Abu Yilla was born in Sierra Leone in 1956 as the youngest of six children; he contracted polio in 1959 at the age of three. His father then moved with him to the United Kingdom where he could receive treatment and attend a school for crippled children, something unavailable in Sierra Leone. In the United Kingdom, Yilla attended the Chailey Heritage Craft School for Crippled Children and then the University of Nottingham, where he developed an interest in wheelchair basketball after watching it on television. He joined a local wheelchair basketball league and found success on the court. His success in this sport brought him to Texas as a visiting player, where he found major differences in both the treatment and opportunities for players. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree and doctorate, both in Physical Education, from Texas Women’s University. He has been working for UTA since Fall 1996. He is a Paralympic medalist and has won 16 National Championships in Wheelchair Basketball (8 in Great Britain as a player; 5 as a player; and 3 as an administrator in the USA). He served as both an administrator and player for the UTA Movin’ Mavs. He currently works for the University as a professor and program advisor. Dr. Yilla's research focus and publications are on the explication of the lives of individuals with disabilities, elite disability sport, and in particular, wheelchair basketball. He remains involved in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, a number of national review boards and advisory councils, and grant committees.
Materials provided by Special Collections and Archives at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Materials provided by Special Collections and Archives at the University of Texas at Arlington.
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