The Paralympics were & are amazing. They changed lives. They bought disability into living rooms. But overselling it sews division between advocacy & sports people. Division we just don't need! 'The Games that touched the soul: Sydney's Paralympics legacy' brisbanetimes.com.au/sport/the-game…
Yes we ended up with some household names out of those games. Yes this has helped move society forward in the years past. But it's been these people and the work they have done thats done this. Not the games themself. Fact is these people are still fighting the same fights now.
If the Sydney legacy really was strong we wouldn't be fighting for universal access in housing. For compliance to legislation in transport. For adaptive aids to be seen as nothing more remarkable and less worthy of need than a pair of shoes. These fights continue.
This article sews division. Division between sports people and advocates. BOTH do great work moving society forward. They need to work together. This doesn't do that. I had a deal when I moved out of sport to advocacy with some still competing high profile Paralympians.
I understood sometimes they needed to stay quiet on tough stuff. Politics is a thing. Funding and sponsors are a thing. But once they retired they come out HARD on disability issues. They kept this deal. This is how we should use our sports people with profile. Not puff pieces.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
