Hurrah! The Paralympics Are Here!

The Paralympics have arrived—a few glorious days when disabled athletes take center stage, performing extraordinary feats and earning well-deserved admiration. The media portrayal is overwhelmingly positive, and most viewers are inspired.

This year, I’m joining the excitement firsthand. Eurostar tickets? Booked. Carer? Arranged. Accessible accommodation? Secured. Stade de France day? Planned. Now, I just need to tackle the pricey travel insurance that comes with being disabled.

Well, it’s a bit of a ‘hurrah-ish’ moment…

The Paralympic movement has done wonders for disability representation and is growing rapidly. However, there’s a significant caveat to consider—a couple of big “buts,” actually.

Just like Olympians, Paralympians are a unique group. The assumption that all disabled people can leap out of bed and “inspire” the world is, to put it mildly, misleading. I’m a full-time wheelchair user with increasingly weak arms and core strength. I played wheelchair rugby until last year, when I started as the worst player and only got worse from there.

The outpouring of love and support we receive during these few days is incredibly heartwarming. I know I’ll be moved to tears more than once. But what happens during the other 207 weeks until the next Games? Take, for example, the U.K., home to the most decorated Paralympian ever, Tanni Gray-Thompson. This week, ironically, on her way to the Paralympics, she had to crawl off a train after her booked assistance failed to show up. Clearly, there’s still a long way to go! BBC News Article.

Now, onto Paris. I lived there back in 1999, enjoying wonderful times with a few symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis, still undiagnosed back then. It’s a beautiful city, but from what I’ve heard, progress on accessibility has been limited. Only one metro line is accessible, which reportedly has frequent issues. I admit I’m a bit anxious. Will I find accessible taxis, or will I end up stranded around the city? Yikes!

But let’s end on a high note. In the U.K., Channel 4 is providing extensive coverage of the Games, featuring more disabled presenters than ever before. They’ve brilliantly shifted their narrative and marketing, emphasizing that these incredible athletes are not just “participating” but truly competing. They are real people, achieving extraordinary things.

And I can’t bloody wait!