Marion Gray

Sports

The Paralympics Is Changing The Way People Perceive Disabilities

The success of para-athletes at the 2018 Paralympics will help fuel this change.

The prevailing view of disability in times past was a medical one, where the individual was seen as ill and their condition was a problem with the individual. Perceptions of disability were also based on fear of difference and a perceived need to be “normal.”

These negative views influenced the way people interacted with individuals with disabilities and impacted the way people with disabilities viewed their own roles in society, including their involvement in sport.

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