ABSTRACT
I open this afterword by first making explicit my own background and how this has influenced my engagement with the Paralympic movement today. This context is important given the reflective approach I take in the subsequent analysis of how we communicate about the Paralympics and Paralympic athletes. I grew up in a family with a father who had a disability (multiple sclerosis), and although my father was not an athlete with a disability per se, he loved sport and was an avid fan. I grew up loving sport, as well, and was captivated as an undergraduate university student taking an adapted physical activity course as part of my physical education degree. I quickly decided that this was what I wanted to do professionally. A master’s degree in management followed, which led to a position with the Ontario Wheelchair Sport Association and then another position with the Canadian Wheelchair Sport Association. From here I decided I wanted to go back to school as a doctoral student at the University of Alberta.
