Lora Josey

56 years of age, from Maiden, North Carolina USA has played darts for over 20 years after throwing her first dart in a local pub in Hickory, North Carolina in 1998. 

After developing her game, technique and strategy she has become a fierce competitor in the world of American darts winning American Dart Organization and Major League Dart titles against non-disabled players. 

Lora’s compassion to help people is why she has served in the healthcare community for over 20 years and is the main reason she founded the American Disability Darts Association (ADDA) in 2017. 

The ADDA now holds National tournaments for people with disabilities that meet the Para-Olympic classifications, local tournaments to raise support and awareness and has integrated disability darts into main stream darts in the USA at the Charlotte Open in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Virginia Beach Dart Classic in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Two of the largest main stream dart tournaments in the USA. 

Since the conception of the ADDA Lora has become a sponsored disability dart player with Winmau. 

Her passion comes from her own disability. Age 27, Lora was diagnosed with Synovial Sarcoma of her left foot and only option to save her life was amputation followed by chemotherapy treatments. Lora has a disability but to her she is not disabled. As she has quoted many times, “I have a disability, but I do not consider myself disabled. There is a difference to me.” 

Now she along with her wife Becki Baker work tirelessly to promote disability darts in the USA and with local Veterans Administrations in North Carolina. The ADDA has started dart leagues within the hospitals for active and retired veterans through each hospital recreational therapy departments. 

One memory for Lora during her journey establishing disability darts in the USA was a dart clinic she held at a recreational therapy facility in Richmond, Virginia in 2017. A gentleman with Parkinson’s disease who was shaking vigorously wanted to throw darts and participate. When the gentlemen held the darts in his hands, focused and threw the darts his shaking completely stopped. The gentlemen’s wife stood in amazement and told Lora “that’s the first time I haven’t seen my husband shake in years. Thank you.” That’s when Lora knew she could and can make a difference with the sport she loves.