‘You shall not murder’: Atos at the Paralympic Games

At the London 2012 Paralympic Games a controversy arose regarding Paralympic sponsor ‘Atos’, the French IT company contracted at £400m, to implement the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s ‘Work Capability Assessment’. Atos were accused of falling short of professional codes of conduct, including declaring fit for work persons who subsequently died following removal of their benefits. The disability rights group ‘Disabled People Against Cuts’ held UK wide protests at Atos offices in Cardiff, Glasgow, Belfast and London. I argue that rather than responding positively to the protests, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is causing damage to the Disabled People’s Movement (DPM). To build the argument within a theological context the Biblical story of Cain’s slaying of his brother Abel is applied to help understand the relationship between the IPC and the DPM respectively

‘I’m not an activist’: an exploratory investigation into retired British Paralympic athletes’ views on the relationship between the Paralympic games and disability equality in the United Kingdom

One claim of the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport is that the London 2012 Paralympic Games ‘improved attitudes to disability and provided new opportunities for disabled people to participate in society’. In addition, the International Paralympic Committee’s strategic plan suggests that the Paralympic Games is a vehicle for achieving ‘a more equitable society’. The aim of this study was to examine the reflections of a group of retired British Paralympic athletes on the relationship between the Paralympic Games and disability equality in the United Kingdom. Narrative interviews were conducted with five male retired British Paralympians and one female retired British Paralympian who had participated in a total of 22 Summer Paralympic Games events. I will argue that some Paralympic athletes who are not obvious ‘activists’ can still contribute to equality for disabled people

Disability 'rights' or 'wrongs'? The claims of the international paralympic committee, the London 2012 paralympics and disability rights in the UK

A central aspect of the vision of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is that the Paralympic Movement is a vehicle for achieving 'a more equitable society' (IPC 2012a). Building upon the findings of an online survey conducted with disabled activists prior to the London 2012 Paralympic Games (Braye, Dixon and Gibbons 2012), in this short essay we argue that whilst this vision is commendable, the Paralympics has limited impact on the everyday lives of disabled people in the UK. Whilst there was evidence of support for the IPC's view that the 2012 Games would be a positive vehicle for improving equality, there were also protests by disabled activists suggesting some disabled people saw the Games in more critical terms. Despite claims that the Paralympic Games has raised awareness of disabled athletes and wider equality issues for disabled people, such a view is not shared by many disability activists some of whom have controversially used the Games as a vehicle to highlight inequalities. It is concluded that the IPC are distinctively positioned to address disability issues as they relate to a unique and elite sports enclave and perhaps ought to restrain from seeing themselves as anything more until they have opened a dialogue with disability activists.</p

Disabled children still face exclusion in PE

Does confronting the challenge of inclusive PE come down to shortcomings in current teacher training