Disability (2025)

Disability and Accessibility

• Tiny House Movement: Focus on sustainable living and accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Discourses of the Paralympian

• Exploration of various narratives and language used around Paralympic athletes.

Overview

History of the Paralympic Movement

• The establishment and growth of the Paralympics as a significant athletic event for athletes with disabilities.

Classification

• System used to determine the eligibility of athletes with various disabilities to compete in sports.

The social model of disability

• Concept that distinguishes between impairment and disability, emphasizing societal barriers over medical conditions.

Themes of Representation

• Examination of how disabilities are represented in media and society, enhancing or damaging perceptions.

Rio 2016

• Specific insights into the representation of athletes and disabilities during the Rio 2016 Games.

Associated with Michel Foucault

• Discourses: Series of statements, narratives, and images that shape understanding around a particular topic.

Speaker legitimacy

• Multiple discourses can exist simultaneously, creating a dynamic understanding of identities, such as that of a Paralympian.

Paralympic History

Dr. Ludwig Guttmann

• Key figure in the initiation of the Paralympic movement.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital

• Established spinal cord unit leading to rehabilitation practices for war veterans.

Pre-Paralympic Sporting Events

• Sport and physical activity pre-Stoke Mandeville: Existing events like the 1888 Sport for the Deaf in Berlin that laid groundwork for future competitions.

• CISS: Formation of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf leading to the Deaflympics.

Early Paralympic Games

• Stoke Mandeville Games (1948): First event with focus on participation, featuring wheelchair athletes and archery.

• Evolution: Addition of more sports and participants in subsequent years.

First Paralympic Games (1960)

• Rome: 9th International Stoke Mandeville Games with 400 athletes from 23 countries, marking a significant moment in history.

• Olympic co-hosting: Held in the same city as the Olympics for the first time.

Elite Disability Sport

• Shift from participation-focused to elite competition.

• Classification importance: Athletes classified by impairment type, including spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy, amputees, and visual impairments.

• Beijing 2008: Featured 3,951 athletes from 146 countries.

IPC Bid Changes

• 2001 changes: “One Bid – One City” rule introduced, integrating Paralympic Games into Olympic bids.

• Impact: Uniform organization, marketing, and broadcasting improvements stemmed from this policy.

Social Model of Disability

Contributions by UPIAS

• Separation of impairment (physical limitations) from disability (social exclusion).

Benefits of the Social Model

• Politically effective: Empowers disability rights advocacy.

• Instrumentally effective: Enhances participation and policy changes.

• Psychologically effective: Boosts the self-esteem of individuals with disabilities.

Limitations of the Social Model

Critiques

• Neglects impairment significance: Risk of overlooking the physical aspects of disabilities.

• Overgeneralization: Assumes universal experiences of oppression among all disabled individuals.

• Idealistic: Utopian view may not align with lived realities of individuals.

Medical Model Focus

• Historical narratives: Frame disability as an individual challenge rather than a societal one.

Cultural Representation

• “Super Crip” narrative tends to glorify individual overcoming of obstacles at the expense of acknowledging systemic barriers.

Media Representation at Rio 2016

Role of Journalists

• Critical influence on public perceptions of disability through selective coverage and imagery.

Common Themes

• Supercrip narrative: Language that emphasizes overcoming adversity rather than systemic barriers.

• Economic fetishism and inspiration porn: The portrayal of athletes as superhuman ideals that can dehumanize.

Themes of Rio 2016 - Nationalism and Militarism

Nationalistic Language

• Militarized terms: Language framing athletes as defenders and sacrificers of their nations.

• Athlete examples: Focus on backgrounds in military service integrated into their sports identity.

Themes of Rio 2016 - Technology and Gender

Cyborgification

• Discussions around prosthetics and technology often overshadow individual athlete's stories.

Gendered Representation

• Men portrayed with traditional strength attributes while women are depicted through feminine and eroticized lenses.

Media Resistance

Coverage Gaps

• Issues ignored in media portrayals, such as inaccessibility and advocacy for disability rights amidst austerity.

Acceptability Norms

• The current media narrative often suggests societal acceptance of disabled individuals only through the lens of elite sports.