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Paralympics show the best part of being a human
By Lois M. Collins
Deseret News staff writer
During both the Nagano and Sydney Paralympics, the athletes openly speculated about what kind of reception they would receive when the Paralympics came to Salt Lake City.
America has a spotty history when it comes to embracing people who have disabilities — or even just anyone who's slightly different from the majority. It has taken something of a civil rights movement to get disabilities out of the closet and into the workplace, the marketplace, the showplace.
I stood in line for nearly 40 minutes Tuesday night to get tickets to the Paralympic opening ceremonies. And I hope that means the stands are going to be filled with people, not only for the ceremonies, but for the sporting competitions.
Dr. David Ryser and Dr. Jeff Randle, both rehabilitation specialists at LDS Hospital, are avid supporters of the Paralympics movement. And they, too, have wondered what will happen during the competition in Utah, which kicks off tonight.
In Sydney, the two doctors saw packed cars going to the Paralympics and the near-adulation of the athletes. The Paralympics got massive news coverage and the athletes were honored by a parade.
In Nagano, the Paralympics sold out completely and 15 different filming companies documented the Paralympics. Not one of them was from the United States, Ryser said.
The athletes, many of whom suffered terrible spinal cord injuries at some point in their lives, have already made the shift from what's missing to what remains and the truly wonderful things they can do. What they want, according to Randle, is for the general public to make that shift as well.
But the Paralympic movement is struggling to be recognized as the same kind of exciting, unifying event the Olympics are considered.
There are a lot of misconceptions. I've talked to people this week who think that Paralympians are sick. And others who don't know the difference between Paralympics and Special Olympics. That's an easy one: Special Olympics are for athletes with mental disabilities and all comers are welcome. Paralympians are athletes who compete at an elite level with a disability. What the viewing public won't see is athletes who are sick. The athletes are healthy people who have chronic but stable conditions like partial paralysis or visual impairment. A lot of them are older than typical Olympians, many because they were injured as adults and then had to do the work to make it back to sports.
The entire culture is, in fact, somewhat different. "It seems the Paralympics are where the Olympics was 40 years ago. These athletes are truly amateurs. And they are not caught up with their own self-importance or sponsorships, although more and more Paralympians are being featured in ads and are finding corporate sponsors.
Randle believes the Paralympics are important to showcase how very accomplished people who have disabilities can be. Not everyone with a disability rises to his or her full potential, but neither does everyone without a disability.
He's seen the wonders that knowing sports competition is still an option can work with people who have suffered debilitating injuries. And he's also seen firsthand the damage wrought when people adopt the attitude that people with disabilities can't do anything. That's the prevailing notion in Haiti, where Randle leads Healing Hands for Haiti, a group of Utah volunteers that provides rehabilitation services. A disability in Haiti generally means a secluded life with no expectations and very little hope.
There's another reason that Americans need to embrace the knowledge that people with disabilities can be very accomplished and happy people, Ryser warns. We are all, he said, "temporarily able-bodied." Fully 80 percent of us will at some point deal with a significant disability. Right now, 25 percent of the families in the world include someone who has a disability.
The Paralympics are not about having perfect or even near-perfect bodies. Few of us have one of those. They are about flaws and challenges and chronic conditions. And about moving on in spite of them, continuing to set and reach goals. And having fun doing it.
The Paralympics are about the best part of being a human.
Deseret News staff writer Lois M. Collins may be reached by e-mail at lois@desnews.com
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March 7, 2002
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