did you know?

here's a break from regularly scheduled adoption talk. a little post about our other passion: disability advocacy...

one morning last week, jamie and i were listening to npr. they were doing a story about the olympics and mentioned that the united states had never won a medal in one of the skiing events (i can't remember which one). i doubt the story would have caught our attention had jamie not realized that the united states had indeed medaled in that event...in the paralympics.

the paralympics? you might be wondering.

the paralympics are the sister games of the olympics. they are held in the same location as the olympics, and the athletes use the same venues as olympic athletes. the only difference between the olympics and the paralympics is that the paralympic athletes all have physical disabilities. now, i'm sure some people completely discount the paralympics on that one difference. and i'm sure others would say, "well, isn't it inspiring that those athletes can overcome their disability and compete in athletic events." both of these ways of thought reveal our society's attitudes about people with disabilities.

you see, the paralympics get no media coverage in the united states. paralympic athletes get little or no financial support. it is not like this in other countries around the world. for example, many european countries gave almost equal air time to the 2008 olympic and paralympic games. similarly, britain's rowing crews (both olympic and paralympic) live together, train together, and receive equal funding. how do i know this? well, jamie is a paralympian. he won a silver medal in rowing at the 2008 paralympic games in beijing (and yes, his medal looks exactly like the medals michael phelps won). his boat edged out britain for second place. the triumph of this win had nothing to do with jamie overcoming his blindness. what he and his teammates overcame was their country's lack of support and funding. they won on pure athletic prowess and nothing else -- not money, or endorsements, or media coverage...but on ability alone.

in a lot of the reading i did about disabilities for my master's thesis, i came across one major theme: people with disabilities only become disabled when society fails to be accessible. while it may be true that a person in a wheelchair can't walk, they are only disabled to the extent that buildings and streets are difficult to maneuver. and this is the glory of the paralympics. these athletes may not be able to walk or see or have the endurance that olympic athletes have, but they continue to compete despite the disabling attitudes and practices of a society that refuses to take them seriously.

i hope things will be different in the future. i hope nbc will decide to air coverage from the paralympics. i hope paralympians will begin to receive the financial support they deserve. and i hope that whatever paralympian medaled in that skiing event will get the credit he/she deserves.