Why The Paralympic Movement And Paralympic Games Really Help The Emancipation And Empowerment Of People With Disabilities

In Nancy Mairs’ article for The New York Times, “Disability”, published in 1987, she expresses her distaste with the media's representation of handicapped people. Mairs, who struggled with multiple sclerosis herself, clearly and sharply conveys this disgust by stating, “I’m not, for instance, Ms. MS, a walking, talking embodiment of a chronic incurable degenerative disease.” (Mairs 13), and that she is actually, “the advertisers’ dream: Ms. Great American Consumer. And yet the advertisers, who determine nowadays who will get represented publicly and who will not, deny the existence of me and my kind absolutely”(Mairs 14). Mairs is greatly upset that disabled people are defined by their disabilities and, therefore, are underrepresented in public media. This might lead to one asking themselves, but why are they? And the answer, according to Mairs, is quite simple, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life”(Mairs 14). Mairs concludes by pointing out how this effacement could have dangerous consequences for both disabled people and, as she called everyone else, TAPs (Temporarily Abled Persons) alike. Treating disabilities as an abnormal characteristic (as opposed to viewing them “as a normal characteristic, one that complicates but does not ruin human existence” (Mairs 15)) can cause one of these repercussions, as it makes the

People with a disability are in many ways othered within our society. Othering was expressed by Canales (2010) as, power within relationships for domination and subordination, with the potential consequences of being alienated, marginalized, decreased opportunities, internalized oppression, and excluded. Canales (2010) also suggested that “exclusionary othering is often influenced by the visibility of one's otherness and that these stigmatizing features that are immediately apparent, construct one's identity as other (p.19)… Their otherness is signified by their relational differences; when compared to the ‘ordinary’ and ‘natural’ attributes of persons perceived as socially acceptable (p.19)”.

My gut reaction to hearing a film about wheelchair rugby was one of pity. I thought that as soon as I saw the players I would feel sorry for them not being able to play the sport the “right” way, or the traditional way. My unconscious bias towards disabled people seemed hard-wired into my brain. I was expecting less of them athletically but after sitting through the 88-minute documentary on wheelchair rugby I was proven wrong in the best way possible.

Everyone has their own way of achieving victory: scoring the winning point in a sport, getting chosen for a job or acing a test in school. A writer for Sport Illustrated's, Rick Reilly, tells Ben Comen’s story, a teenager with cerebral palsy who runs for his high school’s cross-country team, in his article “Worth the Wait.” In the article, Reilly informs the audience of the previously mentioned situation that Ben is in, while also mentioning Ben’s process of overcoming all odds and managing to finish the races with the entire crowd cheering him on. Reilly establishes a triumphant tone with the aid of pathos and arduous-like diction to make light of people with cerebral palsy and to show how they can accomplish goals in life like everyone else

According to Disabled Spots USA, “National Handicapped Sports and Recreation Association renamed Disabled Sports USA in 1994. It has 91 chapters and 36 states in the United States. It gives sports and recreation programs not only the military people who get serious physical disabling because of their mission, but also people who have disability.” There are 303 million people, who have either mental disabilities or physical disabilities, living in the United States. “Disabled Sports USA provided sports and recreation programs to over 60,000 youth and adults who have some disabilities now according to Australian Paralympic Committee. ” Disabled people, who do some physical activity, are possible to spend happy life compare with disabled people, who did not do any activities. According to Disabled USA’ survey said, “The survey found that DSUSA Chapter Participants (CP) are twice as likely to be employed as the general population of adults with disabilities (68% vs. 33%). ”

The mainstream press today when discussing a disabled celebrity disregards many of the persons accomplishments throughout their life, but instead focuses and finds themselves becoming more and more susceptible to drawing attention to their disability alone. Charles A. Riley II enlightens the able-bodied community on many issue’s throughout his book, “Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change.” He argues that the media is inaccurately depicting the disabled community throughout the use of advertisements, but may also be unintentionally disrespecting the community as well in face-to-face contact. Riley is a professor of journalism at Baruch College, and throughout his career, has received multiple awards for his writing’s on issues relating to disability. In Charles A. Riley II excerpt from “Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change”, Riley argues for a change from the media’s perception of disabled people, as a whole, due to how they are portraying celebrities within today’s media throughout the use of ethos, logos, and pathos.

Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the

In the essay “Disability,” the author Nancy Mairs argues that the media portrays disabled people in an unjust manner. Mairs supports her claim by first appealing to the reader’s emotions, second by proving her credibility as a disabled person, and lastly by appealing to the reader’s sense of logic. Mair’s purpose is to prove that disabled people are just as normal as anyone else in order to persuade advertisers to represent the disabled on television, newspapers, commercials, advertisements, etc. Based on Mair’s informal tone and diction, she is writing for the common, intellectual audience who has the ability to make a difference in changing the views of the media and non-disabled people towards the disabled. Nancy Mairs introduces her essay

The book called A Very Special Critter by Gina and Mercer Mayer is a book about a new kid named Alex coming to class who is in a wheelchair. One kid in the class was afraid because he had never seen someone in a wheelchair before. Alex came into class the next day, and everyone thought his wheelchair was super cool. Alex made a lot of friends. The book explains that no matter what disability a child has that there will always be someone there to support him/her. A child in their wheelchair may feel lonely and get down on themselves. Perhaps because they feel out of place, and feel as if they are incapable of what all their friends can do. However, that is not true. In today’s society, there are many sports and activities available for kids who have a disability (Mayer, 1992).

Society’s ideological constructs and attitudes towards minority groups are created and reinforced through media imagery. Although negative associations that maintain inequities with regard to race, gender and homophobia (Conner & Bejoian, 2006) have been somewhat relieved, disability is still immersed in harmful connotations that restrict and inhibit the life of people with disabilities in our society.

In this essay I will attempt to explain people’s attitudes towards the person with disability, also about the causes due to which our society discriminates against them. Few of these reasons are stereotyping, psychological discomfort, lack of accommodation, paternalization & pity.

This post-doctoral research assistant post in sport and physical activity under the project titled: Re-presenting para-sport bodies: Disability and the cultural legacy of the Paralympics is a fundamentally important study that offers Bournemouth University exposure to the world of media, sport and physical activity sciences, and business. In this section, I’ll write briefly three examples about my attributes that make me suitable for the post.

Prior to the course, Perspectives on disability, my understanding of disability was a fundamental, concept of disability, in which I knew it existed, and also have seen and interacted with people considered to have a disability. I never took a deep look at all the social and political factors that exist within the spectrum of disability. This course has allowed me to examine all aspects of disability, which has changed my view and approach of what a disability is and how it is viewed. "Historically, disability has been viewed fundamentally as a persoal tragedy, which has resulted in diasbled people being seen as objects of pity or in need of charity. They have been subject to descriminatory policies and practices in which the predominant images of passivity and helplesness reinforced their inferior status"(Barton 4). Uncovering the framework of disability, by studying the historical, soicial political and educational standpoint, I see the intricacies in which gives me a greater understanding and awareness of the topic.

For young people with a disability leisure activities take on added meaning. Participating in the Melbourne Cup stay offered a chance to share in community life, develop a meaningful social role, and acquire new skills to push the boundaries of their personal limitations (Patterson & Pegg, 2009, p. 387). Socialising with peers helped the group share common interests with non-disabled youth and break down negative attitudes and social stigma towards disability (Patterson & Pegg, 2009, p. 392). This in turn nurtured a sense of normalcy and contributed to social acceptance and belonging (Lundberg, Taniguchi, McCormick, & Tibbs, 2011, pp. 207, 212, 213).

Over the years, perceptions towards disability have been significantly changing as result of the long pathway the disable community has taken fighting for Civil Rights, inclusion and against discrimination. Unfortunately, this last one has not been totally accomplished yet. Barriers to social integration still exist in the society. Perhaps the greatest barrier is not the disability itself; is the attitude of people.