Uploaded June 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Snowboarder Amy Purdy challenged conventional notions of disability and equality in sports.
Wearing prosthetic legs and feet, she medaled at the World Cup and Paralympics. She went on to become an advocate for adaptive action sports. Purdy describes the importance of Title IX and explains why she donated her prosthetics to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
We Belong Here marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, federal legislation that unintentionally boosted long-standing efforts to open male-dominated arenas of sports. Despite its impact, athletes promised equal opportunity under the law, continue to face systemic sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry. Each athlete’s history-making story is part of a larger narrative of the struggle for equality in the United States. Explore more stories in the online exhibition: https://americanhistory.si.edu/we-belong-here
✨ From our collections! Check out the foot prosthetic worn by Amy during the 2014 Sochi Paralympic games: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1814486
📸 Thumbnail image courtesy of Alamy
Snowboarder Amy Purdy challenged conventional notions of disability and equality in sports.
Wearing prosthetic legs and feet, she medaled at the World Cup and Paralympics. She went on to become an advocate for adaptive action sports. Purdy describes the importance of Title IX and explains why she donated her prosthetics to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
We Belong Here marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, federal legislation that unintentionally boosted long-standing efforts to open male-dominated arenas of sports. Despite its impact, athletes promised equal opportunity under the law, continue to face systemic sexism, racism, and other forms of bigotry. Each athlete’s history-making story is part of a larger narrative of the struggle for equality in the United States. Explore more stories in the online exhibition: https://americanhistory.si.edu/we-belong-here
✨ From our collections! Check out the foot prosthetic worn by Amy during the 2014 Sochi Paralympic games: https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_1814486
📸 Thumbnail image courtesy of Alamy
