Disability and Sports Blog

Over this course, I have learned so much. On the first day, I really didn't know much about disabled sports and this course has taught me so much and has broadened my knowledge on disabilities in sports. I learned about the Paralympics, how it came about, the guidelines, and about different athletes and their stories. One story that specifically stuck with me was about athlete Noelle Lambert. Noelle played lacrosse at UMASS Lowell and lost her leg in an accident, instead of throwing in the towel, she became a track and field athlete in the Paralympics. This is a really touching story and made me think of the word resilience because she was able to come back better and stronger not in her main sport but in a different sport!  This class has changed my mindset towards the value of sports for individuals with a disability in many ways. Disabled athletes can compete just as hard as athletes with no disabilities. My mindset was never fixed that disabled athletes were not as good as non-...

I think that the Special Olympics should remain separate from the Paralympics because they are both unique in their own ways and they allow those with physical disabilities and intellectual disabilities to shine in their own ways. The Special Olympics has a distinct purpose to make fair games for those with intellectual disabilities especially those with autism and Down syndrome. This allows them to stand out with their abilities and gives them the help they need. While the Paralympics are athletes who just have physical disabilities and do not struggle with intellectual disabilities. Keeping them separate will let both Olympics shine in their own way. Keeping them separate also will allow them to gain the attention and media attention that they both deserve. The Paralympics is “ a series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games ” (Miriam Webster). The Paralympic Games are for athletes w...

When teams are banned from participating in the Paralympics it is usually because they aren’t following the set rules. Russia has been banned because they have been caught a few times using drugs to boost performance. This goes against the rules of fair competition and Russia has been banned from keeping the games fair. Russia was also banned because it invaded Ukraine. This made other countries very angry and they did not want them involved in big sporting events. Belarus is also excluded from participating in the Paralympics because of its association with Russia. People think that it is not fair to have Belarus to be able to participate either. Click this LINK to learn the history of the International Paralympic Committee!! The IPC is the International Paralympic Committee. This committee is in charge of the games and oversees and organizes the event. Their role is to make sure that every country is following the rules, games are on schedule, and that safety is highly ensured. They...

When it comes to the discussion of whether or not all athletes with any type of disability should be allowed to be classified for every sport it is something that receives mixed reviews. All athletes should be able to compete and face challenges when it comes to competing in sports. In my opinion, the safety of whether or not they can compete comes first as well. That is the whole point of competing, being able to face challenges, overcome diversity, and be resilient.  Every sport presents challenges that a disabled athlete may not be able to meet. As the International Paralympic Committee states, “ Different sports require athletes to perform different activities, such as: sprinting, propelling a wheelchair, rowing and shooting. As sports require different activities, the impact of the impairment on each sport also differs. Therefore, for classification to minimize the impact of impairment on sport performance, classification must be sport specific”( Wheel Power ). In other terms...