ABSTRACT
Disability in sport and non-sport contexts raises emotional and societal responses that range from fear to admiration (Linton 1998; Legg and Gilbert 2011). Often there is negativity towards bodily difference and assumptions about vulnerability (Hargreaves 2000) that is challenged by unexpected athletic performances and achievements in numerous sports by athletes with diverse impairments (Jackson et al. 2015). Previously framed by the charity and medical models of disability, paternalist assumptions were challenged and replaced with a social construct view of disability that more recently includes embodiment (Thomas and Smith 2009). The Paralympic Games organized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have played an important role in increasing sport opportunities and the recognition of varying abilities (Wood 2011). This chapter briefly outlines some of the challenges faced by athletes and those in sport due to ongoing stigma, stereotypes and discrimination (Goffman 1963). Disability legislation, increased funding, mainstream media coverage, new ‘cyborg’ technology and better awareness have meant more inclusion over the past twenty years as disability-focused organizations were replaced with sport-focused competition. Also research conducted by the author in the East End of London after the 2012 Paralympic Games found positive attitudes towards Paralympians.
