ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the impact of the Paralympics by examining 'everyday talk' online and focuses on the Digital Spy forum, the largest UK online community build around media consumption. It draws particular attention in the analysis to one explicit aim of the 2012 Paralympics, which was to 'transform the perception of disabled people in society'. Disabled athletes do not necessarily advocate for the disability movement, or even directly associate themselves with broader problems facing disabled people. The examination of online talk provides opportunity to see how such potentially opposing discourses are rehearsed, negotiated, perpetuated or challenged through the presentation of the Games, although, such complexity is largely avoided. Digital Spy site deals with a very wide range of entertainment and media content, including an active sports sub-forum and, dedicated sub-forums for the Olympics and Paralympics. Broader discussion of disability issues or of disabled sport was largely absent in the 'general' Paralympics thread, barring the occasional one-off comment.
