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia.
Dr. Darlene Hunter, a Paralympian who has earned a gold medal and a bronze medal, is originally from Walled Lake, Michigan. She began her athletic career in track and field before transitioning to wheelchair basketball while attending college.
She was a member of the U.S. National Team from 2010 to 2016 and again from 2019 to 2021. As co-captain of the 2020-21 U.S. Paralympic Team in Tokyo, she helped secure a bronze medal.
Her other career highlights include winning a gold medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and becoming a world champion at the 2010 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship. She won a gold medal at the 2011 Parapan American Games and won a gold medal again at the 2015 Parapan American Games.
“The recognition from the Naismith Hall of Fame is the highest honor one could receive in basketball,” Hunter said, reflecting on her induction and the broader impact of recognition in adaptive sports.
“Society is becoming more inclusive, and this is another example of how advocacy and education lead to change. The more awareness that is built about adaptive sports, the more opportunities for individuals with disabilities to thrive.”
Off the court, Hunter has coached the Lady Mavericks Wheelchair Basketball Team and the Dallas Junior Wheelchair Mavericks White Team. She also founded an annual women’s wheelchair basketball camp at UTA. She was named a Toyota Everyday Hero at the 2017 espnW: Women + Sports Summit and received a $10,000 grant, which she used toward expanding the outreach of the camp at UTA.
Hunter serves as the athlete representative for wheelchair basketball with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. She is also the president of the Southwest Wheelchair Athletic Association and the Lady Mavericks Wheelchair Basketball Association.
The 2024 Hall of Fame Class also includes Dr. Andrea Woodson-Smith and Cheryl “Lady” Vines, making it the first all-female class in NWBA history, marking a significant milestone for the organization. The ceremony was live-streamed April 13 on the NWBA Hall of Fame’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
"We are immensely proud of Dr. Hunter's accomplishments in the classroom and on the court. She is an inspirational leader and standard bearer for social workers. We are fortunate to be among her colleagues," said Dr. Kirk Foster, dean of the UTA School of Social Work.
Dr. Hunter has been a Social Work faculty member for six years. She holds a doctorate in family studies from Texas Woman’s University, a master’s in social work, and a master’s in public health from UTA. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arizona.
Her research interests focus on disability, adaptive sports, sexual abuse, and children, while her teaching emphasizes disability, diversity, vulnerable populations, and sexual abuse. She continues to mentor and inspire her students to become better advocates within their communities.
UTA has a long history of Paralympians and Olympians competing in sports.