DisABILITY in 2012 – A Paralympic homecoming

On Wednesday 29th August 2012, the 14th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games got underway with an opening ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in London, Great Britain and by doing so, came back to their spiritual home for the first time.

Not since the time of Sir Ludwig Guttmann, a German-born neurologist that gave hope to those with spinal injuries of a good life at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, has the flagship event of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) returned to its founding nation, but it finally did in 2012.

He opened up opportunities to injured servicemen and women of a healthy and happy lifestyle as he opened up a National Spinal Injuries Centre at the hospital in February 1944 and from this, the Summer Paralympic Games were first held in Rome, Italy in 1960.

DisABILITY in 2012 – The British Paraorchestra

A group of British musicians have found a way of expressing themselves and in some cases, having a voice to share with others for the first time in their lives.

Thanks to Charles Hazlewood, a conductor who has led orchestras around the world for more than 20 years, the British Paraorchestra is welcoming people with a disability to make music and find a chance to shine which has often eluded them in the past.

In the words of Hazlewood himself, “The Paralympics have shifted attitudes, so we want to do the same with music and the performers have a great chance to showcase their skills” and where he admits that it can be tough for musicians to achieve mainstream popularity if they are disabled, his vision is offering an opportunity to challenge and change perceptions.

Latching on

Are you a latcher, or do you suspect that a close member of your family or a friend may be one?

It’s nothing to be worried about and it’s not something that you can catch by being in contact with somebody who latches.

However, you do need to be careful of the signs and make sure that when you begin to feel that a friend is moving too close to you and relying on you too much, you evaluate the situation and keep the latcher at a safe distance.

Breaking down barriers

The National Autistic Society are celebrating their 50th birthday by making lives easier, and trying to bring a greater level of understanding on a variety of complex disabilities, for people that have autism in Great Britain.

For people that live their lives with a disability that has a place on the autistic spectrum, whether it is Asperger’s Syndrome or any other kind of autism, there has always been a sense of misunderstanding and confusion about how being disabled can affect the way that they see the world.

On a regular basis, myths are spread around about how they seem but there isn’t too much knowledge about why autistic people behave in the way that they do.

Being part of the 79%

I am autistic, I am looking for full-time employment and I am not alone in discovering that it is almost impossible to find any.

However, there is a reason why the chance of a change in the near future is nothing to get excited about.

The National Autistic Society, a charity that is based in Great Britain which aims to improve the lives of not only those that live with a disability that can be found on the autistic spectrum but also families and friends that are affected too, have commissioned a report which explains how tough it is for those with autism to find full-time employment.

Is it professional to be unprofessional?

For a couple of months now, there have been a few occasions where I have began to question my faith in professionalism and generally, a lack of common decency towards others.

I’m not entirely sure if I’m just reading people in the wrong way, whether they are looking for contributors to feature in a documentary that is being made by themselves as part of a television production company, whether they are a receptionist at a hotel or whether they are part of a customer services team that is essentially looking to find employment for unemployed members of society, but it is something that is starting to affect my belief in professional behaviour.

I am not looking to name any names or make it too obvious about who I am targeting by writing this post, but I want to share my thoughts about how it is making me feel when I’m being treated like a second-class citizen.

Meet Desmond

I WAS AWARDED A FIRST!

Yes, a first. The highest honour that you can bestow on anybody in life for an achievement that they have worked towards, but it wasn’t for my endless nights of studying in the library at university that I eventually reaped this reward. It was for a daily challenge match that I won on Stick Tennis, an application on my smartphone which takes no skill or real knowledge to master.

However, I’ve also met Desmond. A new friend that isn’t the best at much in life, and perhaps he will not be a person who becomes the CEO at a major global company as he reaches the top of their hierarchy, but he works hard and is very keen to make the most of what he has.

A chat with Lawrie McMenemy MBE

In the modern day, it is rare to pick up a newspaper or visit a sport-related website without seeing a footballer making the headlines for all of the wrong reasons.

Whether it is Joey Barton and another fight which could land him with a visit from a police officer or Ryan Giggs and his affair with Imogen Thomas, the behaviour of footballers away from the field of play has taken precedence instead of what they do on a weekly basis for their employers during the football season. The game has been changed because of these stories and the good guys have been forgotten.

The beautiful game has not always been played by those who tarnish the image of the sport, though.

A chat with Agelikki

There is a song which should encourage all of us to celebrate our differences. A song which acknowledges that everybody is individual as people and that a truly personal set of abilities is something we all possess.

Does such a thing sound possible to you? Can it be comprehended that such a strong message can be delivered through a piece of music?

Agelikki, a female singer and songwriter from Chicago, United States believes that music is the best way to instill a positive belief in those who hear it.

Channel 4 are changing the British Paralympic brand

As the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games are set to arrive in London, Great Britain on Wednesday 29th August 2012, something will be a little bit different for fans of the competition in Britain who would rather get their sporting fix from sitting in an armchair than sitting in a stadium.

There will be a lot of coverage on terrestrial television and when I say there will be a lot, I mean that you will be able to follow the Paralympics from the beginning of the day to the moment that your brain cannot take any more.

This is something which has only been the case for the Summer Olympic Games in the past. The BBC have provided blanket coverage of the Olympics but then very little of an event that gives disabled athletes an opportunity to excel, in exactly the same way that their able-bodied counterparts compete.