ESPN Sets Special on Disabled Athletes

ESPN Original Entertainment will celebrate the achievements of disabled athletes as part of a one-hour special that bows Thursday.

The show, Superior Beings
, will profile such athletes as Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind climber to summit Mount Everest; Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a 13-year-old biamputee who has competed in numerous triathlons; and Hugh Herr, who started the leg laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after losing his legs in a rock-climbing accident, said the network.

The program will also highlight various organizations, such as the Special Olympics and Paralympics, which support athletes in the disabled community.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.