• Courtesy of Varlo Apparel and Dominic DiSaia
• Left to right: Emelia Perry and Eric Newby

The Summer Olympics start on Friday, and athletes from around the world are either in or en route to Paris. Getting ready for their own games in August are the Paralympians, for whom "gearing up" is much more involved.

The specialized, often custom equipment used by disabled athletes is extremely expensive, and few have sponsors that pay the bill. That means many of the Paralympians competing in Paris will be using gear they've purchased themselves.

A local nonprofit, the Kelly Brush Foundation, is trying to ease the burden. This year, it's helping two Paralympians pay for their gear: Eric Newby, a U.S. Wheelchair Rugby Team member from Illinois, and Philadelphia-based triathlete Emelia Perry.

The foundation was created in 2006 by its namesake Brush, who was paralyzed that year while ski racing for Middlebury College. The Burlington-based org offers grants to athletes with a spinal cord injury. The average grant is about $3,500.

"The athletes find us at this point," said the foundation's executive director, Edie Perkins. "We're very well known in the disability world."

Newby, 35, is cocaptain of the rugby team and has received grants from the foundation since 2019. The sport wheelchairs players use can cost as much as $15,000 and must be replaced every two years or so for safety reasons, he said. The foundation gave him $15,000 to buy the one he'll use in Paris.

The assistance is essential because "I've got two young kids at home," he said in an interview.

Perry, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2017, learned of the foundation through her physical therapist while in a recovery program for her injury. It provided her $7,500 for her specialized handcycle, a huge help for somebody with a disability juggling the cost of "adapting to day-to-day life," she said.

Perkins said the foundation's support for Paralympians furthers its mission of empowering people after spinal cord injuries.

"It's really helpful to see what other people can achieve," Perkins said. "We're rooting for [Newby and Perry] and so excited to see them out there."