ABSTRACT
New media has been used by disabled persons for many years and for a variety of reasons. In fact, new media 1 has a long history of connecting marginalized groups. In the 1920s and 1930s, radio – at the time the “newest” media in existence – provided physically disabled people unable to attend social gatherings the ability to connect with the larger world outside their homes (Kirkpatrick, 2012). Of course, the role of new media for physically disabled people, particularly athletes, has changed considerably. Today it seems to function, as with most ablebodied sports, primarily as a way for athletes to market themselves and their accomplishments to a wider audience (McNary and Hardin, 2013).
